The days of one-named lead singers are no more for I Mother Earth.
And the band, which headlines tonight's Black and White Bash at the Congress Centre, couldn't be happier.
Since their last appearance in these parts at Edgefest '97, the Toronto-based alt-rockers have undergone a housecleaning of sorts.
Drummer Christian Tanna, guitarist Jag Tanna and bassist Bruce Gordon inked a record deal with PolyGram Canada's Mercury division. They also overcame a messy battle with their old managers and have hired Steve Herman and his company Core Audience.
Oh yeah, and lead singer Edwin has gone solo.
"Without getting into too much detail, there was a point where we were going to rehearsals unhappy," says Christian Tanna. "That whole period was turning into an unhealthy situation. So the decision to let Edwin go was a mutual one."
Many audition tapes later, I Mother Earth chose Brian Byrne, a 22-year-old Newfoundland native, as its new frontman in late 1997. Tanna says although the band felt they made the right choice, it wasn't until their appearance during the Summersault '98 festival in August that the choice was clear.
"Our fans made us realize we made the right decision," Tanna says. "We were so surprised, we spent more time watching the fans react to Brian than we did focusing on our songs. But we didn't care. We were happy with the decision.
"In the end, the band has to be happy first. I used to wake up mornings and go, 'How did we ever get through all of this intense outside stuff?' "
Now that Byrne has passed his stage audition, his big test will be when I Mother Earth releases its follow-up to 1996's Scenery and Fish. Tanna says the band is at work recording the CD, due out sometime this spring.
"It's gonna be all over the place," Tanna says. "The deeper we get into the songs, the more it takes on a different life.
"We just jam away and then Jag takes time to develop some ideas. I'm usually the guy that comes up with the crazy ideas.
"Maybe at the New Year's Eve show we'll do Van Halen's first album in its entirety."
