Breaking up may be hard to do in theory -- but members of I Mother Earth aren't exactly singing the blues now that the dust has settled on their highly publicized split with former frontman Edwin.

Indeed, IME's decision to "get rid" of Edwin -- like most bustups, neither side can agree on exactly who left whom -- was only one of several necessary changes, according to the band, which also fired its management and switched record labels during a turbulent 1997.

"We did a lot of stuff ... and that was the most at peace and most comfortable we felt being in the music business, which tells you that everything before it was a lot of stress, a lot of crap," explains guitarist and founder Jagori Tanna.

"We just started rebuilding our team to exact specifications and everything's worked out great. It's a good place to be. We're extremely happy," says Tanna of the post-Edwin era, which brings IME to Winnipeg this weekend for a concert featuring new leader singer Brian Byrne. "And I think all of our fans are happy too."

IME is touring to support its new album, Blue Green Orange, the group's third recording and first without Edwin. While Edwin and IME parted ways two years ago, this is the year listeners will be able to decide who fared better in the divorce, since Edwin's solo debut, Another Spin Around The Sun, is also in record stores.

While Edwin has been reluctant to talk about the "creative differences" that forced the breakup, it was clear the crooner with the GQ-style looks was tired of singing someone else's songs. Edwin penned or co-wrote all 11 tracks on the recently-released Another Spin Around The Sun, compared to none with IME.

"They wanted to go in a certain direction, which was more along the lines of a jamming, Santana-based type of music, and I wanted to move in more of a listener-accessible, sing-a-long-with-the-songs-type style," Edwin told the Sun this spring. "I don't know what kind of record they're putting out, it could be nothing like that, but I knew what I wanted to do, and it wasn't the same thing they wanted."

Tanna says Edwin never fit into IME.

The problem? "The whole package," replies Tanna.

"(He) was polar opposite to what the rest of the people in the band are. That's not to say it's a bad thing, it's just to say that it's absolutely different."

Byrne, by contrast, is the perfect fourth for IME, which also includes drummer Christian Tanna and bassist Bruce Gordon.

"Now we have a singer who actually has some input into what we do -- somebody who has something to offer -- and that changes the dynamic of the band quite a bit. It takes a lot of pressure off myself and my brother (Christian) from having to write everything," Tanna says.

"It's a different atmosphere. There's no egos flying around the room, there's no tension between the four of us. We're all relaxed and having fun."

So, what does vocalist Byrne bring to IME that Edwin didn't?

Byrne is "in tune," Tanna replies cheerfully, without breaking into as much as a chuckle. "(His vocals) are strong, confident. He's just got his own sound and a really good feel to him. He's a really natural singer, and it makes the process really smooth."

Ouch. Tell us how you really feel.

"(Edwin's) basically irrelevant in everything we do and pretty much always was," continues Tanna, denying he feels anything but "absolute indifference" towards his one-time bandmate. "I was never his friend, we never really spoke. He was just somebody who would sing the music the rest of the band would put together. It's something that's not missed.

"Even before we released our first record, we tried to make that change (finding a new singer). It's been in the cards pretty much since 1992, 1991, around then. It was kind of rough making records that way, when you knew you didn't want it to last."

Tanna says harmonious working conditions and the experience gained in recording two multi-platinum albums -- 1993's Dig and 1996's Scenery And Fish -- have helped IME produce its best, most emotive record to date in Blue Green Orange.

"I think our last two records were a bit robotic. There were definite feelings and thoughts being conveyed but they were really stiff. Now, I think as we record more and more, we do it with a bit more ease and a bit more grace. It's just a deeper record."