Interview:ED3N
The very first exclusive interview!!!
(Craig Gruber pic © by Robert Schmidt)
with: CRAIG GRUBER (ED3N)
1. Hi - Craig please introduce yourself to all those who didn`t already know you? When did your musical career?
Craig: Hello Susi, and thank you for the opportunity to say a few words to the fans of Elf, Dio, and Rainbow Well, my musical career began at the age of 12 when I joined the schoolband on trumpet. After a few months I switched over to Baritone, as I liked the lower tones... hehe! At the Age of 15 I was given a guitar by my parents and began exploring the possibility of learning to play...after about 6 months...I wasn't getting anywhere, I accidentally broke the High E and B strings trying to learn to play Chords I was left with E-A-D-G! a Bass! Ha it was more natural fro me to pick up Bass Lines form songs and music I was hearing! My Older sisters always played Motown / R&B, and Soul Music in our House so I grew up on Motown Bassists! Lucky For Me!! I was learning form the Bottom Up!! I WORE OUT Their Collections Of The Temptations, Supreme's, Stevie Wonder,Wilson Pickett, Donny Hathaway, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and learned the Basic Foundational Aspect of the Instrument!! Create a "GRROOVVEE!!! with the Drummer..I became interested in of course the Beatles!! and Paul Mc Cartneys Melodic Bass Playing... " A Song With in a Song" type approach! Which today, I am still in awe of his ability to connect a melody under the Track On Bass!!!
In1972 in met Elf's amazing drummer, Gary Driscoll, at a rehearsal space in Cortland New York, where the Iconic Ronnie James Dio is fromHe hear me playing in another band and commented ,,, You are amazing man,,, Have you ever heard of Ronnie Dio and the Electric Elves?..... ha! I almost fainted...!! I said Of Course!! You guys are my idols!! Gary went on to explain to me, Ronnie was thinking about turning the Bass over to someone and just go up and front The Ban on Vocals...The Elves were on tour with Deep Purple at the time and had been for a couple of years as Deep Purples opening band...He said, "I am going to get Ronnie to come down and hear you playI almost passed out! ..Well a couple weeks later Gary brought Ronnie in to see my band at a Local Bar.. "Dominoes"/ and he watched me for a whole setAfter the set Ronnie came to the side of the stage with Gary and said Hello. Craig, I'm Ronnie nice to meet you... You are an amazing bassist Craig!, Ronnie shook my hand and said! This!!... Which I still remember word for word... Craig "if I played the bass for the rest of my life... I could never do what you just did on a Bass"!, How would you feel about coming in and playing with us next week and seeing how it works out?...Well I went to the rehearsal and we played "Sit Down Honey," I'm Commin Back For You, "Hoochie Coochie Lady", "Dixie Lee Junction, and then We Jammed a Blues Song for half and hour... Gary and I just had a perfect natural feel/ groove about or playing it all just felt right!!! Ronnie was smiling and laughing at some of the fills we are playing! It was an amazing day ... I was hired into Elf that day.. July 6th 1973...I will never forget that day.
2. Some time ago you formed your band Eden now Ed3n. How did the story of Ed3n begin?
Craig: My new band ED3N was formed in January of 2010. I was informed back in September of 2009 that our dear Ronnie had fallen ill and was battling CancerWe had spoken earlier that year about doing an Elf Reunion CD and I was verrry excited about that possibility. But as Ronnie's condition worsened I was only concerned with doing something for him... as a tribute to raise awareness to his condition and to reach out for healing prayers all around the world! My first idea was to contact as many rock and metal radio stations world wide to organize a " Chain Of Prayer" of healing for dear Ronnie...It was almost impossible to organize some 20,000 radio stations at the same moment to broadcast the prayer of healing...So I formed ED3N to go out and do some live dates...
3. What does Ed3n stand for and why did you chose to name Eden to E3den finally?
Craig: The Name EDEN was chosen by myself as a place..I have always been mystified by the story on EDEN ... and it`s a great platform for writing as well. I was informed there was a band in UK called EDEN they are a Zeppelin tribute Band so I decided to change the spelling to ED3N... I copyrighted the name in november of 2010. The 3" designates- the 3- realms of Humanity... EARTH, HEAVEN, and HELL...Something we all deal with every day of our lives... ED3N's music is.. the DNA strand of Elf and Rainbow... where Ronnie and I Left off... We had a lot in common as far as our ideas about music and our writing. We formed Ritchie Blackmore`s Rainbow in early 1975 after touring w/ Deep Purple for over 3 years straight... The Dio/Elf/Rainbow magic was an amazing Ride!!! And we had lots of material and lyrics put together...I have always felt that we never really lived up to our potential as Rainbow with the original members of Elf and Ritchie... it was definitely magical band,,,, So ED3N is the extension of this band with Ronnie at the helm. ED3N is writing material where the Original Rainbow and Elf left off.
Craig Gruber and Frank Blackfire (pic © by Robert Schmidt)
4. Can you tell us something on the actual line up of your band? I heard that Vinny Appice isn`t in Ed3n and never was.
Craig: Ed3n's members are"; myself on bass, and vocals, Jeff Fenholt- vocals, Frank Blackfire- guitars and vocals and we are hand picking drummers at this point to find the perfect fit... We have someone in mind that's a perfect fit... but we will see what come of this...
5. You already recorded some material. When are we about to hear the first results. What are the Ed3n songs mostly all about? Have they got a special mood?
Craig: We recorded 8 new tracks in Germany this past march... The material is a lot of my past!! Its Dio/ Elf Rainbow influenced with a bit of Heaven and Hell !! Very heavy!!! Melodic and definately where the original Rainbow album left off!!! Only moved up into the 21 Century!! It`s amazing and I am very very hard to please musically!! The Dio, Elf and Rainbow fans will now have a new CD full of the original mystique!! These 8 songs def capture the 16th Century Greensleeves!!! And Man On The Silver Mountain mystique and flavour of the original direction of Rainbow!!!
We are mixing vocal track and guitars now... We hope to go in a record the final recording be the mid summer for a late fall release worldwide!! We are signed in Europe with: AOR Metal Heaven Records and in South America with Wet Music. We are shopping for the Right Deal for USA and Canada now... Japan will be next.
6. For all fans who wanted to know some more nice stories of Ronnie James Dio. Have you got some funny story you can still share with us? I know it`s been a long time but maybe you remember one?
Ritchie Blackmore`s Rainbow
Craig: As far as working with Ronnie and Elf, forming Rainbow and also going to Sabbath with Ronnie when he was asked to join in spring of 1979 .. We had a great relationship... all those years ... We toured with Deep Purple as Elf and we learned a lot about ourselves during this time.. Ronnie was an amazing person ! His heart was so full of love for the fans and people in general... Ronnie was very Intelligent, and an amazing reflective lyricist... as well as an incredible singer as we all know now... His FANS ALWAYS CAME FIRST ON HIS LIST! We wrote and rehearsed until our fingers bled...It had to be perfect! Ronnie had such a high level of expectations from the band and the crew as well!! It was always about the FANS!!...I'm sure you have read many interviews about Ronnie going onstage sick with the flu, colds, etc. They are all true!! Ronnie never!! never!! put himself first!! He would say... Listen, Guys: Some of these people have worked, and saved and driven hundreds of miles to see us, we will not!! let them down! Ronnie always treated the band and crew with respect.. I do remember an incident that stick with me...We were touring on the Monsters Of Rock Tour in Germany and we were waiting for Ronnie to get on the bus.... It was about 1 am and we had to drive all night to the next show.... We were all on the Bus and our tour manager Colin Hart spoke up and asked >> Where's Ronnie"... and Ritchie piped up and said He`s probably in the hall still making tea for a security guard"...which was sarcasm....But!! Ronnie probably was doing just that!! He would walk down the halls of the backstage areas, and ask the security people if they had eaten dinner that nite and offered them food. Ronnie was 1 in a Billion!! I will miss him dearly the rest of my life...Somewhere... "Over The Rainbow.... Way Up High"....."On a Silver Mountain!!... ED3N.. Is an extension of,.. Ronnie... BASSIST, CRAIG GRUBER..
Craig I wish you and Ed3n all the best. See you in Germany sometime soon, Susi
ED3N webpage coming soon!
Rocket Queen Promotion: Promotion for Ed3n in Germany and Europe!
© 06/2011 by Rocket Queen *Promotion*