BIO:
Singer-songwriter Edward Rogers was born in Birmingham, England where he spent the first 12 years of his life. He moved to New York City just as the British Invasion began in the States, and started his career behind the drum kit playing in several garage bands. When a subway accident in October 1985 left him without his right arm and right leg below the knee, Rogers turned to songwriting and found that he enjoyed singing and writing more rewarding than playing drums.
Over the past decade, Rogers has been extremely prolific, releasing four solo albums and two with Bedsit Poets, a Folk/Brit-inspired trio whose name was given to them by The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone.
His first solo album “Sunday Fables” was released in 2004 on Not Lame Recordings. The following year, Bedsit Poets released “The Summer That Changed” on Bongo Beat Records. His second solo album “You Haven’t Been Where I’ve Been,” co-written and produced by George Usher, was released on Zip Records in 2008, as was the second Bedsit Poets album “Rendezvous” on Bongo Beat Records. “Sparkle Lane”, his third solo effort released on Zip Records in 2010, found him revisiting his British roots, with songs inspired by his early years growing up in Birmingham. 2011 sees the release of Roger’s fourth solo album, “Porcelain” also on Zip Records. A departure from his previous work with a much edgier vocal and musical approach, “Porcelain” is inspired by the music he was listening to during 1972-1975. Rogers co-produced the album with Don Piper.
He has played extensively in New York, and the east coast, Los Angeles, Canada and London both as a solo artist and with Bedsit Poets.
In addition to his fruitful songwriting career, Rogers co-produced 20 shows for the extremely successful series “The Beat Goes On” at NYC’s The Bottom Line. He has co-hosted the Irish Rock Revue for several years, at well-respected venues such as The Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and the Highline Ballroom. Additionally Rogers is a regular performer in the highly-successful “Losers Lounge” series at Joe’s Pub and co-hosts the radio show “Atlantic Tunnel” on East Village Radio every Sunday from noon to 2 pm.
CONTACT:
AMANDA CHARNEY
CAITLIN PASKO
MELISSA NASTASI
LINKS:
WEBSITE
PRAISE FOR ROGERS' LAST ALBUM SPARKLE LANE:
Sparkle Lane, with its autumnal strings and misty melancholy packs quite a psychological wallop. Sparkle Lane paints bittersweet miniatures – say the gorgeous floater “Passing The Sunshine” – approaching the hallowed territory of The Kinks’ “Village Green”.
Uncut Magazine
Edward Rogers writes effortless melodies like the Left Banke and Nick Lowe. The strings and vocal bits are like the Hollies’ “Butterfly” after hearing “Eleanor Rigby”.
The Big Takeover
Here’s another gorgeous album from Edward Rogers. This time combining a nostalgic trip through his own personal back pages, and a ramble far and wide across pop’s rich tapestry…lovely collections of a lost 60’s English childhood and reflections on a life of incident.
Bucketfull of Brains
Sparkle Lane ranks as his best effort yet, a record that sits nicely alongside the Kinks’ Village Green Preservation Society and the Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle as precisely tuned art-rock at its finest. Sparkle Lane truly shines.
M Music & Musicians Magazine
Ex-pat from Birmingham, now a New Yorker, Mr. Rogers has dropped a jewel. Part soft pop-psych, part nervous-edged early Roxy Music, and always effortlessly melodic.
Shindig Magazine
Take some definite British roots, let them simmer in the New York City music scene, add in a splash of chamber pop and 1960’s influences and you’ve got the right mix for talented songwriter Edward Rogers. “Passing The Sunshine” which is slightly reminiscent of the Kinks and the Housemartins with a string section; the picturesque “Boys In Grey;” and the free-flowing pop of “Whatever You’ve Geen Told” are three of the loveliest songs anyone’s released this year and there’s more where those came from sprinkled throughout the disc.
Newhouse News Service
Sparkle Lane is a delightful disc from beginning to end. It brims over with both a penchant for Anglophilia and a sense of lost innocence.
Beyond Race Magazine
Sounding musically like The Beatles, and lyrically like The Who, the Kinks, and XTC, Sparkle Lane is a mix of 14 fun little ditties that have a high repeat value.
Skope Magazine
On Sparkle Lane, his third album, he pens imaginative, well-arranged songs that straddle folk-rock, Kinks-style pop and Bowie-style glam. Distinctive, mildly oddball Brit singer-songwriter magic. 3 stars
Cultural Pilgrim blog
I have always been impressed by Rogers as a songwriter and this continues to hold true on Sparkle Lane. This album definitely has a lot of depth. Rogers may have started later than many of his peers, but he is definitely writing better material than quite a few of them.
CosmosGaming
Quirky pop verging on psychedelic, especially in the lyric department. Engaging in a slightly othewordly way, yet very familiar, especially in its Brit Pop-isms. A good cure for the sad autotuned pop sounds dominating the teenybopper stations these days.
Pirate Cat Radio 87.9fm
Sparkle Lane is quite frankly, one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. I get more excited with each track – this is the rare kind of experience that I had when I first heard such classic albums as The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” and The Zombies “Odessey and Oracle.”
Preston’s Beat
Edward Rogers is ready for the spotlight on his third album. Rogers’ album entitled Sparkle Lane is a mix of brilliant chamber and indie pop.”
Amore Magazine.
The fun you’ll derive from picking out the sounds here will very quickly be replaced by the pure joy you’ll experience listening to Edward Rogers.
Cincinnati City Beat