Edwin Derricutt was born in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, his mother a Salvation Army musician who once formed a harmonica band in the UK, and his father a talented joiner and shop-fitter.
Both immigrated to New Zealand from the UK and subsequently met in Wellington.
It was no surprise when Edwin found himself pursuing architecture as a career choice and singing and writing songs as he grew up.
Edwin first starting learning guitar after striking a bargain with his parents, pass his school certificate exams and be rewarded by a nylon string classical guitar. Edwin decided that he was of course going to pass so coerced them into the purchase before even sitting his exams. As soon as Edwin could play two chords he was penning lyrics and recording songs on the home stereo, sealing his path as a singer / songwriter.
Unfortunately it’s hard to make a living as an artist in New Zealand, so pragmatism lead to years at university and a career in architecture. Having been involved in the design and construction of numerous buildings and structures around the country, Edwin knows what it's like to be chained to desks and computer screen for days and weeks at a time.
Music is his escape. Songwriting is the food for his soul. Consequently escape and reflection are common themes of his debut album Symmetry. In large part, Symmetry was written and recorded aboard his bright yellow Bedford Bus (oh yeah . . . when he was young he wanted to be a bus driver).
The recording process of the album was unique. Ed jumped on board, drove to idyllic New Zealand locations, wrote songs and recorded demos on his Mac laptop. If you Listen closely you can even hear the clanging and stomping of various metallic and wooden fixtures onboard the bus,that contributed to the percussion tracks on the album. If you listen REALLY closely, you can even hear the birds singing along between tracks.
The end product is an album that actually takes you on that journey of escape with Edwin. Instantly accessible to a wide audience, listening to Symmetry you can't help being transported to Rawara Beach or simply lazing on the porch of your mates bach on a summer evening sipping something icy.
