EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS,
MAKING AUSTRALIA THEIR HOME AWAY FROM HOME -
NEW SHOWS FOR SYDNEY, MELBOURNE AND BRISBANE

"Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are a travelling Woodstock, a throwback to the great lost days when bands thought of themselves as families and concerts were foaming whirlpools of joy." 
Huffington Post, 2009

"Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros aren't quite a household name yet, but we have a feeling they will be one very soon."
Time Out, New York, 2009

"Frolicky, feel-good sing-alongs that dip into '60s psychedelia and '70s boho-rock jam abandon, joyful vocal textures and jangly instrumentalism (there's about a dozen people onstage at once), and most notably Ebert's Messiah-like magnetism make for a compelling musical display."
LA Weekly, 2009

If you haven't caught yourself whistling along to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Top 40 single "Home" in recent weeks you mustn't have been listening to the radio. The first song from the Californian 11-piece hippy family band has been pricking up ears across the country, and it shows.

Their debut tour of Australia was announced just two weeks ago and their Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel sold out in less than 48 hours, the show at Sydney's Metro Theatre has only a handful of tickets left.

For those who missed out, today's news is good news, and what else could we hope for from the happiest band in America.

By overwhelming demand, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have extended their first ever Australian tour to begin in Brisbane at The Hi-Fi on Tuesday 23 March, and play a second show on Wednesday 24 March at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. They will also stay on in Sydney just a couple more days to play at the Factory Theatre on Thursday 1 April.

All of these newly announced shows go on sale through the usual outlets at 9am on Friday 19 February, and be quick. Tickets didn't last long for their first shows, and with their fan base growing day by day - hundreds of thousands of votes placed "Home" at number 15 o Triple J's recent Hottest 100 countdown - there is no doubt these new tickets will go just as fast.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros were named one of Rolling Stone's "Artists To Watch In 2009" and it's just one of the notable places that they earned last year, appearing within a plethora of music press and pop culture blog's "Best Of 2009" lists.

They have drawn comparison to acts such as The Polyphonic Spree, Arcade Fire and any number of hippy family bands from the 60's and 70's. With their shameless happiness and boundless energy, they are winning passionate new followers at every turn. The late Heath Ledger was one such fan that backed the band from the beginning, with financial support and intentions to be a part of their first record before his untimely death.

The mastermind behind the group is Alex Ebert, former front man of indie/punk/electronic group, Ima Robot.  Ebert is also the creator of the band's fictitious namesake, Edward Sharpe, a character dreamed up during a difficult period where Ebert made an exit from the lifestyle he was lost in, one that included over indulgence and cynicism, and went back to basics. While in his apartment, he sketched out a the story of a boy called "Edward Sharpe" who was sent to earth to heal and save mankind, but kept getting distracted by beautiful girls and the power of love. Inspired by the story, Ebert found his own peace, and the affections of a stunning woman in the form of Jade Castrinos, who shares lead vocals on the single "Home".

Ebert and Castrinos enjoyed their escape to freedom and began to write music together; on their travels, they picked up a band of merry men and a white school bus and took their show across America.

Nowadays, a far cry from the front man's dark former life, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros deliver their audience a childlike joyfulness and energy that you can't help but be completely immersed in when you experience their live show.  If you don't dance, and sing, and leave the concert dreaming of a Woodstock life of hippy tranquility and unabashed happiness, you couldn't have been paying attention.

"There's a medicine show coming your way, guaranteed to cure whatever ails you."  Huffington Post, 2009

Don't miss Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros live in Australia for the first time next month, tickets on sale this Friday through the usual outlets.