Chris Kelly is Canada Down

Alt-rock band Edgehill is definitely one to watch. The trio was formed in Nashville, but members Chris Kelly, Jake Zimmerman and Aidan Cunningham all grew up in different cities across the United States.

After two years of studying psychology at Vanderbilt University, frontman Chris Kelly decided to go all in with the band and hasn’t looked back since.

Before Edgehill hit the stage for their sold-out performance in Toronto, I caught up with Kelly and tour manager Lynnie Swartzentruber to find out more about the band's early days, tour life and what’s next.

BE: And how'd you meet Lynnie?

CK: I met Lynnie just from like a bunch of mutual friends really.

Lynnie Swartzentruber: Yeah, we met, he was a freshman at Arkansas.

CK: Yeah. I was in a different school [before]. We just had a mutual friend and like, we got sort of running in the same circle. And then we worked together at the same coffee shop. [Lynnie] got me the job. We worked together for like a year.

LS: That’s also where–

CK: Zach [Shirley] (the bassist joining Edgehill on tour)

LS: and Aidan [Cunningham]–

CK: Yeah.

LS: Aidan was working in the like back of house and that’s how we started connecting.

BE: That's pretty sick.

CK: The Frothy Monkey really brought us together.

BE: That's what it's called?

CK: Yeah.

LS: Yeah.

BE: That's hilarious. I love that. On to the album, Ode to the Greyhouse is so good, my goodness.

CK: Thank you.

BE: What is your favorite song to perform?

CK: “Innocent” is my favorite song to perform on the album. Aidan wrote it. It's like pure emotion and leans heavier. And we all listen to a bunch of heavier stuff, so it feels like, you know, finally making that type of song you've been wanting to make for a while. The song is everything to me. “Numb” is [also] really fun to play. We get to play acoustic and the parts all weave together. Yeah, those are my top two.

BE: Sick. Can't wait to hear them. Which song off the album was the most difficult to write?

CK: Most difficult song? That's a really good question. I mean, probably, honestly, maybe ‘I Could Be Your Dog.” It was an idea from a couple of years ago, but we just thought it was like, super cringe. And then, our label was like, ‘yo, this is a great song. This is like a pop song, you know, do what you want with it'. So we tried reworking it for a while. But we couldn't figure it out. And then, I ended up getting in a room with this guy named Jeremy Letito and finished the song with him. But, it was just hard because it already existed.

BE: Right.

CK: Same with “Love to Go” a little bit.

BE: Really?

CK: Yeah, we were gonna rewrite some lyrics, but we didn't because we couldn't.

BE: I love “Love to Go.”

CK: Thank you. It was the second song Jake and I ever wrote together.

BE: Like ever, ever?

CK: Ever. “Shooting Glances,” then “Love to Go.”

BE: Wow. It's a good addition to the album, I think.

CK: Yeah, I agree. I'm so glad it's on there, honestly.

BE: Okay, so with touring, are you guys like, on a bus, in a van, in a truck?

LS: Van with a U-haul.

CK: Barrel.

LS: That’s the name of the van.

CK: We're in a van with a U-Haul. It's just like a Chevy 3500. A cater van, basically. Nothing super luxurious.

Lynnie: Nothing crazy.

BE: Who's driving the van?

CK: We all do. [Lynnie] front-loads most of the driving, I'd say.

BE: So Lynnie, you're driving?

LS: Yeah.

BE: Yeah, you are.

LS: Yeah, the trailer parking is a little…

CK: The trailer parking will be somebody else usually, but we'll all take shifts and like, stop after like, three hours, and she'll take a shift and go like, six

BE: Wow.

LS: I like it.

BE: That’s a lot of Red Bull.

LS: Yeah.

CK: So much Red Bull. A lot of Red Bull.

LS: And I love Red Bull too.

BE: When you're driving around different cities, do you like, have something you want to do in every city? Like, try a new restaurant, or go thrifting, or what's your kind of thing?

CK: Yeah. Thrifting is a big one. We [also] try to find a pool bar in every city.

BE: Okay, pool bar, that's really fun. Are you guys good at pool?

CK: We're okay, but Jake got really good. Lynnie doesn't like to play at all.

LS: Yeah, I think it's a little intimidating. I also don't have as much of a chance– they spend so much time practicing that they're like genuinely pool sharks, especially Jake.

CK: Yeah, Jake is just like, is that person that if he wants to learn something, he'll learn it to the fullest extent.

BE: What is your dream venue?

CK: Wow, I would say– I mean, it's not super far away, but Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville. Oh, and Red Rocks. And then my dream venues would kind of stop after they're like, 4,000 capacity or something. Like, arenas and stuff obviously would be a dream, but [they're] so different. It's such a different feeling than being in a room with people.

BE: Right, you like, the kind of more intimate–

CK: Yeah, yeah. I like where it feels, kind of, dirty.

BE: So, if I'm going to an Edgehill show, what am I walking into? What can I expect?

CK: Usually, everyone at our shows are really nice. I've been really surprised by how cool our listening base is and, like, how they make friends with each other. Most shows are pretty hype. But it's not like a hype where you're like, ‘everybody jump'.

BE: So there's no mosh?

CK: I mean, we would welcome moshing, for sure. If people would want to do that, I would love that.

BE: Okay, and just to end with some rapid fire. What's your favorite movie?

CK: Ooh. I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And then also, I watched [this one] recently, and I was just, like, amazed by it. Requiem for a Dream.

LS: Oh, I thought you were gonna say Obsession.

BE: Me too!

CK: No, [but] Obsession is great. It's so good. We watched Requiem for a Dream together, and it's a brutal movie, but it's so good. And growing up, I loved Stand by Me.

BE: What's your gas station order?

CK: Usually a water, maybe a Celsius, or like a sugar-free Gatorade, and then I usually get, like, maybe, like, a meat stick and some candy.

BE: Which candy?

CK: I switch it up all the time.

LS: Yeah, you eat sour, and it's always gummies, or some like fruity–

CK: Yeah, I've always been a gummy guy.

BE: What's your favourite part about Toronto?

CK: Toronto, the people are so fucking cool. Like, everybody's so cool, looks so cool, like, has so much swag, like, I love that. What do you think?

LS: The vintage scene.

CK: Oh, the vintage shopping's really good. And then, yeah, how kind everyone is.

LS: Yeah. Like, kind and just sweet, honestly.

CK: And Slushy Noobz.

BE: Of course, Slushy Noobs. Did you get to see them yet?

CK: No, they're on tour while we're on tour.

BE: Too bad, you'll have to come back. Okay, last question. What is the most unexpected song on your playlist?

CK: Ooh, I have a couple, so get ready.

BE: I'm ready.

CK: “Nobody Gets Me” by SZA. I used to love that song.

BE: I love that song.

CK: I love her. I'm in love with her.

BE: She's awesome.

CK: "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat and, I think, SZA. Daniel Caesar was my top artist for a while.

BE: Oh, so you're Toronto Down. You're kind of Canada Down.

CK: I'm basically from here, yeah. I, like, grew up with him being, like, one of my favourite artists.

BE: Really?

CK: At least, like, when I was, like in high school. Last thing? Probably, like Tyler Childers.

BE: Really? Well, I guess he's, like, the Nashville of it all.

CK: Yeah, and I grew up in Virginia, and he’s good country. Oh, my mom's calling, so I'm gonna take this.

BE: Oh my goodness. Yes.

CK: But thank you. We'll be around.

BE: Thank you!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Courtesy: IG/lynniefinally

Blaize Exeter: Okay so, what is Edgehill? Why that name?

Chris Kelly: We couldn't really come up with anything. Honestly, it's like a place everywhere. Like, there's an Edgehill in every city (yes, including Toronto). I would like to say it's tied back to like our roots in Nashville. But A, we're not really from Nashville. And B, it was just a street our friend lived on.

BE: For new listeners of Edgehill, what can they expect from the band?

CK: Really, we just want to be touring as much as possible and always kind of exploring music that excites us and creating things that excite us. We don't really want to ever repeat ourselves or get into a rhythm of doing the same thing. And we're just really dedicated to sounding as good as we can live. It's our favourite part. So tons of shows, hopefully tons of music coming up. We're working on another second album now.

BE: Oh, you are?

CK: Yeah. Working is really, you know, in quotes. But yeah, just like, we're just trying to give it our all.

BE: I mean, it's working out pretty well. You guys got signed pretty quickly.

CK: I know. That was crazy.

BE: How quickly were you established as a band and then with a label?

CK: Yeah, so we were a band starting in October of 2021 or November maybe. And then we got signed in May of ‘24. So we were a band for a good bit of time. Whenever there's like a video that goes pretty well online or something, you'll have labels reaching out. And they'll be like, ‘hey, let's hop on a phone call.’ And like, ‘let's connect’. And you're like, ‘oh my god, I'm going to get signed.’ And then you never hear from them again until you blow up.

BE: Right.

CK: So like, we were talking to a lot of labels for a while, but it didn't really mean anything. [Then] we met Big Rock Records. They came to a show and just really liked us. We met them at the office and talked about strictly music and like, no numbers. They sent us over a deal and we negotiated a little bit.

BE: So you found it was a good fit for you guys.

CK: Oh yeah, they’re great.

BE: Oh, wow. You don't hear that too often.

CK: No, you don't.

Courtesy: Avinash Chatterpaul