Now playing at the Old Sugar Mill every 2nd and 4th Saturday!

Ed Truthan

“Celebrate Delta Arts”
By Diana L. Patrick
The Art of Music
Musician, Singer, Songwriter Ed Truthan

Music is an artistic expression worthy of notice and appreciation. Much the same as visual art, it evokes a response from us, often the irrepressible need to move—tap, snap, sway, and dance to the rhythm. More than the obvious visible effect however, it has an undeniable influence on body and mind. And as a means to nurture creativity and positive state of mind we benefit from including it in our lives.

For uplifting and entertaining live music be sure to catch local performer Ed Truthan. This gifted musician, singer, and songwriter engages audiences with his talents and repertoire of soft rock, ballads and originals.

The man has style. Truthan’s dynamic voice resounds with a crisp, rich James-Taylor-like tonal quality, his guitar serenades at his capable command, and his creative upbeat style permeates throughout his performances. His dynamic personality also comes into play on queue when he interacts with his audiences. “When I’m not playing mood-setting music to accompany wine tasting, or dinner, or art events, and I have a captive audience, I like telling behind-the-scenes stories about personal experiences, things that really charged me to write a song, and musicians and their inspirations for their songs. People may really like listening to a song, but when they know more about the musician’s inspiration it gives added dimension to their appreciation,” explains Truthan when asked about the music-related short stories and quips his audiences enjoy hearing.

Ed Truthan has been performing since he was 16, “at a bar in Arizona I was too young to play in—it was my first paid performance,” he recalls. His expansive repertoire of popular music includes ballads from his favored introspective ballad writers Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, and John Gorka. He explains, “however, having performed in resort towns such as Vail, Colorado and Lahaina, Maui, I developed a soft rock ballad repertoire of mostly classic songwriters like Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Jim Croce, Van Morrison, and James Taylor. To liven up the mix I add tunes from novelty writers like Steve Goodman and John Prine for a little parody and include my original songs.”

A creative songwriter, Truthan has composed 25 original songs. His recorded CD titled, Inside & Fragile features 12 original songs and can be purchased wherever he performs. It also includes 3 bonus tracks from his upcoming CD to be titled House of Stars. Gifted as a guitarist as well, his songs include 6 and 12 string guitar compositions, often incorporating a variety of open string tunings, also known as slack-key guitar, resulting in much lower base tones than typical guitar tone.

A Rio Vista resident and marketing director/web master for Wood Real Estate, he finds the time to pursue his passion to perform and write. He has recently appeared at the Point Restaurant, Studio 53 Gallery, Come To Our Senses, and the Old Sugar Mill. For upcoming events and to book a performance, call Ed directly at 510-220-1300.

Celebrate Delta Arts with musician Ed Truthan!

Post Note: The arts—visual, performing and musical—are an integral part of a well-rounded individual and community. Music, specifically, is known to have a strong impact on mood and learning. As it pertains to learning, studies show one simple way students can improve test scores is by listening to certain types of music, such as Mozart and baroque music with a 60 beats per minute beat pattern that activates the left and right brain, before taking a test. One key ingredient to the order of music from the baroque and classical periods is math. The human mind performs better when listening to this ordered music. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. Information being studied activates the left brain while music activates the right brain. Also, activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument or singing, cause the brain to be more capable of processing information.