Ed Hale

Singer/songwriter Ed Hale first took up the guitar during childhood and began composing protest songs while still a teenager. Drawing inspiration from R.E.M. and the Kinks, he assembled Broken Spectacles with several high school friends. The band enjoyed a brief yet productive run through the late 1980s and early 1990s before parting ways amicably in 1994. By 1996 Hale had gathered enough solo material to issue the live recording Acoustic in New York. Although that minimalist collection received little notice, it prompted him to form a new ensemble. In South Florida he assembled a U2-esque backing band that added electronica flourishes and adopted a stronger political stance. The group, which took the name Ed Hale and Transcendence, released its debut album, Rise and Shine, in 2002.