We chat with Ed Daniels about creating uplifting songs with a retro flair with the Collaborations project

photogroupie
Oct 2, 2025
2 min read

PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF...

I am Ed Daniels the founder of a project called Collaborations. This is a project where we get Indie artists together to create positive uplifting songs in a retro type of style reminiscent of the 60’s 70’s only with a modern flair.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE, ‘YOU GOTTA KNOW’?

You gotta know is a song I co-wrote with Anais Preller(A graduate student at the Berkley School of music. I came up with the melody line and the rhythm guitar track a well as the theme of the song which was wondering why things are the way they are and how can we change them. Anais then took it and ran with it, writing all the lyrics. We then had it Orchestrated by our arranger Matt Oeistricher . After the arrangements we brought the entire band into the studio under the watchful eye of our award winning producer Vic Steffens. This included our Grammy winning base play, Tim Dehuff on Lead Guitar and Tom Nagy on Drums as well as our GOSPEL CHOIR GROUP Kevin Monroe and Devotion.

WHICH SONG WOULD YOU SAY SUMS UP YOUR SOUND THE BEST?

All our songs are similar in intent and tonality. We try to mimic the feel of the 60’ s 70’s and 80’s

HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?

I have played Guitar since I was 8 years old.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL WRITING AND RECORDING DAY LOOK LIKE?

Our sessions start out with me writing a framework for a song then passing it along to the other artists to put heir artistic input into it. E then go into the studio where our producer Vic Steffens gets everyone to coalesce around the song until it all seamlessly works together. To me it always feels like magic. Taking a song from a blank piece of paper to a finished recording.

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR BAND NAME/STAGE NAME?

I named it after the essence of what we do collaborate to create music tat is better than anyone of us could do on there own Hence “Collaborations”

WHAT HAS BEEN THAT HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR MUSIC JOURNEY SO FAR?

Getting to the right audience. We are definitely not mainstream

WHAT'S BEEN THE EASIEST?

Working with all the people on the project

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T MAKING MUSIC?

I am retired IT executive so probably something in technology

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?

“There are no losers in this world. Just people that gave up too soon.”

WHAT'S NEXT?

Getting our songs in TV/ Film we are actively pitching them now