My name is Bill Edges, and I've been playing guitar and writing songs on and off for about 20 years. Right now, I'm staying with family in San Antonio, Texas. But I just got back from living in Japan for four years, and one thing you'll notice if you listen to my music is the effect that Japan has had on my singing. First of all, I think I destroyed my once beautiful singing voice by singing too long and loud at a karaoke box a couple years ago. It tends to get crackly, kind of tricky to control. Also, the vocals might sound a little quiet and unrehearsed because I had been living in a little apartment and I didn't want to bother my neighbors while I was putting the songs together. In any case, I'm no perfectionist, so I think the vocals end up matching the general nature of these recordings--crackly, and tricky to control. Well, that's my spin on it. Of course, Japan has affected me in many other ways besides my singing, and I'm really glad I lived there. I met some great people, and they did a lot to encourage me in my song writing and recording. More importantly, they have been kind enough to show me the depth of a beautiful culture that often feels more comfortable presenting its surfaces. Well, that's my American perspective, anyhow--just half the story. I suppose my hometown is the Washington D.C. area, and I have a few very important roots here in San Antonio, as well. But, as much as possible, I'm trying to push deeper into a community that's everywhere and nowhere, beyond culture, where life is art, science is magic, and new forms are free to evolve.