A Conversation with N.E.D.’s John Soper, William “Rusty” Robinson, and Will Winter – HuffPost 7.29.11
Mike Ragogna: What is N.E.D. and why is your album titled 6 Degrees?
John Soper: N.E.D. is a rock ‘n’ roll band comprised of 6 gynecologic oncologists from around the country. We all specialize in the care of women with cancers of the female reproductive tract. N.E.D. is an abbreviation for our formal name–“No Evidence of Disease”–and is used in a medical context to describe a situation where there is no detectable cancer in a patient. We hope we could say that to all of our patients.
Will Winter: N.E.D., or “No Evidence of Disease,” is what we hope to tell every patient at the end of their therapy. That is a complete remission. 6 Degrees has multiple meanings, but perhaps the most important is the idea of six degrees of separation. In its most general description, this refers to the fact that a person is associated with everyone else in the world through a string of six successive people. The idea with N.E.D.’s CD title is that everyone knows someone with a gynecologic cancer through that same concept. No life is left untouched by cancer.
MR: How was the band formed?
JS: N.E.D. was initially assembled to play cover tunes for a medical convention. We meshed through that experience, enjoyed making music together, and decided that we could have a higher purpose by making a noise for women with gynecologic cancers. We thought we might be able to raise awareness for gynecologic cancers and through sales of music, fundraising events, and concerts raise money for the Women’s Cancer Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that promotes education and research for these malignancies, and Marjie’s Fund, another not-for-profit organization that promotes raising awareness for these cancers.
We are all practicing physicians with a full-time clinical practice of medicine. Gynecologic Oncology includes complex cancer surgery, administering chemotherapy treatments, and participating in radiation therapy planning/treatment for our patients. We all also have a love of music and have performed in various types of bands and musical projects in the past.
MR: How do you create and record one coherent project while working from six different locales?
JS: With difficulty! The initial 6 songs on our original EP N.E.D., released in 9/2009 on the Motema label, were selected from demos of song ideas that members of the band submitted via MP3s of the basic song concept. We initially got together for several long weekends to develop the songs with our producer, Mario McNulty, and reworked the song structures, lyrics, and arrangements before recording the EP. For our second CD, we circulated song ideas…often sketches or rough demos via MP3s that were emailed to the group. We all collaborated on getting together rough arrangements and learning our individual parts. Following our first CD, we performed several fundraising concerts in venues at each of our hometowns and would build in one or two days rehearsal into the event. During the year, we would learn and rehearse new songs before each gig, then go out and perform them at the gig. Our most ambitious gig was our first fundraiser in Portland, Oregon in October, 2009. We learned and performed 6 new songs!
After a year, we had enough songs that we had performed and developed in performance that we could select from to put together our second CD. We got together for a long weekend with our producer, and refined the songs; rewrote lyrics, chopped verses, worked out arrangements and tempos, and recorded demos of our 12 best new tunes. These were used by each of us to practice our parts individually and formed the basis for the scratch tracks that were used for our second recording project. We still have some songs that we’ve performed that aren’t in “final” form yet, and there are several tunes that haven’t yet made it past the initial demo stage.
William “Rusty” Robinson: It probably couldn’t have been done prior to the digital recording era. We depend on computer software like GarageBand to create and share music files. Basically, one of us gets an idea for a song and records it on their home computer. Then, we send it around to the rest of us who add our particular instrument and musical thoughts. By the time it gets to everybody, we have a song. Plus, none of these songs were recorded in the studio as a group. The drums were recorded first in New York. The guitars and basses were recorded next in North Carolina. The vocals and extras were recorded later at various places. It was all then mixed and mastered in New York.
MR: Will this album mainly be offered as a digital download?
JS: N.E.D., our first EP, and 6 Degrees, our new release, are available as a physical hard-copy CD and in digital download form. Previews of the individual tracks on 6 Degrees and links for purchasing in either format are available through our website http://www.nedtheband.com and are available through CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, etc. We find that many of our patients want a physical connection to the band and prefer the hard copy CDs.
WRR: No, please buy hard copies of our CD! The artwork and liner notes are great.
MR: Is the material unified topically?
WRR: Only in the sense that all the songs come from human experience. We think they are universal in that they evoke common emotions. However, the specific topic or story of each song is different. Just like with any other songwriter, they come from our personal experiences. Some of those experiences are with patients and hospitals, even chemotherapy, by the nature of what we do, but others are not. In fact, I would challenge the listener to figure out which ones came specifically from a medical background. I bet most people can’t tell!
WW: Yes and no. We do not strive to write songs strictly about cancer in literal fashion. Our songs are meant to reach out to the general public. We also want to reach those who do not have the awareness of gynecologic cancer that our brave patients and their family and friends have. Our patients are all too aware. Again, success is measured in bringing folks into the conversation who might otherwise have never had a clue what is going on with gynecologic cancers. That is to say, we really strive to make our music and lyrics generally applicable and appealing; dealing with life issues in general, rather than strictly about cancer. Our patients will tell you that they hear enough about their cancer everywhere else in their lives. We want our music to be a beautiful escape for them, while catching the ears of the unaware.
MR: Did you always see the band as one with a mission and if so, what is it?
JS: When we decided to write and perform original music, our goal was to make a noise for our patients with gynecologic cancers, raise awareness, and hopefully, generate funds for the not-for-profits that were referenced above. As doctors who have a passion for our work and a passion for music, this also worked out to be somewhat therapeutic for each member of the band.
WW: That was the inception. That is what we will always be, but I can tell you it is a great deal of fun connecting with our patients and other fans through music. The enjoyment and the mission go hand-in-hand.
MR: Do you see your mission changing to accommodate other concerns?
WW: Not really. Gynecologic cancer is our main concern and real passion. We will continue to address all facets of this. Our ultimate goal is to help other fledgling organizations such as ours launch their efforts. You have to be passionate about your mission to make it successful. It is very hard work, but our passion drives this band and its mission.
MR: What was the focus behind your 2009 EP debut and did it also include a humanitarian element?
WW: Same mission, same band, two years younger, age and musically.
MR: Where exactly do the proceeds go?
WW: The general concept is to raise gynecologic cancer awareness and to promote education. We have had two organizations with whom we have partnered: Marjie’s Fund for Gynecologic Cancer Awareness and Education and the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF).
MR: With N.E.D.’s members spread out geographically, is there a plan on how to make your tour work from a practical perspective?
JS: Currently, we have focused on performing in events that are close to our hometowns. Logistically, this lowers overhead costs. We try to structure gigs and fund-raising events so that travel, lodging, and rental of the back-line equipment are covered or likely to be covered. In Portland, Oregon, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, we incorporated fund-raising events with gigs and were able to donate a portion of the profit to patient support funds at the local cancer centers. We have also participated in fund-raising events that benefited other groups, such as the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, the Ogilvy Group, and will be performing to benefit the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance in Washington, DC this summer.
WW: That is the 64 million dollar question. If we did not have fairly time-consuming day jobs, we would love to tour 100 days a year at least–please don’t repeat that to my wife. That said, we love our day jobs and will not give those up. Our focus will be on starting to do mini-tours throughout the year. We would like to plan 4-6 dates in a specific geographical area each time. As you intimate, that is going to take planning, a few PhDs and a great deal of calculus to work out. NASA will likely have to help us with that. We will just need to make sure that all the teams are using the same system of measurements.
MR: Will the show’s proceeds also go towards charitable organizations?
WRR: Yes, we typically split the proceeds of all live events with a local non-profit that acts as the sponsor/promoter.
WW: Marjie’s Fund and the N.E.D. Fund at Marjie’s Fund. We do not make a profit off of our sales and concerts.
MR: Do you see this as an ongoing series of releases?
JS: We were encouraged by the response to our initial EP. If we continue to build on that success with 6 Degrees, we have additional material in development and would hope to continue to perform and record in the future.
WW: I certainly hope so. I still have a lot of music pent up and a lot to say.
MR: What is your advice for new artists? And from your perspective, should they be thinking about some humanitarian element?
JS: We are the prototype for the saying “don’t give up your day job”…our patients wouldn’t allow it! We also aren’t the typical business model for aspiring musicians. It is hard to make a living when you donate your profits to a worthy cause. We’re doing this because we love to make music and are able to marry our passion for our work with the music in a way that is very rewarding on a personal level. It makes my day when I’ve finished seeing a patient in clinic and she asks about the band or comments that the CD hasn’t left her CD player in the car since she got it or talks about sharing the music with other people because she felt a connection to a song on the album. It has added to the quality of her life, and I believe that I’ve shared part of myself with her in a way that most physicians can’t.
WRR: LOL. We still think of ourselves as “new artists,” but if there’s anything that we learned, it’s that if you want to do something in the music business, don’t be scared. In some ways, there’s never been a better time. A new artist doesn’t need a label anymore. They barely even need a studio. Anyone who gets good enough with digital recording software on a computer can create their own studio in their home. If WE can do it, then anybody truly can! And should they be thinking about some humanitarian element? Depends on what you mean; all music and all art are “humanitarian.” Art is an attempt by one human to evoke an emotion from another human by means of a created product–words, music, paintings, etc. If you mean should they consider adding a non-profit aspect to their work, I think we should all do that in our own way. Virtually every organized religion and ethical framework calls for some sort of financial sacrifice on behalf of the less fortunate.
WW: Well, that is interesting. We still see ourselves as the new artists. That said, from our experience over the last few years, you just need to be true to who you are. Sing and play from the heart and people will get it. The humanitarian element has to come from a passion. We are still learning everyday.