Alabama, Arkansas, I sure love my ma and pa, but not as much as I love Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. This band, led by front man Alex “Edward Sharpe” Ebert, consists of about a hundred musicians. No not really, but it would appear so when the ten person (sometimes even more) ensemble is crowded onto a stage.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros create a cool folk-indie-rock style. Their biggest hit, “Home,” is a love song that is that one song that you love but also can’t stand because of countless hours lying in bed staring at the ceiling with it stuck in your head. I mean who wouldn’t get that catchy whistle stuck in their head?

They formed as a band in 2005. Alexander Ebert – or Edward Sharpe – was originally in a band called Ima Robot, an indie rock band, which is weird considering he grew up listening to hip-hop, originally intending to be a rapper. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros played their first real, full-length show on July 18, 2007 at the Troubadour. They later released their first full-length album, Up From Below.

Edward Sharpe is a pretty free-spirited band making them hard to predict. They released a new album, Here, in May of 2012, and it really came up from below the radar. It was received quite well, selling 35,000 copies in the first week, making it number five on the Billboard Top 200 for a short period of time. This was a much bigger success than Up From Below which peaked at #76.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are currently touring to support their newest album, so make sure if you get the chance, you don’t miss one of the best folk bands today!