Upwood Avenue is a Toronto-based rock duo consisting of Ed Corrado and Piero Minelli, who craft heartfelt melodies while blurring boundaries and weaving personal experiences into universal emotions. Ed and Piero, childhood friends, intertwine as songwriters, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists. Their sound melds classic rock resonance, the spirited essence of alternative music, and indie soulfulness. Curious about the duo’s longtime partnership, I dropped them a line…

You were childhood friends. How did you meet?

Piero: We really didn’t have a choice in the matter. I was less than a year old when my parents moved to Upwood Avenue and if I’m not mistaken, Ed was born while his family lived there. And on top of it all, it was a dead end street so I guess you could say that we were bound to run into each other at some point. 

Ed: We actually lived across the street from each other. Piero was, shall we say, rambunctious and I was a lot quieter. I can’t really remember not being friends but when music came into the picture in our teens, we had a shared goal.

And when did you start making music together?

Ed: We started playing music together when we were about 15 years old. We had delusions of grandeur, we were going to be the biggest band ever. We’ll life put a stop to that pretty quickly. Now we’re trying to write the best songs we can, hopefully people will like them. 

Piero: I think we were always interested in it but it took on a sense of urgency in the nineties. 

What’s the significance of the band name? Why Upwood Avenue?

Piero: Quite simply, it’s the street we grew up on and it’s where our musical journey began. 

Ed: It was a great street to grow up on.  It was a dead-end street that was surrounded by a creek, so we spent most of our time playing there.  I think we both have great memories of growing up on Upwood Avenue.

What would you say is behind your enduring friendship? 

Ed: I think it’s a mutual respect and having the same goals. But I also think it’s a lot more than that. We have very similar tastes in music and we come from the same place in regards to the music we love.  

Piero: I wouldn’t characterize it as a friendship; it’s more of a family affair. 

Your bio mentions that your music blurs boundaries. What are some of the boundaries that your music blurs? Why do you think it’s important to blur these boundaries? 

Piero: Blurring boundaries is inevitable. When I was a much younger man I had a single track mind as far as the music I listened to. As I got older, my mind opened up to other genres of music so that’s why I believe the influences will bleed into one another. 

Ed: I think the music we loved was built on so many different types of music. When we were younger we thought they were all the same but I now see it as a bit of this style and a bit of that style. I can’t imagine having to stick to a specific genre of music. It would be very dull.

Your bio also invites listeners to join in your melodic conversations. What do you mean by that? How do you imagine your fans joining your conversations, and how does that contribute to the experience of your music?

Piero: Every artist wants their audience to engage with the music. In its simplest most basic form, it’s like someone humming a song. That in and of itself, is engagement and if we can deliver that type of music we’ve done our job.

Ed: As song writers you want your music to make people feel something. It doesn’t really matter what they feel but you want them to feel. We hope that if it does make them feel that they let us know, how did it affect them, and why. I think that feeds what makes us want to write.

I’m also curious about your website’s description of Upwood Avenue as “an echo of authenticity and uncomplicated artistry.” Can you talk a little more about that? What’s an echo of authenticity? 

Piero: I think that we have approached the art of creating by breaking it down to the most important thing and that’s writing good songs. I for one am not a producer by any stretch of the imagination but if you start with a good song, how it’s produced is window dressing. 

Ed: I think you have to get out of the way of the song, sometimes you try to pull the song in this direction or that, when it wants to go straight. Get out of the way and let the honesty and simplicity of the song come through. I hope that makes sense.

Your latest single is called “If I Was God.” What inspired the song?

Piero: Great question! It’s really about that age old question, “what would you do if you were God?” What would you do to correct the wrongs in the world? Who would you punish? What would you destroy if you were God?

Ed: It could have as easily been, If I Was King or Queen or President but not as poetic or omnipotent as If I Was God. Whether you are religious or not you know a God is supposed to symbolize the highest power.

Do you consider yourself religious? 

Piero: Not at all. I’m an outsider looking in. 

Ed: I don’t understand the need for it and I find it kind of childish. 

What are your plans for 2024?

Piero: We’ll definitely be releasing more music and we’re taking baby steps towards playing live sometime in the spring and summer of next year. 

Ed: Yes, definitely releasing more music and a conscious effort to get playing a lot more gigs. I can’t wait to see how these songs translate when we play them live.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me!

Piero: Thank you it was fun to answer your questions. Cheers. 

Ed: Thanks for this, it was fun.