I always thought we were all in it for the same thing – everyone, everywhere, doing whatever it is they do. We’re all in it for the glory and probably the money. That’s not to say I assume the entire human race is a bunch of money-grubbing glory-hogs, but who wouldn’t appreciate a little extra respect from the people around them and maybe a couple of quarters left in their pocket the Thursday before payday?  I was wrong. Here to prove me wrong is the band Edible. They’re a cover band and absolutely nothing else – and that is intriguing.

Edible came to life in 2003 with Jennifer Hitchcock as lead singer. Hitchcock, who was running karaoke at the time was approached by a drummer to sing for the band, and she jumped at the chance. It was a short run though, as after a few years Hitchcocks’s pregnancy forced a hiatus from performing. When she resurrected Edible in 2007, she was the only original member from the band’s first run.

After a few auditions and a little poaching, she put a lineup together. The new crew includes Shad Stahlman on bass; Steve Grodrian on lead guitar and vocals; Bryan Hitchcock on keys, guitar and vocals; and Seve Sullivan-Doyle on drums, with Hitchcock still belting lead vocals. Bryan Hitchcock, was playing in another band when Edible re-formed; when he and Jennifer got engaged, he decided it was time to change his allegiance to Edible.

One of my first questions to the band when we sat down to talk was about their own original work. To my surprise, Jennifer told me, “We only do covers. We don’t do anything original.” 

The reason is simple, according to guitarist Grodrian: covers and originals are hard to jam into one show. 

“Mixing cover material in a cover band and original material never works,” he explained. “It’s basically two separate crowds. And if you try and mix in good original stuff in a cover band, you drive away the people that want to come out and hear cover stuff and just party. And you also turn off the people that are looking for original material because they’re not interested in coming to hear covers.”

Jennifer Hitchcock provided another reason the bands sticks to covers. “We’re just trying to have fun. We’re not trying to be famous,” she says.

This is an interesting concept to me: a band that’s not interested in gaining notoriety but just wants to play some tunes on the weekend. They love to play together and get a crowd going, and that’s what the music is about for them, not climbing the charts.

While Edible are out having a good time, they’re also paying homage to some great artists. With a huge dose of modern rock infused with some classics, they whip out favorites from artists like Theory of a Deadman, Buckcherry, Alanis Morissette, Joan Jett, Tool, Little Big Town, Three Days Grace and Black Stone Cherry to get the crowd on their feet and moving. Though they doesn’t have original material, Edible still give a unique performance. 

“We put our own sound into what we’re playing,” said Grodrian.

“We’ve been playing the covers so long they kind of morph into our own songs, and we’ve kind of changed them to suit us,” added Jennifer Hitchcock. “Then you hear the original on the radio and you’re like “Oh that’s how that sounds?”

With their collection of covers in tow and their passion on their sleeves, Edible head out weekend after weekend to spur crowds of expectant listeners to their feet. And that’s enough for them. 

“The whole goal with this band is just for the people that come to hear us to have a good time and party,” said Grodrian. “To me that’s the biggest thing. I get a huge kick out of seeing everybody out there having fun.”