Mike Edel - casseroles & flowers (2022)

‘Tears and laughter have a way of getting along,’ sings Canadian singer-songwriter Mike Edel on the title track from his upcoming 5th full-length-album and accompanying documentary casseroles & flowers out July 22nd, 2022.

Not only has Edel crafted a series of optimistic melodies that perfectly hold the tension between hardship and heart, but he did it while recovering from a stroke he suffered in April 2021. The sudden event occurred as Edel and his wife — pregnant with their firstborn — were on tour playing outdoor shows and living in a converted van in an effort to keep performing in a covid-compromised live event landscape. These experiences unravel before us in the extremely personal casseroles & flowers.

Edel reveals that it was ‘the time of our lives, perfect and bittersweet,’ on the uptempo rock-leaning “illusions by the sea”. A literal recount of his stroke is captured with ‘next thing I know, falling like a domino,’ on the emotional folk ballad “domino”.’ The album’s title, “casseroles & flowers,” aptly presents two icons of love and sympathy (both of which repeatedly appeared on their doorsteps) that demarcate the ineffability of both grief and joy.

After confidently walking again and rehabbing 5 hours per day, Edel turned his attention to what he found most difficult: playing guitar. Still unable to hold a pick and play many of his own songs, Edel and Alexandra Niedzialkowski (Cumulus) co-wrote most of the album and explored themes of death, renewal, grace, physical deficiencies and fatherhood as Edel experienced them in hospitals, vans, basement suites, and new towns.

With the new LP, Edel not only makes his self-production debut, but also his filmmaking debut. “For 4 months I was very motivated to diligently play with rubber bands, rice, puddy, and put baseball men stamps on my chart, but I knew in order to keep progressing I needed to channel my energies into what I loved most,” says Edel. Over the span of a year, Edel portrays his and his wife’s journey. The project documents their move into the van, the stroke, recovery, pregnancy, the welcoming of their first child, and Edel’s journey to play his ‘Can I Still Do This?’ first post-stroke concert and tour.

Edel approaches his limitations and unusual challenges with an unvarnished truthfulness, and paradoxical burst of vibrancy. Through it he is relatable and charming, often speaking and singing to listeners like they’re old friends. Fueled by the support of his community, casseroles & flowers is Edel’s best yet.