by Bradley Torreano Singer/songwriter Ed Hale learned to play the guitar at an early age, writing protest songs as a teenager. Inspired by R.E.M. and the Kinks, he started the group Broken Spectacles with his high school friends. They had a short-lived but fruitful career in the late 80's/early 90's, eventually splitting up amicably in 1994. By 1996, Hale had enough solo material to release a live disc, Acoustic in New York. Although the minimalist set didn't get much recognition, it did drive him towards putting together another band. He founded another one in South Florida, a U2-esque backing band that offered electronica flourishes and a more political outlook. Naming themselves Ed Hale and Transcendence, the group released their debut, Rise and Shine, in 2002.