ASHMCAULIFE
By: Kim Acrylic
Ash: It's a total pleasure.
Punk Globe: Your album Alone in the dark is very experimental and dark,where does that come from?
Ash: I don't want it to sound cliched but I've always felt an affinity with darkness. As human beings we all have light and dark attributes. We are always mistakenly taught to embrace only the lighter sides of ourselves and discard the dark. I've always felt this to be incorrect. My album is a personal journey into the darker side of my psyche and it's a journey many people should take.
Punk Globe: Who were you listening to the most whilst recording the album?
Ash: My musical taste is very eclectic and has developed muchly over the years. During the making of this album i had been listening to lots of electronic artists ranging from Ladytron to t.A.T.u. But movie scores were an important influence. I've always had a deep appreciation for horror movie music and i truly feel it's an art not fully appreciated. A horror score is unique in its ability to meld together lots of emotions such as terror and relief. John Carpenter and Claudio Simonetti are heroes.
Punk Globe: Any musical obsessions you want to admit to?
ASh: I'm not ashamed to admit that i'm a sucker for a clever pop song. I love t.A.T.u.. I also love Girls Aloud. You can't be serious 100% of the time. Plus pop music is good to get drunk too.
Punk Globe: Whats one thing about the music industry you wish would change?
Ash: There's so many. I do think there is more pressure on female artists than the men to succeed. The mainstream pop culture is a bad influence on teenage girls and that's a fact. I know many girls who have or are suffering from eating disorders as they are constantly force fed unnatural images. The fact that the record companies appreciate a woman's breast and waist size rather than her intellect still annoys the pants off me.
Punk Globe: You're from England,How do you think the competition is there compared to American music?
Ash: The good thing about English music is that we actually enjoy our music in all its forms. It's healthy competition and we have a healthy respect for each others genre. We have so much to learn from one another. I don't think we are snobby culture musically.
Punk Globe: Greatest compliment ever given about your music?
Ash: That is has touched their soul. To have affected someone that deeply is amazing.
Punk Globe: Where would your dream Gig be held at and why?
Ash: If I could time travel it would have had to have been Woodstock. It was a festival of unity. A people united by music. A time when music contained messages of hope for the future and instilled many a good ethic in the people that heard the songs.
Punk Globe: You are a new up and coming artist,tell Punk Globe why you think people should check your stuff out.
Ash: I think i have the human element playing in my favour. I'm not a jumped up, arrogant rock star wannabe. I'm just an average guy doing what he loves best. I think my songs give people the opportunity to look deeper into themselves and learn to respect and appreciate themselves and the world around them.
Ash: Tea! The British stereotype! I can easily go through at least 20 cups a day! And chocolate... white chocolate!
Punk Globe: So you have recorded more than one album,correct?
Ash: Yes that is correct. "Alone in the Dark " is my 4th record and my 2nd electronic album. The first album "Book of Shadows" was a pop/rock album with many hooks. I'm very proud of that album. The second record is called "The Nocturnicon." This album is very raw and a lot darker. The lyrics are a bit darker in tone. Certain tracks like Deal and Neptune's Lament still haunt me. The Bionic I was my first electronica album and was influenced majorly by technology and space. Space fascinates yet scares the hell out of me.
Punk Globe: If you were to donate to a charity,which one would it be?
Ash: There are loads of charities I wish I could help but at the minute i would have to say Cancer Research and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Alone in the Dark is dedicated to my older brother who is battling against Leukemia. These charities need more funding by the governments of the world.
Punk Globe: How long have you been making music?
Ash: I have been writing all my life but finally plucked up the courage to record back in 2003.
Punk Globe: Are you planning on sticking to the sound you got going on or changing?
Ash: "To grow and evolve" has always been my musical motto. I've done pop, rock and electronica to date. I recently posted a blog on myspace declaring my love for Trip-Rock and Trip-Hop music. Artists like The Gathering, Portishead and MArtina Topley-Bird have reignited my creativity. I want to be able to say "I tried that" even if it does result in failure.
Punk Globe: Fave Punk rock band?
Ash: Siouxsie and the Banshees. The woman is a legend, poet, muse and goddess!
Punk Globe: Whats your favorite lyric that you wrote?
Ash: I have 3! "Happiness is merely Supernatural," "Poisoned dart drives deep a way to a broken heart that won't heal today" and "Meeting place amongst the silver skyline shadows And the dimness of the light Fades and changes then rises again to this brains delight"
Punk Globe: You did a great cover of "Season Of The Witch," Donovan fan?
Ash: A major Donovan fan! He is a British original! So distinctive and unique. His ability to fuse so many genres together is an inspiration. "Season of the Witch" was the first song I truly loved as a child. The original is quite poppy and catchy but as i got older and learnt more about the magickal arts the song took on a deeper and darker meaning. I always wondered what the song would sound like put to electronic music and i feel it turned out brilliantly. I'd be majorly flattered if Donovan liked my version.
Ash: One day. I aim to play the States and Ireland. I have to play these 2 countries in order to die a happy man.
Punk Globe: Who would be your dream tour buddy band?
Ash: I would love to tour with Manda Rin. She's such an amazingly talented and inspirational woman. I've loved her since she was in Bis. To either collaborate or get drunk with Manda would be an experience I'd treasure!
Punk Globe: Can you describe why you make music?
Ash: To keep me sane!
Punk Globe: I ask you for a dance,which song do you put on the stereo?
Ash: *Blush* Rush Hour by Jane Wiedlin. I love that song! There are so many memories attached to that song!
Punk Globe: What do you think of "cover bands"
Ash: I think they do a great job in promoting the original band. Anyone cover band who can inspire the listener they're playing to to go buy the albums of the original artist should be applauded.
Punk Globe: Describe Ash in 3 words
Ash: Mystical, grounded, inquisitive
Punk Globe: Do you think being Gay in the music world has its advantages or disadvantages? and how so?
Ash: I am happy with my sexuality but I honestly don't want to be known as "Ash: the Gay singer." My sexuality is only a tiny piece of me: important but not the whole of me. In life I've found that my sexuality will always attract attention both positive and negative. In the music business i think it's a lot more open and accepting. But that is how we are going to beat homophobia and change people's negative views on homosexuality by having realistic and inspirational gay musicians in the public domain. I'd like to think though that anyone struggling with their sexuality could listen to my music and think "Gee, this guy understands" because I went through it all too.
Punk Globe: Thanks so much for talking with me,hope to hear more of you in the future!!
Ash: It's been a pleasure. You are a gem.
Interview by Kim Acrylic for Punk Globe magazine