Ashland
Interview conducted on December 09, 2019
by Dan Locke
Hailing from a small-town in Illinois, Ashland took their name from a long-ago phenomenon that speaks to both destruction and transcendence. “My grandma told me a story about an old town that had been burned down by a fire and was renamed Ashland once it was rebuilt. We love the idea of beauty and growth coming from pain and struggle, and I think it really connects with the whole spirit of our band,” explains vocalistAsia Marie, who co-founded the band with Aaron Wood. Ashland formed in 2014 after Aaron and Asia linked up through a Craigslist ad. Despite their shared passion for punk and post-hardcore, the two musicians came from wildly different backgrounds: Asia grew up singing in church, choir, and musicals and taught herself piano and guitar as a kid, while Aaron took up guitar in fifth grade and then played in bands all throughout high school (in addition to producing for local acts later on). With Aaron describing the duo as “driven to the point of insanity,” the band soon began booking shows every place they could: VFW halls, friends’ basements, the parking lot of a Hardee’s in nearby Springfield. With their self-released EP Interim arriving in 2015, Ashland soon adopted a highly collaborative creative process by mining the songwriting material that Asia had secretly stored up for years. “She’d been hiding all these songs forever, and finally we pulled a ton of them out and started working on them,” Aaron recalls. “We’d had a strong chemistry from the beginning but taking a more collective approach to songwriting really helped refine our sound and set us on the path we’re on now.”
Band Members
Asia Marie
Aaron Wood
Dan Locke:You are from Illinois. Tell me about your upbringing and how it influenced your love of music?
Asia: Growing up, I remember my mom listening to mostly gospel music, lots of CeCe Winans. And my dad would be listening to old country and classic rock, everything from Dwight Yoakam to Grateful Dead to Black Sabbath. From a very young age, I was drawn to female powerhouse vocals. Instead of playing with other kids, I was sitting in the bathroom with my CD player listening to Christina Aguilera, Rachael Lampa, Whitney Houston, Leann Rimes, Celine Dion. It sounds weird but I became obsessed with singing. It wasn’t until around 8th grade I started getting into rock music. My only friends were a group of 3 skater dudes and I remember then, giving me a bunch of scratched CDs including Sum 41, Blink 182, Simple Plan and I LOVED them. From there I discovered Avril Lavigne and soon after Flyleaf and Paramore. And then I knew I wanted to be in a band. I grew up appreciating so many different kinds of music and I’m still learning about different genres. Anything that inspires me influences my art. But there seems to always be a little fusion of pop and soul in whatever music I write.
Aaron: Growing up I was always surrounded by music, mainly my dad listening to classic and 90s country and my mom listening to classic rock. How my upbringing influenced my love of music mainly because we were living in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do so once I started playing, that’s basically all I did.
How did you get into music?
Asia: I answered most of that in the first question, but it was when I started really taking an interest in the vocal art of the women I mentioned that I started thinking about wanting to be one of those women, not that I could ever even come close haha But that’s when I started singing every single day and making up my own songs. I was maybe 7 when that started. I taught myself how to play chords on piano and guitar so I could actually write my own songs and I just knew it was all I wanted to do. I’m the only person in my family who has seriously pursued a career in music so no one really understood what I was doing up until a few years ago when Ashland started making some progress.
Aaron: Answered most of this in the first question as well, but I started playing in bands in sixth grade when my friends and I decided “We hang out all the time anyway, might as well start a band!”. We were terrible but those were some of the fondest memories I have and that is what really ignited my passion to try and play music for the rest of my life.
How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?
Asia: I got my first guitar when I was 16. I don’t still have it because my brother broke it and still won’t admit it haha. I’ve been through a couple of guitars since then but the one I got in 2012 is one I will have forever for sentimental reasons. I’m currently on the hunt for a new acoustic guitar though, wink wink. I like Martins, wink wink.
Aaron: My first guitar was given to me when I was 4 or 5 years old. I didn’t know how to play it but I carried it around with me everywhere. It is broken in half, but I still have it!
What was your first concert, and what was the last concert one you saw?
Asia: We were really poor growing up so going to concerts wasn’t something we did. But I do remember getting to see Red and Flyleaf when I was a bit older and they were amazing. The last concert I went to was Fleetwood Mac last year. I’m a big fan of theirs and Stevie Nicks so that was a highlight of my life!
Aaron: My first concert was REO Speedwagon and STYX. The last concert I saw was Fleetwood Mac.
Have you always been a two-piece band?
Asia: No, we started out as a 4 piece but time, distance, priorities and growing up changed things as they do in all areas of life. Being a 2 piece has been fun though and sometimes has its advantages.
What was your first show like?
Asia: Our first show as Ashland was a defining moment. I had lived my whole life up until that point being too scared to perform for people even though I always knew it’s what I wanted to do. I had performed before, but it was in musicals or plays. Now I was in a band, it was ME and our songs. Not someone else’s script ya know? And that was terrifying. I had previously been to rehab for a number of issues and that first show, as terrible as I may have done, was almost like a new beginning for me. It was the moment I was like, “Okay, I can feel afraid and still do anything I want to do in life.”
How did the name Ashland come about?
Aaron: The name was picked by myself and some former members, we just thought it sounded cool at the time so originally it didn’t have a meaning behind it.
Asia: But then my grandma told me about an old town that had been destroyed by a fire. They rebuilt and renamed the town, Ashland. So we really like the idea of strength and beauty coming out of disaster and storms of life, so to speak. It just resonates with who we are.
How has your current tour been?
Asia: Incredible! We’re all so humbled to be sharing the stage with these amazing bands who we’ve been fans of for years. It’s also been a huge learning experience as every tour is. One thing that really hit us was realizing that the bigger and longer the tour is, the more help you need and that it’s okay to need help. Aaron and I have a bad habit of wanting to take on all the responsibilities to save time and money and we learned the hard way that it’s just not possible. Everyone on this tour has gone out of their way to make sure we have what we need even though they have enough on their hands. Especially Our Last Night’s TM Rich. We’re really gonna miss these people.
Your new record is came out on Dec. 13, 2019. What has the response been like to the new songs so far?
Asia: One of the most shocking things I’ve experienced on this tour is looking out at a crowd we’ve never played for and seeing people sing our songs. The new songs! And then seeing them learn the words as we’re performing songs we haven’t even released yet. I can’t even explain how sweet that is to me. It really makes me tear up every time. I know, I’m so Hallmark haha. Anyway, I’d say the response has been great!
Tell me about Over the Moon?
Asia. Over The Moon seriously came together in about an hour. I was writing it on the very old & out of tune piano at my mom’s old house (where I’ve written countless songs). Then I went into my room and produced the whole thing in garage band. I think I was able to write it so fast because the feelings were so raw at the moment. I was thinking about my relationships that have failed so terribly it’s almost funny. The song is kind of a story that touches on actual experiences of mine.
Tell me about OMG?
Asia: This one was like the shocker of the album. I was sitting in a parking lot one night and started a voice memo. I was sitting there on the verge of a panic attack and this song came out instead. It ended up being written almost entirely acapella. Even when we took to the studio it only had a few basic chords beneath it because we knew the song had the potential to be huge and we didn’t want to put anything in Kris’ head before he heard it. He sent us the first mix back and I think I literally fell on the floor. It was instantly everyone’s favorite song. I’m incredibly proud of the music video too. It’s the first music video we’ve done where we did not dress up, we didn’t come up with a plot, it’s just us.
You will be ringing in the New Year’s not far from home at a special New Year’s Eve show with Motion City Soundtrack. How does it feel to be bringing in 2020 on stage?
Asia: Well we’ve never played a New Year’s Eve show and we never dreamed we’d be opening for a legendary band like Motion City, so I have yet to know what it will feel like. But I’m guessing we’ll remember this night forever.
Aaron: As Asia said, this is our first time so I don’t know how it feels yet but I am SO excited. I mean there has to be no better way to bring in the new year than onstage with your best friends opening for one of your favorite bands!
If someone has never heard your music before, what three videos should they watch and why?
Asia: I’d say the very first music video we ever did, “Eyes To The Sky” because it’s always fun to see where a band started. Over The Moon which we just released. And then the OMG video which will be coming out with the album!
How do you stay healthy while touring?
Asia: hahahahahahahaha ya don’t! Just kidding. Honestly, you can only do your best with that. I did everything on this tour- worked out, supplemented, meditated, ate very healthy, didn’t drink. But I still got sick. It just happens. The weather, stress, shaking hands…it’ll get ya! I was sick for a week straight. I took medicine when I needed to but I think the most important things to do if you get sick is rest, don’t stress about being sick, and get plenty of vitamin C and water.
Aaron: I try to overload with vitamin C, wash my hands compulsively, and get as much rest as possible. On this tour, I’ve hardly been able to sleep, but I’ve been fortunate enough to not get sick.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Asia: I really don’t have a clue. I’ll always make music and use whatever outlet I have. I don’t really care about getting famous. As long as I’m making music and living well, I’ll be happy.
Aaron: Hopefully still making music!
Anything in closing?
Asia: We’re just ready for a fun, new era! Over The Moon and a brand new music video drop December 13th. The album is available for pre-order now. And you can find us on all socials @ashlandofficial.
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