After more than 40 years of making music, the members of Fly Ashtray say that stopping “is not an option. It’s sort of unacceptable.” They also explain how they create “arena rock for small rooms.”
This New York band has been making twisted DIY pop music for over 40 years with no signs of slowing down. But outside of an album on Shimmy-Disc, they’ve flown way under the radar. It’s time for greater recognition. Part 1 of 2.
For the first time since Salem 66’s breakup over 30 years ago, their music is now available in a new compilation. It’s time to reexamine this unique Boston band.
“I am proud to say I always felt we were creatively true to ourselves but at times I felt we were creative outcasts. There were some narrow-minded approaches when the music turned more hardcore but those that got what we were doing aligned themselves with us. There was a small group of melodic punk rockers, which I loved,” shared guitarist Joey Kelly.
“This is where it differs for me. I was never very successful though I had some success when playing with Slayer, but I still have to work. I have achieved some notoriety being the vanguard and on the front lines of thrash metal but this is a more humble story with some redemption.”
“Is the world here for me or for the community? I don’t feel enough people ask that. Community continues to be very important to me as well as working within a sense of positive purpose. Our song, Swagger With Kindness focuses on taking a more positive, helpful response in the face of continued aggression. Rock & Roll with a helping hand is what we wanted to convey.”
“Music has taken me all over the world and I see how the community brings people together and allowed me to experience so many cultures. I think the biggest takeaway I want people to experience from Death Angel is unity, feeling positive, and to have fun because that is the addictive power of music,” said Cavestany.
“To play this music you have to be precise and you have to be skilled because there’s no hiding the fact that you anchor the group. You have to have a lot of endurance and I love this music! I love what Testament brings because it is very musical,” said Dovas.
“I’m happy we never made records under any duress and nobody ever tried to push us in a different direction. I’m totally proud of every record we made and not too many bands that have been around as long as us can say that. Excitement should always be a part of music, especially rock & roll. I’m rather exhausted after finishing this record but I’m glad because I think it turned out great,” said Kurt Bloch.
With a self-titled double album of new material, U.S. and U.K./European tours, a career-spanning documentary, and an in-depth oral history book, brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald have unwittingly launched the Year of Redd Kross…and it is glorious.
“My approach has always been that you have to feel inspired to make something good, nothing can replace that. Having some technical knowledge helps develop ideas when the inspiration wears off. It helps but it doesn’t replace the original motivation,” said Denison.
“I feel like we’re in a good place and everyone has expressed they would play anywhere and everywhere. If it were up to me, I’d be on the road all the time. Music is ingrained in me and my parents met each other at an early LA punk show. I feel this upcoming tour is gonna ignite us. We’re also collaborating with Pirate’s Press Records for a split release with Flores y Fuego from Mexico and I think we’re gonna surprise people that have different expectations,” concluded Martinez.
“Seized Up allows me to continually play out and I always enjoy being busy. I feel our new record, Modify The Sacred is a strong representation of where we’re at creatively. As for The Distillers, I am proud for it to exist in any form and we actually do have a completed new record! We’re waiting for the right time to release it and we’re working on playing a festival in Las Vegas in October.”
“The songwriting took place very quickly with Time to Burn and the same with Dying To Smile. I think the excitement surrounding the band was simply the driving force for the fast output of music. I always loved punk and never thought it was dead or going to die out. The energy of the music is what keeps me young.”
“I’m proud of it and stand by it from the first second to the last second.”
“We wanted to keep it going because we realized how much fun it was revisiting those old songs and playing out together again. Sadly, we no longer have Paula or Kim but we just didn’t wanna stop. We booked and played some shows and the responses were great. It feels right and I feel alive!”
“I’m a sucker for the healing power you can mine in bleak hopelessness. There’s something that happens in the depressed arts where it can wash over you, resonating in harmony with your own sadness, and soothe it away for a while.” – Ben Chisholm
“When we lost Jeff Beck last year I felt music also experienced a tremendous loss. He stands on his own among so many players and he just kept evolving. I feel his playing is so out of this world and I was crushed when I heard the news,” shared Byrd.
“I rediscovered the art of collaboration and how that collaborative experience is so often more vital than the end result. I’ve learned a lot over the past years about the importance of not working in vacuum.” – Bruce Wilson
“There are lots of ways to make money that suck. Making art shouldn’t one of them. It should be fun and if it makes money and people like it, that’s like an extra bonus!” – Hope Nicholls
“All the sound choices I make are out of ignorance and accessibility. I’m like a self-taught surgeon using the tools he finds in the backseat of his car.” – Casey X. Waits
“I believe punk continues to have a massive global appeal and it’s very special to get communications from people listening in Germany, Sweden, or Japan who have heard our message and felt compelled to reach out and share their stories with us.”
“I learned I can still express myself without relying on so many notes to communicate. In this group, I feel like I am discovering guitar all over again and despite playing for so long, I am noticing different things and I love that energy,” said Hunolt.
Fountains of Wayne’s opus, Welcome Interstate Managers, gave the band their biggest hit, but legions of dedicated fans will tell you that there’s much more to this album than just “Stacy’s Mom.”
“I always felt we were too Metal for the Punk fans and too rock & roll for Metal. We created our own world of sorts. With this new record, so much time passed, I was like ‘What? You need another one of these?’ This new record sounds hard but natural to me. We still love writing together and playing out,” said Kim McAuliffe.
“Our space looks to have people stay awhile, hang out, and learn about music they may have normally overlooked. We wanna make it a destination spot for vinyl and music enthusiasts and give back to the communities that have been so welcoming to us,” said Matt Friedman.
What makes for the perfect summer road trip song? We asked modern guitar pop musicians from Hurry, Dungeon of Skeletons, Tamar Berk, The Goods, The Summertimes, The Evening Sons, and Julez and the Rollerz.
“You cannot live in fear during creativity. There will sadly be people willing to cast you aside if you don’t fit their ideals or ethos but if your passion is organically expressed and you are creating with sincerity then you are doing the honest thing as a writer. I feel excited with this group and it’s the right time for me,” stated Smalley.
“I wanted the follow-up to Controlled Chaos to be exciting, new, and fresh, to take listeners to a new place and take myself somewhere new as an artist, too. We have some amazing collaborations on this album with incredible musicians, as well as the instrumental guitar music that first inspired me to play,” said Strauss.
“It’s interesting looking back at just how long we have been playing despite not exactly striving for anything career-wise. Whatever we choose to write or work to take a new direction, it always ends up sounding like Mudhoney because that’s our sound and it’s who we are,” stated Arm.
Columbus, Ohio-located electro-/dance-rock trio Easy Tiger recently sprang their self-titled debut EP.
Pennsylvania-based artist Dan From Downingtown has released a potent new single with accompanying music video.
Los Angeles-based duo Skycabin unveil their latest single, a seductive and noir number, ahead of an upcoming EP release.
Nero Kane is a dark folk/psych(e) songwriter whose European roots intertwine with America’s desert sound in a project full of emotional visions and cinematic ambience.
“This record feels very powerful and with a light at the end of the tunnel mentality. One of the primary purposes of songwriting is creating something that a listener identifies with, that they relate to. With the work I put in with this record, I’m confident I can evoke positive reactions,” stated Lashley.
“With this record, I view it as more a passion project and I’m proud of how it came out. I feel it features my best writing,” said Jones.
Michael Compton Worked Longtime in The Seattle Music Business and Now Comes Back to the Seattle Music Scene Full-Time.
Seattle-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit La Need Machine drop a gritty and emotional tune with a creepy-fun Halloween-inspired music video.
Modern power pop artists discuss the lasting influence of this mythic debut album. Featuring Dazy, 2nd Grade, Nick Frater, Uni Boys and Radio Days.
Los Angeles (by way of Leeds, UK) musician Julian Shah-Tayler returns with a vibrant new album with guests that includes David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) and MGT.
The road to creating a classic power pop album isn’t always a straight line, but Uni Boys got there with ‘Do It All Next Week’.
“It’s been a wild ride. From moving to SoCal at only 18 and meeting Olson and starting a group that came up so fast and almost getting signed; I’m grateful just for that because sometimes, I felt I didn’t deserve it. It blows my mind that people still cover our songs and that all these years later, people are still supporting us and that we mean something to people,” concluded Drake.
Different Jane is a no-frills, tell it like it is rock ‘n’ roll band from Norman Oklahoma and their dynamic and catchy debut LP unleashes September 15th.
Singer Daphne Parker Powell bares her soul on an upcoming album that encompasses song, narrative writing, and visual accompaniment.
Country/folk singer-songwriter Kimberly Morgan York unveils two engaging new albums, one of which was recorded in 2016.
Elijah Johnston is a singer/songwriter from Athens, GA who’s known for his collaborative and solo work and his energetic live shows.
The UK indie/alt-rock band unload a fervently confrontational single with accompanying video from their upcoming full length.
Bailey Flores has an exciting music career ahead of her and she’ll be dropping a new EP in the fall.
