I’ve been seeing this band a lot in my concert calendar, but for some reason I thought that I might’ve featured them before here in North Jersey Notes. Apparently, I’ve unintentionally neglected them and it turns out, they’re from Bergenfield! You can’t get any more North Jersey than Bergenfield! The name of the band is Ascending From Ashes, and they’re not bad at all. I know I say that about a lot of groups that I feature, but to be honest, I don’t waste the ink on the bad bands. Was that mean? Anyway, like I was saying, the boys from Ascending From Ashes are pretty good. Yeah, they’re not reinventing the wheel when it comes to music, but with the style they are playing, they play it very well. I got to check out the songs “Swing,” “Thundergun” and the more melodic “Nothing Left To Say,” and I have to say that singer Sean Collichio’s vocals were more than quite impressive for a band that I’ve never heard before. It’s what actually made me tune in and pay more attention.
The members of Ascending From Ashes have known each other since 2004, but the earliest jam sessions of what would become Ascending From Ashes wouldn’t come to fruition until 2007, when brothers Kevin (bassist) and David (guitarist) Ricco teamed up with their classmate and longtime friend and drummer, Sean Johnson. They would soon recruit local singer Sean Collichio to finalize the lineup, and under the name Make It Fit, the band would release a seven-song LP called A War Unarmed. The band made their bones on the local VFW circuit to promote A War Unarmed, which garnered them much local attention and the interest of their current manager, Nick Vlachos. It was around the time that they hooked up with Nick that the band decided on the name change to Ascending From Ashes.
In the years to follow, Ascending From Ashes earned opening slots on many national bills highlighted by a slot on 2011’s Bamboozle show by way of the popular Break Contest. They would soon after release their debut EP, The Phoenix, under their new name. I’m curious as to how Ascending From Ashes can lay it down live. I’ve heard some good things, but I need to see it for myself. Keep an eye out for these guys and remember that I told you so. Check them out at afamusic.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My new buds from Pralaya recently released a brand new song called “Image,” which is available for free download via pralaya.bandcamp.com. The track is awesome! I don’t even know how to describe it. There is some great vocal work supported by some great basslines, melodic guitars and well-thought-out drum patterns on this song. I’m telling you that Pralaya is a band to keep an eye out for this year! Check them out now at pralayaband.com.
My bros from Statik Silence are looking for a new bass player. It turns out that my bass playing brother and founding member of Life Without Warning and Statik Silence, Andrew “Rockin” Rohloff, decided to part ways with the band for personal reasons, which leaves them looking for a permanent replacement. If you think you have what it takes to play bass for Statik Silence, you can contact the band at facebook.com/statiksilence. The news isn’t all bad for these boys. They’ve also hooked up with Thom Hazaert of THC music for management and they continue writing new music while they audition new bass players. For more on Statik Silence, log onto statiksilence.com.
And finally, I forgot to mention last week that my new buds from New Theory recently released their long-awaited new CD, Dark Days. The boys celebrated the CD’s release with a party at The Saint in Asbury Park last weekend with musical performances by, obviously, New Theory, along with Lower The Veil, Beyond Visible, Dead Empires and Ropetree. Dark Days is getting some rave reviews and I can’t wait to hear it. Check New Theory out at facebook.com/newtheorynj.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the Author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
2/19—Extractus/We…Our War /Stabbing Eden/Bow To The Fallen/Damien The Cat/Reborn Divided/DeathThrob/Panic/We Are Them/Prosper Or Perish—The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
2/21—Prophet—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
2/21—Trailer Park Mafia/MurderSmile—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/21—Dead Fish Handshake—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
2/21—The 39/Gathering After Ashes/Pounds The Lbs/Hot.Blonde.Dead./Warhammer/Human Repair Shop/Metal Disorder/Framework—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
2/21—Kosmic Daydream/6to8 Mathematics/Six Dime Jam—Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
2/22—Buzzard Wagon/Natural Born Losers/The Dirty Stayouts—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/22—Star Killer/Anaka/Big Rob/The Deafening/Brand Of Julez/Honor Among Thieves—The Bowery Ballroom, NYC
2/24—Waking Heroes—Pianos, NYC
2/27—Governing Murphy—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
3/6—Against The Grain/Buzzard Wagon/Negative Traction—Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ
3/8—Cycle Of Pain/Black Water Rising/Sekond Skyn/Bad Wolf/Flowers To Flames—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
3/8—The Dirty Stayouts/Sinners/Sardonica/SMACK formerly DMZ/Skunkdaze/Voodoo Terror Tribe—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/8—Lieder—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
3/8—House of Thieves/Gathering After Ashes/Words Never Spoken/The Donner Party—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
3/12—SYKA/The Genitorturers—Webster Hall, NYC
3/14—D.R.I./Apathy—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC
3/14—Mother/Tempest City/Midnight Mob/Race To Dawn/Kid Felix—Mercury Lounge, NYC
3/15—Stagger/Darkness Descends/Negative Sky/Cyperna/Gyre/Apostasy/ Eye of Anubis/Julius Seizure/Mass Punishment/Scars Of Envy—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/21—Sinsanity/Ghosts Of Eden/Crash The Bear/Jolly/One Hundred Thousand/Gathering After Ashes—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
3/22—JENNCiTY/Santino Noir/Bound By Substance/Eyes Like Cyanide/Srotakin IV/Eyes Of The Sun—Slake, NYC
3/29—Xero Gravity/Midnight Hellion—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/29—Steve Bello Band/Ripped—Buddies Tavern, Sayreville, NJ
