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Ashen began as an instrumental trio in 1996, as long-time friends Benjamin Cenis (drums), Kelly Guinn (bass), and B.J. Hale (guitars) came together to put their own spin on the "shoegazing" genre with their blend of textured, melodic pieces. The band felt the need to add a fourth to fill outh their sound, and vocalist/guitarist Erin Akemi was brought into the mix after a series of auditions. The current line-up was solidified when B.J. left the band in early 2001 to focus on his career, and Zac Carlson was hired to replace him. The band has now been transformed into a powerhouse which bridges the gap between trailblazers like Swervedriver and the Cure, and more modern indie bands like Jejune, Sarge, and Rainer Maria. No Other Comfort was released in October 2000, and took the indie rock community by surprise. The record eventually rose to the top of influential college station WRAS's rotation, and placed well within the playlists of numerous other southeastern college stations. The record also appeared on the "Best of 2000" lists at WRAS and the zine Kickbright. Favorable comments have been received from a number of respected web and print zine outlets, such as: * Amplifier - "No Other Comfort proves that hard rock can be pretty, especially for a pretty hard rock band." * Aversion - "No Other Comfort is the rare type of album that conjures up a wall of power behind its songs but still finds the panache to keep a sense of grace underlying all its songs...Raw, ethereal and majestic, No Other Comfort may be the most overlooked indie rock masterpieces of the year." * 4emo - The composition of the songs are breathtaking in many places. Picking guitars to crunching and back to the soft chords or breakdowns with just the bass to lead your emotions and also key changes to suit any Mineral fan....The vocals from Erin Akemi are excellent, they hit the perfect balance between being tender yet powerful. They never feel awkward or under-strength compared to the music. They are the perfect complement....If you like strong, powerful and emotional melodic hardcore then you are going to love Ashen. The female vocals actually enhance the record, edging Ashen way above many of their contemporaries." * Listen.com - "This melodic Emo band play high-toned, post-Shoegazer guitar feedback with gritty amplified howls and reverberated six-string moans. The juxtaposition of these beautifully demure and haunting sounds with the female singer's wistful voice is a nice contrast (a sonic Beauty and the Beast, if you will). The instrumental melodies are well-arranged, the guitar tones are warm and distorted, and the rhythm section seems to be able to predict the future (or perhaps they just really dig math). Overall, anyone who appreciates good songs and production so tasteful that you hardly notice it as a separate entity will find Ashen refreshing and exciting." * Smother - "Let's face it, there are plenty of emo bands in the world. Probably too many. So why should anyone be interested in this quartet from Atlanta? Well, put simply, they write kick ass music and they play kick ass songs. Their sound is driven primarily by warm, distorted guitar licks stacked on top of each other, layer after layer after layer.... The result being a mosaic of contrasting melodies, each pulling you in a different direction, until the emotional build swells and takes you right back to where you started." * Spank - "Gliding along on a sheer guitar tone that steadily builds into lush sound, intertwined with great vocals from guitarist Erin Akemi, this is as solid as it gets. Emo-core that lies somewhere between Sunny Day Real Estate and Rainer Maria. This Atlanta four-piece glistens and shines on songs like "Autopilot" and "Surface", constantly building on the elemental aspect of quiet-to-loud, while maintaining complete harmonious integrity. Elegant rock, for sure." * Splendid - "Ashen, with delicate female vocals that lilt over brittle, melodic guitar lines, offers a glimpse of hope for rock." Check out the artist's website: http://www.2sheds.com/ashen.html Track List: 1. Autopilot 2. Stars and Fields 3. Rede 4. Without 5. Torque 6. Far Away 7. Surface 8. Three to Start Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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