FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS -- PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU ASKHere's a list of frequently asked questions. We get lots of messages that quickly stack up, and while we do try to reply to all genuine questions, it makes it so much easier if they're not all the same ones. Please read this FAQ before you ask, your answer may already be here.
Thanks, Ash.
1. Does the band actually read this page?
Yes. We run this Myspace ourselves. We took it over in May 2006 and it is an ongoing work in progress. Everything here is posted by the band. No label or third party has access to it. Please don't be pissed if your questions aren't answered straightaway, we will try to reply to them but sometimes it can take a while, we got lives to live as well!
2. When is the new album going to be released, on what label, and what is it called?
The new album is scheduled for release in the spring of 2007. It does not yet have a title. We usually decide that at the very last moment. Both 1977 and NCS were almost delayed because no decision could be made! It will presently be released in the UK and Europe through
Warners,
Record Collection in the US and
Sony in Japan. Other territories will vary.
3. When are you guys gonna start gigging / touring again?
We plan to hit the road next year and tour the world promoting the new album. Before that we want to do a bunch of low-key shows to work out the new material and get comfortable as a 3-piece again. These gigs will probably be in small bars around the New York area later this year. All shows and tours will always be announced on the Ash Myspace and
official site. Please sign up to the official mailing list to receive advanced email notifications for all our exploits.
4. When are we gonna hear some new material? Hurry up and leak the demos!
We have plans, we wanna make it fun. We're gonna have fun with it! Watch this space it wont be too long!
5. Why did you move to New York? What's the address of the studio?
Both Tim and Mark had callings. We'd both lived in London for over 8 years and it was a good time for a new adventure. New York is a great 24-hour city with loads going on and lots to be inspired by both personally and creatively as a band. We've got our own studio now in Midtown, Manhattan. It's our private refuge and we'd like to keep it that way. You can however keep up to date with the recording process by checking back regularly or subscribing to the
blog.
6. Why did Charlotte leave the band?
Charlotte is pursuing her solo career and is working on her second album. We wish her all the best and success in the future. You can keep up to date with Charlotte on her website
here.
7. What happened to the official website. Now there's just a blog?
A completely new
official site is currently in development. It's quite a way off yet but we will hopefully have something very special in place well before the next album is released. In the meantime we will be expanding the content on the Myspace and the blogs will be regularly updated. We are aware our online presence in the past few years sucked. We are going to make up for it.
8. Who is your agent and why are you not coming to my town / playing at this festival?
Our agents book the shows, If it's not listed in our tour dates then we're not playing it. We will try to put up all new dates with ticket links as soon as they are confirmed.
Do not waste their time. Only contact them if you are a serious promoter.
9. Will you guys play at my birthday party / private event?
Sure, if you have a budget of $50,000 or over. Putting on a show costs us a lot but money talks and bullshit walks. If your Daddy's loaded you can contact our management
here. ;)
10. I represent (insert charity name) will you guys play at this event / donate items for auction?
Ash are always keen to help worthwhile charities and have been involved with many great causes over the years. Though for obvious reasons we cannot partake everything sent to us. Please send legitimate requests to our
management.
Timewasters or ebay opportunists need not apply.
11. Can I have (insert band members name) email address / phone number? I'm a friend of theirs and I lost it!
No, Join the cue stalker! You can however Myspace either
Mark,
Rick and
Tav (Manager). We also read the Ash
forums regularly. Tim posts as Kerouac, Mark as dmh and Tav as Tav.
12. I write for (insert name of website / publication) how can I go about getting an interview?
Ash's official press channels are:
Legitimate requests only. They will need to know which publications you represent.
At the moment we're not really doing much in terms of promotion as we're busy recording. We will gradually switch into interview mode in the lead up to release. However if you really want to you can contact us personally though Myspace mail. But be warned we won't be giving away much more than is told on the blogs. We'll wanna keep some stories for later!
A full history of the band can be read in the extensive biography,
here.
13. Will you join my Myspace group?
No. We already spend too much time on the web. Get outside and do something constructive!
14. Can you put me on the guest list / get me backstage passes??
Believe it or not, Bands usually have a very limited number of guest list spaces allocated to them. On any given night promoters will budget these guests into the fee as most venues have strict capacity limits. Many of the guests you see in VIP areas or with passes are actual ticket buys by the record labels etc. The reality is that our guest lists are usually so tight we sometimes disappoint our own friends and family. If you know us personally we will usually have limited number of passes for friends, which we hand out on the night, but never before. Also backstage usually sucks, we're the first ones that want to get out of the venue and go party elsewhere. Usually it's not hard to find out where the after-party is. Hook up with other
Ashboarders. Those kids know everything!
15. I'm a huge fan. Will you send me a signed photograph?
We currently don't have any in stock as all the Meltdown promo pics are long gone. In this day and age, hardcopy promo photos are becoming less common as everything is distributed digitally. We will be taking new press photographs in the future, which will be posted on the sites in high resolution for printing purposes. Until then there's not much we can do. Sorry.
Professional autograph hunters who sell on ebay can take this as a, "go fuck yourself".
16. Can you please put (insert song title) on your Myspace player so I can add it to my page?
We will change the songs around from time to time. But we have a huge catalogue and the Myspace player can currently only host 4 songs. We will try to keep a selection of the most recent and popular available. Check out
Murphy's Ash
1977 Myspace there are other Ash tracks available from there. If anyone wants to set up other fan Myspace sites to host other songs, go for it!
17. Why did you delete my comment?
- It had an attachment that was too wide or large and it was messing up the page width.
- It was a blatant advertisement. Unrelated spamming just sucks.
- You left some lame comment. We love a good slagging, just make it funny!
- You never actually posted anything in the first place.
18. Put me in your top friends!
No. If you are indeed a top friend you can ask us personally next time we picnic in the park.
19. When are you guys gonna release; Teenage Wildlife / Slashed / Video Compilation DVD? I've been waiting for years!
Yes, I know we're assholes but they will eventually see the light of day in some shape or form. We promise! Honest Guv.
20. Please check out my band's Myspace. Can we support you on your next tour?
Of course we'll give stuff a listen and leave comments on your profile. Unfortunately it's not always as easy to arrange supports. When headlining we usually pick our supports long before the tour is announced, most of the time at least two bands will be touring with us and the timeslots are then full. However from time to time we will not have a set support and local promoters usually fill the vacant slot. Do your research! If you know such a situation is happening, try to convince us well in advance. If we like your stuff, you never know!
21. Can our band record at your studio?
Sorry, but no. We've spent years collecting our gear. Plus, do you have any idea how irresponsible the average band acts in other people's studios? We do because we were 'that band'! Dont shit were you eat my friend.
22. What is it with the 'Rat facts'?
We just like them. On tour we collect them. The more obscure the better. The internet is awash with them. Like did you know the oils in cedar and pine is toxic to rats? I bet not... fascinating stuff. Submitted Rat facts are always more than welcome.
23. What is (insert title) my favorite song really about?
To completely explain every song may take the mystery out of it. They're all up for interpretation. If you really knew what Tim was thinking when he wrote the lyrics, it might just ruin it for you. Saying that we plan to have a feature on the new website where the discography will expand, taking a closer look at each album, the songs, b-sides, artwork, tabs and recording process. It's an idea in fruition!
24. Will you play (insert titles) at the show I'm coming to? It would mean so much to hear it dedicated to me
We have over 6 albums worth of material, plus numerous b-sides. Certain songs we haven't played for years, some not since they were recorded! We sometimes but very rarely do requests. Anyone at our most recent club shows saw us play for well over 2 hours, playing everything we could remember. We usually mix it up with new songs, older hits and live favorites but alas we can never please everybody. Inevitably someone will be disappointed if their favorite song is not played. Please do not take it personally. We do try to change the sets on each tour. In certain circumstances like festivals it works to play a mainly, 'greatest hits' set, as that will get the best reaction from a large crowd who may only know our singles. We do pay attention to polls on our
message-board. Use your initiative, start a poll well in advance and get people voting for the songs you wanna hear!
We very, very rarely do dedications. It could easily get out of control if we started. In the heat of the moment Tim can forget, even if he's told you before he will. With so much going on during a show it can easily be the last thing on his mind. We put everything into the performance so please don't take it personally. That aside, if you're dancing like a maniac, dressed in knight's armor or crowd surfing in a wheelchair that'll obviously draw attention and you'll more than likely get a shout out!
25. Why do all of your albums sound so different? You confuse people about what you are and represent?
What are we? All we are is a band. We've never tried to be role models for anyone, we're just 3 guys who get together and create music that we like. Of course we have evolved through time, as a band, musicians and as people, that's natural, it's progression. To some ears that progression may not be to their taste but we'll never please everybody. As artists, we don't pretend to try to. Certain albums may later be defined as better than others, largely down to commercial success but it's all personal preference at the end of the day. Past albums never disappear, you can still listen to them, we will still play the favorites live. To try and make the same album over again and again would become monotonous. We would soon hate it. There are plenty of bands out there that stick to rigid formulas to fit into generic scenes, remaking the same albums and some have a lot of success. But scenes go in and out of fashion, we're not gonna jump on any bandwagon and we'd rather just do our own thing for as long as we're happy to do it. We have to make music that excites us at the time; honest to where we are at, at that moment. When writing, we never have a set agenda, songs just happen. The overall sound then shapes itself, over the months when the songs are arranged, during the recording, the mixing and then when the 'best' final tracks are chosen. Each album represents a huge era in our lives. For years we have toured them extensively and promoted them exhaustively. Unless we are absolutely happy with the finished product and love where the music's at we would not let it be released. What you hear in each is an insight, an extension of our combined souls. Listen to the music, sweat with us in a packed club show, that is what Ash is about.
26. What's one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- Tim's tongue is incredibly long.
- Mark is aware of when he's dreaming but plays along with it, especially during nightmares.
- Rick lives in a clock tower.
- Ash is the coolest genera of tree there is.
27. I see you guys have a day off in your schedule. Why don't you play in my city instead?
We know that on stage we resemble superhuman Rockstars with limitless explosive energy, but even God rested on the seventh day. Get on a bus or plane and make the journey, you know we are and if not, there's always next time!
28. What happened to that acoustic album you where gonna record?
It got put on the back burner for the moment, but we do still plan to get round to recording an acoustic album at some point. We do have a lot of unrecorded 'acoustic' songs that could work really well and we feel they deserve to be heard. Now we have our own studio we should be able to make one pretty quickly. Maybe we'll look at doing it after the new album is finished and before we hit the road... Who knows but for now we're concentrating on the next full album.
29. Are you going to be adding to this FAQ?
Yes, as we get bored of answering similar questions you can bet they'll be added.
Ps. please don't be offended if you ask one of the above questions and the reply is, 'Read the FAQ'. It would only be a cut and paste answer otherwise...
30. You suck!
Yes, we are indeed mad for the cock. Tell your Dad he owes us $60.