interview with Ashby
What´s the name of your band? Ashby
How was the band formed? Founded in 2011, but the drummer and me know each other for 7 years now since we met at music school
Can you tell about your band? Focused and determined, we are stickler for details
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band?
All from Germany:
Sabina Moser - vocal
Rik Schindler – Drums
Christopher Streidt – Bass
Joel von der Heiden – Keys
Jan Göpelt - Guitar
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? We are idealists and dreamers, maybe become one of the biggest bands in history but mostly to live from the music we do
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Progressive Rock/Metal, complex, detailed and music for closing the eyes and dream up (One thing does not rule out the other)
Where was your first gig? At the Colosseum Theatre in Essen, Germany. Very nice Location
Where was the latest gig? At the “Halle9” in Meerbusch
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? We write them together, takes some time but everyone is into it
Who has the best since of humor in the band? there is no one with a good since of humor haha
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? Its good to have people, best friends, which share their dreams and spend their whole time to make them happen
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? We didn’t really choose, we just came up with Progressive Rock because we totally free in our songwriting, no real genre boundaries
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We write only our own material
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We released an EP back in 2013 but actually we’re working on our first album
Do you have any clips on YouTube?
How old are you?/What got you started in music? Early twenties, self-fulfillment
At what age did you start playing? Personally at the age of 14
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? Like 16?
What year was the band started? End of 2011
Best/worst gig you've played? The best was definitely – for me – the Eier mit Speck Festival in 2014, the worst… I don’t really remember, maybe suppressed haha
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? Locations in Germany of course and in Italy
Where have you played from then till now? In a whole bunch of German cities
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? There are a lot of good bands out there.. best in the past time.. I would say Haken
Is it always the same songs live? Mostly yes, just lame to put your 10+ min Songs in a 45 min concert.. (problems of a prog-rock band…)
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? Hells Kitchen Fest, 2013 and Eier mit Speck Festival 2014
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? This question makes me sad but this is called reality so no…
How big crowds do you usually play for? 50-500
What are the plans for the rest of the year? Recording, mixing and songwriting
Where do you usually play? Clubs, Festivals
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Isolated warming up with the drummer
What are your goals with your music? Personally.... that people are enjoying our music, just by sitting and listening, maybe with eyes closed and creating their own world in their mind, that the music guides them away from reality. That would be really awesome in my opinion
When did you decide to go all in for the music? When we formed the band
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Their good older and good modern bands, but I also prefer classic stuff.. but if I really had to choose I would take the older stuff
What are your sources of inspiration? feelings and experiences, music, literature, films, and of course contemplating
What's the first step when making a new song? It starts with a worthy melody or chord progression and this will progress to a bunch of new ideas and associations
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I think it is the spirit of time (Zeitgeist) but would a workman or office girlie will work without getting paid?
What would be your dreams for the band? To make music with my friends till the end of time and getting paid for that, so that we can just survive in a small flat… that would be enough for me, anything bigger is luxury
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Progressive Rock/Metal, Post Rock, Classic, Fusion, Soundtracks
What do you hold most dear? The Band and my guitar
What would be your greatest fears for the future? Someone will broke up and that our dreams are just naive spinning
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? On stage there are no fears, just satisfaction
What songs and what years were they released? We released an EP in 2013 called “A Question Never Heard” with the 10 min title track “A Question Never Heard”
Have you been part of any other projects? No
Have you been in any other bands? No, I just want to spent my whole time on Ashby
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? Studying Music and Media at a Music Conservatorium in Düsseldorf
What would you do if there was no music? I’ll become a schizoid and depressed author
How important are your fans? As important as our enjoyment – you’re doing music for your own and music that wants to be heard
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? Ashby painted at Fingernails
How often do you rehearse? Every Day, we love it.
Where do you rehearse? At a broken, lonesome House haha
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Aether and Colossus
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? A boundless will, big dreams and goals
Do you have any webpages? www.ashbyofficial.de , www.facebook.com/ashbyofficial
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Be yourself and do what you want and not what others aspect from you
Describe your show, visually and musically: emotional, more listening than partying (sounds kind of boring? :D), lightshow and mist, atmospheric
What advice would you like to give other bands? Hmm, I think I should get much older and be more successful to be allowed to give an advice
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? In my opinion it’s Promotion
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? I like it when it is dark and the music combines with the light show… but it is
Whats your Pre-show ritual? Warming up and hugs