EXCLUSIVE: Pittston metal band ASHFALL will reunite at Stage West in Scranton on April 13
After nearly four years apart, it was announced today exclusively through NEPA Scene that melodic hard rockers ASHFALL will play a reunion show at Stage West in Scranton on Saturday, April 13.
The Pittston band has teamed up with Meat and Potato Entertainment and Stage West to produce the reunion show that local fans have been begging for. After more than a decade as a staple of the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene, the group reformed for brief stints in 2013 and 2015 before finally calling it quits in 2015. Soon after, they were chosen as Metal Act of the Year in the 2015 Steamtown Music Awards in Scranton.
“Honestly, it started on a post on [Graces Downfall vocalist] Ken Norton’s Facebook page about awesome bands that don’t play anymore. He asked who you would love to see play another show. To my surprise, there were quite a few of people who mentioned ASHFALL, so knowing people still dig us even after we’ve been gone for a while is a pretty awesome feeling,” explained vocalist/guitarist Johnny Jones, who has been performing with Graces Downfall since last year.
“I’ve decided to do the ASHFALL reunion show because I haven’t played in a few years and I wanted to do one more show with the most talented group of guys ever,” drummer Steve Uher added.
The ever-eloquent guitarist Dave Kline, who currently plays in The Aegean, chimed in: “Johnny pretty much summed it up for me. I’ve been thinking about it for the past year or so, and I even brought it up to [guitarist] Billy [Barrett] and John a couple of times. Then when all the people commented on that Facebook post that Johnny referenced, I knew it needed to happen.”
“I’m strictly in it for the money and the Adidas sponsorship,” bassist Corey Kime joked.
ASHFALL will be joined by fellow NEPA metal bands Behind the Grey and The Holtzmann Effect, along with a special surprise guest or two to be announced shortly.
Doors at Stage West (301 N. Main Ave., Scranton) will open at 7 p.m. for the 21+ show. Tickets, which are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, are on sale now via Eventbrite.
In an extensive interview with NEPA Scene back in 2015, ASHFALL talked about their relatable lyrics and unique sound.
“I heard one person say to me, ‘The song you just played tonight saved my life,’ and that was really hard for me to take because I didn’t know what that meant,” Jones said at the time.
“I was just kind of blown away by that. He just made it a point to let me know that it saved his life – whether it did or it didn’t, I don’t know. I’ve never heard anything past that. I’ve certainly been there, where if it wasn’t for music, I certainly wouldn’t be where I was. I truly believe that this was an outlet for me. For that, I’m most grateful.”
“A lot of people have this preconception when it comes to heavy music and metal music that it’s got to be dark and dreary and kind of pissy and stuff. The thing I liked about this band is it was heavy, it was metal, it was in your face, but not every song was the typical stuff that you would assume lyrically, content-wise,” Kline noted.
“I certainly don’t think that we’re breaking the mold by any means. I think what we do we do very well. I don’t think we try to sound like anybody, but we definitely wear our influences on our sleeves. There’s no way around that,” Jones continued.
“The band has been compared to Killswitch [Engage]. I’m a huge fan of that band as well. I don’t try to sound like them when I sing; if it happens, whatever. Breaking Benjamin, too. Dave likes them a lot. I love Ben. They made a huge impact in the area, and worldwide, even. Definitely a huge influence on me.”
“We write, and what we write is what we write, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. If it sounds like somebody else, too fuckin’ bad because there’s very little out there that you’ll be able to do to be original because pretty much everything has been done,” Kline emphasized.
Kime also talked about the growth of their music over time.
“There weren’t many bands doing that kind of style, where the music could be loved by brutal, hardcore metalheads, but then he barely screams. He’s got an excellent voice, so it’s very unique, to say the least,” he said of Jones.
“We’ve played shows back to back where one night, you have a massive mosh pit filled with big dudes, and then the next night, we’re playing a show and there’s girls up in the front shaking their asses. That’s something that not a lot of bands can pull off, in my mind.”
Read NEPA Scene’s full interview with ASHFALL here.
