Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2012)
(y The Clackamas Print Wednesday, M a ÿ ^ j ’2012 From Ashes Fall Band overcomes adversity with diversity By Craig Hartrampt The Clackamas Print Avenged Sevenfold, Skillet, folk, and Marvin Gaye; not your typical list o f inspirations, but drum mer Beau Clark from local band From Ashes Fall says that’s what they as a group, bring to the table. Rewind four years, the band Almond Buds were playing in the Seattle area doing gigs here and there. Now fast track to last December, the Almond Buds disband and since then posted an a d on craigslist. Through that ad, the found percussionist drum mer Clark. Clark, along with guitarist Richard Staats and bass player John Randall, formed From Ashes Fall, and started playing rock music. From Ashes Fall is a Christian band that doesn’t want, to be confused with a praise and wor ship band that is “preachy” and that shaves religion down your throat, but plays and conveys a positive message that most rock bands don’t. Clackamas C om m unity, College’s audio engineering courses were useful in getting Clark into ; die band, t tola them when I started this that have limited time to make their music, it really helps bands out to know ahead o f time? yv'hat they’re doing when they step into the recording studio. “There are no real world consequences [while recording at CCC]. You get to make mis takes,” said music tech student Phil Bursch. O ne thing that sets- this group apart is their ages. “I’m IB years old, our guitar player is 25 years old; our bass player is 48,” Clark said. . N ot only does the bands unique age difference set them apart, but their individual styles does as well. For'.examp le, Clark explained that his style is more folk and soul rather than the classic rock beat. “From me, ■ m y influences have always been more folky and soul. So lots o f Marvin Gaye, and that’s where I get my, flaying style from. More like a 60s Motown sound that you don’t find in hard music.” T he band has a varying style. “I really feel like any person can, find something about the band that they can like. And you don’t necessarily have to like metal to listen to us, because we have a “lot o f alterative influences,” said Clark “I f you like jazz, we I was in the audio engineer- have som e jazzysohgg, we have m g program , and they“ were ¿a ’coiSiory; s^Sg that s kin d o f excited that someone could help them with the recording process because that’s what they were really focusing on at the time I got in,” Clark said. Taking the audio engineering classes has many benefits. “You get to practice and learn how to record in a studio, which in the real world, saves you time and money,” said Kim DeLacy, . audio engineering student. “You get to make mistakes and not pay for them.” ' In the real world where bands have to spend money and aced@ clackam as.edu Unlike typical romantic comedies, ‘Five Year Engagement’ brings laughs etc. T he message I hope that our listeners take from our music is a message oft finding the strength to persevere in the face o f adver sity and to rise up and over come struggles and addictions. O ur music has always been about overcoming and healing;” From Ashes Fall’s members don’t live very close- to each . other, with one in Gladstone and the others living in Aloha and Cascade, but that doesn’t stop them from creating and playing music with each other. While- the band does get together to ractice, they use Facebook and le sharing website DropBox to . connect and share their pieces of music to create tracks. “W hat happens is our gui tar plaÿer comes up with a riff, records it, sends it along to the bass player who writes something that works along with it; the bass player would email it to me and I will write out a drum part and when we used to have a vocalist, [we]'; .would send that to him and he’d write the lyrics,” Clark said.' T he band reeendy signed on new vocalist Jesse Keller, who wilt join the hand just before . they play at MetalFest Friday ; . May 11. This will be the band’s, ‘■first time -coming together on g stage w ith Clark and, should be m terestrngtoseew nat like Limp Bizkitmeets country kind o f music this band can tap guy Kid Rock We cover all the into. Though MetalFest,is, sola, bases.” out, you can catch From Ashes Guitarist Staats claimed that Fall at the Tiger Bar downtown the band has a more Skillet on May 5. Tickets.ate $ 7 at the and Red kind o f sound, but door, first come first serve. They that his hand has a more pro will be creating an EP that’s to gressive sound with rock/metal be released sometime in June or influences. “First and foremost I July. You can also check out .the want alistener to be able to con band on their Facebook page at nect, to the music on a deeper facebook.com/FromAshesFalL more spiritual, level. Music is “Come out to a show, you the soundtrack o f our lives; we , can’t experience a band through. all remember wedding songs, a paper, you’ve, got to see us in breakup songs, songs we used to person,” said Clark blast with the windows down, By Steven Weldon The Clackamas Print Swallowing his pride and fol lowing his love for Violet, they set o ff on a journey to a city Too m any rom antic com very different from eclectic edies have the same style. G uy San Francisco where the two meets g ir t crazy circumstances live very different lives. Year stand Between them and love after year, the w edding is put finds a way in the end. Hey, I’m o ff due to travel, location and not m ad at that. It s w hat drew other concerns. W hile Violet me to th at genre o f movies and thrives in her program , Tom is m ade me root for th at guy who forced to take a job at the best gets the girl in the end. “T he sandwich shop in town, b u t Five-Year Engagement” is not still, bropds over the chef job like other rom antic comedies. in his form er hom e, which .was Writer, producer and director taken by Alex, w ho h a ssfo ç e Nicholas Stoller puts the , real- m arried Violets’ jsjster, Suzie, life strains on relationships on played by Alison Brie. display w ith bits o f comedy T h e movie shows the ups along the way and shows that and downs o f true relation true fove can stand the test o f ships, and the true nature o f. tim e. " w hat aû adventure - love can Jason Segel stars7 as Tom, take people on. I was laugh a c h ef in a high-end San ing through the whole movie, Francisco' restaurant w ith his as it struck my quite im m a friend .Alex, played by Chris , ture funny bone at the inane Pratt. Tom is introduced to m om ents by Alex, h u t also had his girlfriend, Violet, played me rolling àt impressions o f by L ondon-born actress Emily lovable characters by V iolet B lunt. T h e m isadventures and Suzie for the am usem ent begin from the opening o f the o f Suzie s children, movie as T o m attem pts to p ro - Segel adds another quality, : to Violet, bu t in real-life >od tim e rom antic comedy to ion messes up w hen he s acting and writing resume can’t keep a straight face. As the and even adds his dorky, large two plan their'w edding, Violet m an charm in the picture. Judd awaits A letter from University Apatow had a hand in produc-" o f California-Berkley to join tion continuing his streak o f their Social psychology depart comedies. All in all, the movie m ent as a postdoctoral assj\ is a good tim e with the sum tant. ' m er blockbusters com ing up. Instead, she receives an It left me laughing b a rd and acceptance letter from a dif saying awww’ even harder. I f . ferent university and m ust p u t ¡you want a great date movie, o ff the w edding in order to this m ight be the one, as long chase her dream. Tom accepts as you’re both in for the long the fact he will have to move, haul; You never know what but sadly finds o u t he w ould ideas the movie may give you. have becom e head chef at a new restaurant opening up. 4 out of 5 ■ ■ A rift' From Ashes Falls D rum m er Beau Clark looks.stoicbehind his drum set. Beau is a n d engaged in the audio engineering program. See From Ashes Fall live Saturday a t Tiger Bar. I
