(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