A chat with Aaron, Ryan, Alex and Rick of Asylence as well as fans Lizzy, Joe, Katie, and Candice. We talk about their new EP called Eulogy of Man (which was released just before the pandemic...what is up with that) as well as their awesome music videos. We also chat about putting out music during a pandemic, the origins of Asylence, the Utah monolith and extraterrestrial visitations, and pineapple on pizza. Check it out!
The Fans Love The VideosAs usual on Fans With Bands we start out with the fans and what they dig about Asylence. Lizzy loves the videos that the band has put out for their EP called Eulogy of Man. These videos include “Arrows for Christ”, “Suicide Net” and “Gasping for Fire”.
Joe chimed in that he is also very impressed with the videos and the bands overall promotion which has landed them on Metal Injection among other large music publications. For a band that is just getting an EP off the ground in the midst of a pandemic, they are swinging for the fences.
Katie loves the videos, but mentioned the bands stage presence as what a key part of Asylence. The fire erupting from the music is released on the stage. Having had the good fortune to see Asylence live, I can testify to the ferocity of their shows. If you aren’t in the pit having a good time, it is on you.
Arrows of Christ meets Metal Injection thanks to Mission Media GroupSpeaking of the “Arrows for Christ'' video and Metal Injection, I asked Asylence how they ended up getting their video premiered on this great publication. Aaron gave a shout-out to their publicist Elijah White from Mission Media Group for his stellar work in getting the band some visibility. Once again, the key to getting your music out to the masses is great music and great marketing.
Eulogy of Man and a PandemicI just had to once again point out that just after the band released Eulogy of Man, a pandemic took hold of the world. Alex wants to blame the pandemic on Cattle Decapitation and their song “Bring Back The Plague”, but that came out just before 2020, so I’m not buying. I mean we could also blame Plague Years, but we’ll leave them out of it. Asylence followed it up with a record release at Diesel Concert Lounge at the end of February just a few weeks before everything was locked down.
Origins of the word AsylenceIf you try to look up the word Asylence, you probably will be disappointed as it is not in the dictionary. I asked how the band came up with the name. Ryan mentioned that he is a fan of miss-massing words to make new ones. In this case, asylum and silence slammed together to create Asylence. Now only does the band create crushing music, they create their own words. Rick likes the band name, but hates having to explain to anyone that asks that it isn’t a real word. Lizzy offered a great suggestion of getting it into the Urban Dictionary. Homework for you fans out there, let’s see what your most creative definitions are for the word Asylence.
ET and the GovernmentNot sure if the recent monolith sightings in Utah prompted the question, however Joe wanted to get the band’s take on extraterrestrials and their influence on the government. Rick quickly responded that he only believes in Eddie Torres - The Extra Testicle. Joe congratulated Rick on this fine reference to the scene from Cheech and Chong’s Still Smokin’ movie from 1983.
Ryan and Alex felt that Aaron was probably best suited to tackle this question. However, Aaron didn’t feel prepared to give his expert opinion. I asked about the recent monolith sighting in Utah. Ryan mentioned that apparently the monolith has now moved to Europe. While Ryan has no answers now, he plans to investigate. We’ll look forward to a report out on the monoliths from Asylence in the near future.
Regarding the original question of alien influence, Ryan is sure that the aliens are here and they are influencing the government. He just isn’t sure if the influence is driven by direct alien involvement or if it stems from seeking control of alien technology.
Making of Arrows for Christ videoKatie asked what everyone’s favorite memories are of making the video for the song “Arrows for Christ”. Everyone laughed and agreed that Ryan topless in the woods ranks high. Evidently, Ryan was an extra in the background scenes and to disguise himself, he went without a shirt.
Rick’s favorite memory was getting up at 3am to drive out to a scenic beach on Lake Huron and hauling equipment down for filming. Alex adds that it was the first week of October and the cold added to the overall experience.
I mentioned that the story behind “Arrows for Christ” is very interesting. Ryan wrote the lyrics after reading about the Christian missionary who tried to contact the last hunter-gatherer tribe on Earth on North Sentinel Island off the coast of India. There the missionary died. During an encounter before he was killed, he wrote in his diary about a young native shooting an arrow at him which struck his bible. The missionary went back to try to contact the tribe again and was never seen again.
Shout Outs to Jeff King and Alex ZarekThe “Arrows for Christ” video is extremely well done and the band was happy to give praise to Jeff King at Abstract Eclipse Productions for his direction on the project. Joe asked about the budget for the videos. Since Asylence is currently unsigned (hint hint Napalm Records), all expenses came from the band fund. The band fund may be depleted, so check in on the band’s page to get some merch and help them out.
Lizzy said she was extremely impressed with the quality of all the Asylence videos. I agree, they all look and sound amazing. The first two videos for “Suicide Net” and “Gasping for Fire” were shot and directed by Alex Zarek from Alex Zarek Art and Design. They were shot in Rick’s brother and sister-in-law’s barn. Alex did his magic to make each video look distinct even though the location was the same.
Favorite Asylence SongsLizzy asked which of the band’s songs are their favorite. Rick mentioned that everyone in the band comes with different musical tastes, so song creation and agreeing on which is best is a process. Rick loves “Gasping for Fire”.
We detoured from favorite songs for a bit to comment on Ryan’s festive background which featured Christmas decorations as this episode was recorded before the holidays. Ryan’s typical conference area is under the stairs which is a bit like a padded prison cell. We all agreed that Ryan’s festive background ruled.
Back to favorites, Ryan’s favorite is their first demo called “Soulless” which Asylence plans to record to enhance the hard hitting nature of the song. Aaron enjoys “Soulless”, but resonates with the power of “Gasping for Fire”. Alex is also on board for “Gasping for Fire” with the contrast between lead and rhythm standing out for him.
Asylence InspirationI asked the band what artist or album had the biggest influence on them to create their own music. Ryan found inspiration in Rob Zombie whose career spans not only music, but film. Rob Zombie’s freedom of expression spoke to Ryan. Rick got his start with the rock of Fuel and Creed. He eventually got really into metal core with August Burns Red and Born of Osiris being key influences.
Alex was inspired by Marty McFly rocking out at the high school dance in the scene from Back To The Future. He saw it when he was about 5 and thought that looks like so damn much fun. Alex who plays drums for Asylence, originally wanted to be a guitarist. He thought for a hot minute when trying out for high school band that he wanted to play sax, but found his calling with drums.
Aaron’s mom was a big proponent of music, taking him to see Aerosmith and Kiss when he was 10. However, the biggest impact was through local musicians Alex Ricketts and Kelly Tucker (RIP) and their band Silent Divide. Seeing that if you have the determination, you can create your own music and perform it for others to enjoy.
First Albums and ConcertsA fun topic on Fans With Bands is getting to learn about everyone’s first album purchase. Aaron’s first album was a double album by Garth Brooks. Rick was sincerely impressed with Garth’s continued youthful appearance. Rick wanted to chime in on first concerts and got to see The Rolling Stones with his dad. Rick is also a Columbia house fan and picked up The Beastie Boys, Sublime, and then got into Pantera.
Alex’s first album was REM’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi as his parents were fans back then. His first concert was the legendary Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young with his parents. Ryan’s first concert was Ben Harper with Blink 182 and Bush for an 89X (local radio) show. Shortly after was Tattoo The Earth with Slayer and Slipknot. Ryan’s first album was Green Day’s Dookie. A solid introduction to music.
Lizzy’s first concert was a trial by fire with an old boyfriend taking her to see Dream Theater. Rick commented that he once was left in a room with a Dream Theater video playing for four hours and wanted to end it all that day. Aaron jumped in to add that he is not a fan of Dream Theater. He greatly appreciates the stellar talent of the musicians, but feels the tunes ramble on a bit too long for his taste.
Freak on a Leash by Korn was Joe’s first album purchase back in sixth grade. His first concert was the Offspring. A good fun start into music. Katie’s first album was either The Eminem Show or an Ella Fitzgerald compilation. Clearly two wildly different musical paths by a couple of remarkable artists.
Ending on ControversyWe wrapped up with a classic and controversial question: Pineapple on pizza? Yes or no. Listen until the end of this episode for the answers. As a teaser, check out Deadpool’s pizza choice. Dig into the fun stories, laughs, and much more in this episode of Fans With Bands with Asylence. We hope you enjoy it!
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