#ashton carr

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Chapter 1: Savior

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary: Statement of Ashton Carr, regarding losses suffered in a strange haunted house. Original Statement given 4th November 2016.

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Ashton’s Top Releases of 2019

Chris Farren - Born Hot

One of my favorite things in the world is the juxtaposition between Chris Farren's online presence/stage persona and his lyrical content/actual personality. 'Born Hot' is the perfect example of everything I love about Farren starting with the music and going all the way down to the oven mitts and hot sauce that were released as part of his merchandise line. All jokes and bits aside, this record reminds you that it's ok to feel everything on the entire spectrum of emotions and that it's relation to you and the ones you love does not define your life- just that tiny moment in time.

The Band Camino - tryhard

Since I already touched on this EP earlier in the year, I'll just leave everyone with this: It is absolutely ridiculous how much I listened to this release this year (so much that The Band Camino topped my top artists on Spotify). These boys found exactly where they were meant to be this whole time while writing this EP and that alone has made these songs shine brighter than every star in the sky. It's been months and these perfect pop songs are still floating around my head on a constant basis.

Briston Maroney - Indiana

Last year's 'Carnival' (and a couple live shows)  introduced me to Briston Maroney as 2018 came to a close, and as this decade is now wrapping up, I'm back again at his doorstep. Not often do I find a release that has me enthralled from top to bottom, but this release is the 2nd one in a row from Maroney that has done so. Many of the tracks on this project carry a slower tempo and a nostalgic tone, allowing you to fall deeply into the intricacies of guitar-driven melodies and heart-wrenching storytelling. I can't imagine my year, or my life, without these songs.

The Greeting Committee - I’m Afraid, I’m Not Angry

An absolute kick in the chest is the only way that I can think to describe this EP. A full range of sound and sanity is held within the tracks of this project, and every little detail leaves traces of who you were at the time and who you feel like you're becoming in your memory. I feel as though it's crucial to listen to this EP front to back every single time I'm reminded of it because the flow and production between each track and transition is impeccably executed and cannot be missed. The Greeting Committee has become one of my favorite bands for many a reason, and this EP is a huge one.

Renny Conti - The Horse

With 5 of his songs gracing my top listens of the year, it's safe to say that Renny Conti is one of my favorite songwriters that I've had the pleasure of finding in the past few years. 2018's 'People Floating' and this year's 'The Horse' offer a full spectrum of lovely, lonesome, and lively tunes, this time around being hosted by a full band arrangement. The varied tempos and complete lack of genre are the unlikely strings linking each track on this release; the variety simply adding to how genuine every tiny detail feels with each listen.

Nightly - Twenty Something

I don't have much to say about this track because my appreciation of it is simply overwhelming. If you've kept up with this site at all since it's creation 4 years ago, you've seen Nightly's name quite a few times, and that is obviously not going to end anytime soon (sorry not sorry). With a hypnotizing instrumental and lyrics that read like the transcript of a late night phonecall, this ambient-inspired track is one of Nightly's best efforts thus far. My personal biases aside, this is one damn good pop song.

Liily - I Can Fool Anyone In This Town

Liily is by far my favorite band that I have seen perform this year. End of story. This EP was their first collective release and was written during the band’s teen years, but now into their 20s, they’ve hunkered down and honed in on all of their successes and amplified them by 10 fold. It’s nearly impossible to throw this release on and not let it replay for days due to the consistent flow of energy between every track from start to finish. Although most of the songs from this release have already been phased out of the band’s live set, that doesn’t mean that they should be overlooked from this list.

Dayglow - Fuzzybrain

At this point in time, I don't think that any record has ever brought me as much joy just from it's integral sound than 'Fuzzybrain' has. The whimsy of this record is right in the surface from the start but is just one of the thousands of little things to love. The perspective of each track's lyrics is one not found in a lot of music- one of acceptance, calling out your own bullshit, getting a little sad from time to time, but knowing that's ok. Each song walks you through a feeling you know you've had in the past but maybe didn't know how to handle, and now you can take it in stride (or in dance due to how groovy this record is) and look towards brighter days.

Valley - MAYBE

One of the things I always look forward to when diving into a new record is the variety of tracks included, and 'MAYBE' gave me one of my favorite grab-bags of the year. Each and every track sounds like none other than Valley, but just as you can feel like a new person in a new outfit, they transform into a new band with each concept. With this record also including acoustic and orchestral versions of a few tracks, Valley really left no musical stone unturned with this record but still somehow stayed the course with their sound. This record (as well as 'Fuzzybrain') won my vote for "Most Fun Had While Listening".

SWMRS - Berkeley’s On Fire

Overall, I'd say that 2019 was a pretty angry year for the majority of people my age, and all that was summed up better than any of us could've done it with this record. SWMRS are always on top of social and political issues, but that doesn't mean my jaw will avoid falling to the floor every time they release a rock record for the gods using those themes. On top of the importance of the content of most of the songs, each one is crafted perfectly as to never leave your head or your car stereo. This record was one of my sleeper favorites of the year because I would go a period without listening to it, be reminded of one of the songs, then suddenly be swept back into the midst of the record for the next 3 weeks as if it had never gone away. SWMRS is one of the most powerful bands of our generation- this record and this year proved that.

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Bones @ The Observatory (Santa Ana, CA) by Ashton Carr

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Bombay Bicycle Club @ The Mayan (Los Angeles, CA) by Ashton Carr

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Interview with Cowgirl Clue

Sitting outside of The Constellation Room in Santa Ana, we were able to have a fun little chat with Cowgirl Clue as she geared up for her show! Check out our Q&A below!

There’s a bright color scheme running through all of the visual media accompanying your music. Have you picked any colors in particular based on color theory? What feelings are you trying to evoke with your visual media versus your music?

I just like to kind of run with one. Sometimes I'll just go with a color scheme for a while because I think it helps support the music and gives the visual stimulation naturally. It's not really something that I'm thinking of, it's just something that I put together depending on how I'm feeling or what my favorite color is at that time. Since I've been doing a kind of fairy theme right now, I’ve been using green because it symbolizes leaves and nature and is just very pop-y. I have been gravitating towards orange lately though!

Do live performances play a key role in your creation process for new music?

Yeah! I think it's all relevant. The more you play the same songs, the more you want to write new songs. Sometimes I'll get a vision while i'm writing of what the reaction will be live, and if I get a good feeling then I'll keep writing it.

Do you feel like you get into a different creative headspace when you're on the road?

Yeah! Everyone has their favorite songs to play live, but it's really refreshing to have new songs to play. This tour has been really fun because i have all new songs to play after how long I've been playing the old ones. Keeping it fresh is a great feeling in the creative process.

You’ve partnered with Enjoy (Wyatt Shears) to curate a clothing store out in Fullerton. How have clothing and fashion influenced your life, and how did you land on your signature look?

I don't really know. It just came to me over time! I have this one white jacket that I got because it was weird, but it was way too big for me so i got it tailored and it turned into my favorite jacket and started my look. For the shop, I get a lot of inspiration from Japanese culture and the Y2K era, so it's full of stuff that I was too young to be wearing when it was popular.

The whole Vada Vada brand is about cultivating your own story and identity, are there any specific events or places that have helped you create Cowgirl Clue?

Definitely! I feel like bad and good experiences mold who you are. When I think about pivotal moments of my life where I've had a decision, it's never one straight line. When I met a lot of my friends, I met them all on the same night in 2013 and Vada Vada was a loose thing for them, and it's just grown as we've all grown. In our music, art, and fashion it feels like there's a lot of rules, but it's nice to be surrounded by people that embrace the weirdness of each other.

Have you been to any shows that have really stuck with you and inspired you to build up your own live set? If so, who?

I think when I started doing shows I had a rough outline of what I wanted to do, but it's always just about how you're going to get from point A to point B. I don’t even know if I'm there yet, but I'm happy that i have an album out. It's always been interesting to me to see an artist that’s big have sound problems because when I’m up on stage I think about how an artist I like had their mic screeching back to them on stage and it reminds me that it's OK. I recently went to Coachella and saw Rosalia and she was really good. I’m a huge fan of her right now, but there has always been a lot of DJ's that have inspired me!

https://cowgirlclue.bandcamp.com/

Writing and photos by Ashton Carr

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Bad Suns @ The Glass House (Pomona, CA) by Ashton Carr

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Interview with FIDLAR

We recently got the opportunity to pick the brain of Elvis Kuehn from FIDLAR to find out some of the process that went into the creation and celebration of their latest record, “Almost Free”. Read it below and let us know what you think!

The musical, political, and literal landscapes have changed quite a bit for you guys over the years since your past releases. Have these changes created a positive impact on FIDLAR as a whole? Do you feel as though you will need changes consistently to keep the band going?

Since change is the only constant in life I think it’s important to embrace change.  We push ourselves to try new things and get out of our comfort zone.  That’s a very important part of our creative process.  

Were there any ideas thrown out during the planning of ‘Almost Free’ or the tours around it that you had to just stop and laugh at? Did any of those end up being used in the end?

The beginning of “By Myself” is a voice memo Zac made while he was in Hawaii, we ended up just keeping the audio from the voice memo because it’s funny and intimate, it wouldn’t have had the same impact if we tried to rerecord it in the studio.  

Toning down your use of so many musical elements between ‘Too’ and ‘Almost Free’ seemed to do you right. Was that the obvious direction of the album from the jump, or did it take some experimenting to come to that conclusion?

A lot of these songs came from demos either made in my studio or Zac’s studio, and a lot of the original tracks on the demos are used on the final album tracks, like guitars, samples, etc.  We pushed ourselves to try to strip down certain songs and take a “less is more” approach.

Highlighting the FIDIOT community seems to be an integral part of the FIDLAR brand. Do you feel like bringing fans and friends into FIDLAR on social media and in music videos helps to bring you guys back to Earth when you’ve been away from home for a while?

Social media isn’t the best way for me to get back to earth while on the road, it can actually be very disconnecting and isolating, but connecting with our fans is really important, and being able connect with them at shows is amazing, we would be nowhere without them.  

In a lot of interviews in the past you guys act like FIDLAR is ancient due to you guys hitting your 10 year band-iversary. Do you feel like your years are giving you something to pass onto the younger generation of artists, or do you feel as though your learning more from them?

We have experienced a lot as a band so far and I hope we can help some younger bands just starting out.  I think it’s very important to be constantly learning and growing, and that can come from young artists or old artists.

You’ve been utilizing more traditional instruments like horns and Spanish percussion as of late. Are there any other avenues that you’d like to explore for upcoming releases?

Utilizing strings and more orchestral elements would be fun.

To kick off the release of your latest record, you threw a string of shows that were smaller, cheaper, and completely accessible for fans. Why did you feel the need to bring the ‘Almost Free’ sentiment to your fans in that way?

Our fans have been with us since the beginning and are very loyal, especially in Los Angeles, we wanted to give them a great show for as cheap as we could to show them how much we appreciate them.

Written by Ashton Carr

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Ashton’s Top 10 of 2018

On the first day of the new year, let’s look back at some of the best 2018 had to offer!

Know me - The Band Camino

I don’t really know what to say other than: This song hit me hard. Something about that odd percussive sound right at the start sent shivers down my spine before the lyrics had a chance to (but those shivers soon followed). Elements such as subtle reverb and harmonies build up the stack of endless reasons for you to love this track, and i guarantee that the more you listen, the more you will find. Spencer Stewart is the featured vocalist on this track (The Band Camino utilizes two vocalists, the other being Jeffery Jordan), and the sheer control he showcases in this track gives it the impact that truly left my head shaken and heart broken.

$20 - Armors/Olivver The Kid ft. Lostboycrow

Take whatever you know about song structure and throw it out your car window while you hit the road and head to Vegas in the dead of night. Armors (Sam Beresford/Olen Kittleson), Olivver The Kid (Bryan Sammis), and Lostboycrow separately are 3 of my favorite artists and songwriters, but together, are a unit that can not be stopped. “$20” is a masterpiece of a lyrical story, wrapped in an almost frantic instrumental, and tied with a bow of ridiculously fabulous vocals from all of the artists involved. There may be nothing more powerful than these 4 men in a room together.

Bambi - Hippo Campus

Hippo Campus has been on my radar for the past 4 or so years, but I really think that this year was theirs. "Bambi" is a frame full of what makes this band as wonderful as they are: covering things such as anxiety, toxic masculinity, love, and loss in a perfect genre-less package of songs. Their last record "Landmark" was an important part of shaping the indie music market, and "Bambi" is leading the pack in changing everything we knew. That being said, I wouldn’t be too mad if all we knew was Hippo Campus.

Hourglass Sand - Derek Ted

My heart has not-so secretly belonged to folk music ever since I stumbled upon the boys of Sunroom Recordz & Salon, and i found myself hiding away to listen to this EP from one of said boys more than most this year. “Hourglass Sand” carries a Spring breeze throughout the EP in it’s sometimes bubbly instrumentals, flower petals flourish in Ted’s vocal melodies, and lyrics fall lightly but with reason like April rain from the tops of the clouds.

Wait - Arlie

The debut EP from Nashville sweethearts, Arlie, has left a lofi fuzz lingering over the polished production of this year’s indie scene. The seriously good music from this band is eclipsed by the whimsical melodies and ridiculously bubbly personalities of each band member, leaving a dreamy, fun feeling with the exit of each track. I can’t find a single track from Arlie that doesn’t perfectly encapsulate their energy and creativity on this EP. There simply isn’t a bad or uninspired track in their collection.

Stereo - Omar Apollo

Throw one of the most gorgeous voices you’ll ever hear, some horrible dance moves, and a massive sense of humor into a blender, and out will come Omar Apollo. His debut EP covers a plethora of genres while still maintaining his own unique perspective. More ambient undertones form the base of this release, leaving ample room for Apollo’s singing/rapping to fill your psyche and leave those melodies for days after.

People Floating - Renny Conti

It takes a certain type of soul to bring forth nostalgia over events that transpired thousands of miles away from you. Renny Conti possesses just that type of soul. You will find it flowing effortlessly in and out of his debut record, titled “People Floating”. This record feels like the bone-chilling warmth of a cloudy night, enveloping you in memories of lighter days while promising a new start once light breaks through again. Stumbling upon this record is one of the highlights of my year.

Carnival - Briston Maroney

More than any other artist this year, Briston Maroney will likely leave my head and heart spinning well into the new year. Borrowing tones from classic Southern blues, “Carnival” boasts original, homegrown, and near-holy rock tunes that are almost unheard of in modern music. I’ve found it impossible to stop listening to this EP over the past month- unwillingly (but happily) drowning in the hope and heartbreak that this 5-track collection offers.

The Sound of Your Voice - Nightly

The end of 2016 brought Nightly into the light with their debut EP, “Honest”, but the end of 2018 has shown us that Nightly /is/ the light with “The Sound of Your Voice”. Elements ranging from acoustic to electronic in this EP show the versatility and inspiration that drive Nightly’s sound forward with every release. The style of production chosen for most of these tracks beautifully elevates the band- adding depth to their discography and leaving the fans they’ve gained this year wanting more. Nightly successfully split their time between writing and touring this year, and i can’t wait to see what they have to show us in 2019 on both of those ends once again.

Welcome Back - Handsome Ghost

This duo was one of the first artists I was introduced to this year, their live show ushering me into their then-unreleased record and surrounding me with music that I will never be able to forget. The juxtaposition between the orchestral arrangements, electronic percussion, and acoustic guitar give Handsome Ghost an edge on every other indie/folk band out there right now, and force this album to standalone in it’s very own genre. Essential tracks from this record like “Shallow City” and “beauty/bends” have made it into almost every playlist that I’ve made in 2018 (both for myself and others) and at this rate, will continue to do so into the new year.

Written by Ashton Carr