When: March 2005
Where: Tempe, Arizona
And: I had known about Ash since fairly early on (1995) when the company that I worked for compiled the Angus movie soundtrack. That album featured two Ash tracks, “Jack Names the Planets” and “Kung Fu.”
So it was really cool to run into singer Tim Wheeler at a club in Austin during SxSW. He gave me their PR contact, and I met up with the whole band a week later for an interview on their bus. Instead of the same old, same old, we did some free-association to words that rhyme with “ash.” The band were really funny and played right along. For example, here’s one little snip:
Dash
Rick: Dashboard Confessional. We toured with them as well for three weeks. That was the first tour I’ve ever done in my life on the wagon. I only got drunk three times. (all laugh)
Mark: But we’re always really late trying to get somewhere as well.
Tim: We’re always dashing. Especially me.
Mark: Trying to get to the airport, get on the airplane. And then getting stuck behind an orchestra at check-in.
Rick: When we were checking the guitars and oversized hand luggage, and had the entire orchestra just queued up, with all their bugles. (laughs)
After our chat, I gave Tim, his girlfriend and Charlotte a ride to to downtown Tempe. (Charlotte went record shopping while the other two went to dinner.)
See my whole interview with Tim Wheeler (vocals/guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass), Rick McMurray (drums) and Charlotte Hatherley (guitar) here at SheKnows.com. And if you don’t know who Ash are, read up on them. True, they’re not big in the US, but have really made their mark in the UK. (Something Americans might relate to: Tim is good friends with Coldplay’s Chris Martin. In fact, see their feet together here.)
For more from Ash…
