Rejuvenated group emerges from the studio with a new tune
I’ve said this before and I will invariably say it again: one of the great joys of doing what I do, especially having done it for a fair amount of time now, is that you get a ringside seat for watching bands grow and mature.
Granted, there is some heartbreak when you see a new band full of talent and potential get half way there and then cease to be, but that’s the world of music (and the world in general, I suppose.)
That being said, I have a folder full of stories and a rack full of music from area bands that have managed to stay in it for the long haul, and few things reinforce your faith in the scene than watching and hearing a good band become a better band and a better band become a great band.
Ashley and the X’s was a good band to begin with; hell, they were a pretty great band really, and then they went on hiatus.
For a while it seemed like a permanent move and so they almost earned a place in the “heartbreak” file, but their enduring popularity and, perhaps, the realization of the kind of alchemy they had as a group led to their re-emergence in 2016.
Since then the band has been hard at work, gigging and recording non-stop. Their popularity has never been higher and the band has never been better.
An album is currently in production, and while it isn’t ready yet even for a sneak preview, the band has released a non-album “bonus track” to give fans something to chew on in the meantime.
The track is called, “Handjive” (it is up on ReverbNation), and is the point of my opening premise, that a great band, given time, just gets better and better.
Where to begin? Ashley’s voice is as powerful, sexy and sassy as ever, but she seems to be wielding it with greater ease and self-assurance than ever. Non-musical types rarely understand the time and effort performers put in to their act because the very best make it seem easy.
That being the case, Ashley has boldly ascended to the rank of one of the very best vocalists in town, tossing out power, control, emotion and slinky glissandos like it’s no big deal.
The band is no less accomplished; the interplay of instruments is like watching the gears of a clock. Precise and measured, their execution is flawless. I don’t know they’d appreciate the comparison or not, but the tone and rhythm (especially the tone of Shigekawa’s guitar) is reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival in their heyday (another band that always managed to defy precise description) particularly the song, “Commotion.”
Speaking of Matt’s guitar work, that guy has clearly been putting his time in with six strings. Let me be clear about something here, there has never been a time since I’ve known the band that Ashley wasn’t a great singer, that Matt wasn’t an excellent guitar player, or that the rhythm section didn’t provide a rock solid backbone to build the songs on.
To praise their progress is not to denigrate their older work; they’ve always been a hot act which is why it was a sad day when they stopped playing. The point is that however good they’ve been, they have managed to consistently build on that experience and they are even better now.
Matt plays guitar like a man who takes his guitar playing very seriously and puts in the time and effort and maybe that is one of the best defining characteristics of the band as a whole.
At any time they’ve could have said, “Hey, we’re great, people like us, there it is!” but each successive release reveals a work ethic that great isn’t good enough, that it could always be a little better and they’re never going to stop chasing that idea.
The new album is due in February and I hope to tell you about shortly before its release but for now you can find the new single on ReverbNation (or, oddly enough a very old version on MySpace!) and you can see the band live, Sunday, Dec. 31st for their New Year’s bash at The Public House.