We sat with Danny Case of From Ashes to New. With the release of their newest album, and a brand new tour announced, a lot of new and exciting things are in store for the band. Read below to find out more of their new album and tour, and stay up-to-date on band happenings through Facebook. www.facebook.com/FromAshesToNew
Side Stage Magazine: So I just listened to your guys’ new album and, its Incredible. What went into it?
Danny Case: Man, everything. Blood, sweat, tears all that good stuff. Matt was dealing with a bunch of things with rebuilding the band and he was dealing with some pretty severe anxiety and changes in his life. So a lot of that showed up, especially in the song “My Name” That’s one of the songs where he just like kinda wrote down a song in his most vulnerable state. For all the members, they’ve just been working so hard and I guess just kind of just like aiming for the top. When I came in there were already a few songs instrumentally written. 1 or 2 that had already been vocally written, but like I put my heart and soul into this as much as possible as well, so we put everything we could possibly put into this album. We spent days listening over, changing things, adjusting other things and just listening, listening, listening and making sure everything was absolutely perfect. So, tons of work, tons of blood sweat and tears. It was just really awesome to finally have this thing drop.
Yeah I was listening to it and uh, like especially “Crazy” That one’s just a fun song, but when I actually pulled up the lyrics and was reading into it I was like “man, this songs pretty deep.”
Yeah I mean, I think a lot of people go through stuff, whether it’s with another person or with a substance. They experience a feeling of not being able to get away from it, you feel like you’re losing your mind because, there’s almost nothing that you can do. Like you don’t have control and that you’re going crazy trying to just, you know, stay alive and deal with it.Try to find a way out. I experienced that myself, you know I, never, never thought I could picture myself in a situation like that, but I was with a person for a month who seemed like they were one thing and it turns out they were another thing and I was emotionally invested and it was really hard to escape the toxicity of that person.
Yeah, exactly! It’s like specifically for a toxic relationship and then I almost felt like there were undertones of gas lighting and it just seems like a fun song, but when you’re listening to it you’re just like “man, this can apply to so many people!”
Yeah absolutely! For sure, we wanted it to sound fun, but we also wanted it to have a really good uh message.
And “Wake Up” was another one of my favorites, like it’s just so relevant today with social media.
Absolutely and it’s one of those things like Matt’s stance on it is kinda like you know telling people not to be fake because he can’t stand that stuff. And for me, I wish people would just wake up and realize there are so many more important things to be enjoying about life and whatever you’re doing with your life than and to be posting all of it, you know? Like, I go out and go to concerts and forget to even ever take out my phone. And like when I’m eating my meal I don’t even think to take out my phone before my face is stuffed into that plate.
There’s a ton of things where we’re just putting filters on everything, and we’re making our lives out to be great when we’re realistically like one of the most depression-riddled generations of all time. I think a lot of it has to do with us pretending that we’re all ok and we’ve all got it figured out and we don’t.
Yeah, absolutely. I was reading on your website and your Facebook that you guys want to be a band with a point of view and this album definitely lines up with that mission there.
Yeah. We have very strong beliefs and we want to share them with people without feeling like we’re forcing our opinion on them. We do just want to share how we feel and what we think with people and for those who it resonates with, that message is there for them.
There’s definitely a feeling. When I listened to your entire album, and I got to the very last song and it was so encouraging. It was like that light bulb moment, like “oh my gosh, your guys’ name is like a phoenix.” That’s kinda how this album is.
Absolutely, I think everybody faces a point in their life where they feel everything like kinda fall apart. Those can be some of the most crucial points in your life. When we have bad experiences or when we fall, that is the best place in their life to grow and to learn and to become something better. So that’s a lot with what the band name has to do with it and also with this album as to do with.
Yeah, definitely. Who would you say your biggest inspirations music wise are? Some of the songs reminded me of Linkin Park, some of them reminded me of P.O.D. Who do you guys get inspired by?
Definitely one of the first bands I was playing was Linkin Park and Green Day back when I was way younger. But as far as some of my biggest influences of all time, I guess more recently would have to be– Avenged Sevenfold had a big impact, on my life and my world. From my late teens on, I don’t listen to them much now, but they definitely had a huge impact on me. And another band that I looked to for, just bettering myself I guess, is the band Periphery. They are amazing musicians, of course they have an incredible voice. I’m always looking for someone to chase, I guess, vocally. He is a vocalist that I felt was just phenomenal–he can sing and has incredible range and he can scream in all different types of ways, and I just wanted to bring myself up to his level. Hopefully, at some point pass him at all means possible.
I think it’s good to have that person kinda you know always that you’re trying to reach just to continue to grow yourself.
Absolutely, you know in another sense Bruno Mars is another one of those people for me. On the, kind of on the opposite side of the coin you know? As far as Metal and Rock, I love Spencer Sotelo from Periphery, and then on the Pop side, Bruno Mars is just absolutely phenomenal, as a musician and as a singer.
He’s just a great entertainer in general. Like he just kinda masters everything about his craft, his dancing.
He really has, I’ve never even heard the man miss a note. Which is ridiculous!
Yeah, I remember when he just started getting big.
Yeah, its funny cause I feel like people, when that one Super Bowl that he played people were watching the Super Bowl and he came on and like it was amazing. I was not shocked at all, and everyone was like “that Bruno Mars performance was amazing!” Yeah, this dude is no joke! He’s amazing, I’ve been listening to him for a couple of years. He’s phenomenal, I wasn’t surprised at all that he just stole the show
Neither was I. You know what’s funny? This last Super Bowl everybody kept commenting to bring back Bruno Mars.
Yeah, that dude’s no joke and he brings out the same band every time. I think that’s a big part of why he’s so good, and the band sounds so tight, is that they have chemistry, and it’s not just him you know? And then whoever or whatever musicians he just brings out. It’s him and his band, like back in the day it was Bruno Mars and it was The Hooligans. He’s got his band and they just have a really, really good chemistry and that’s why they sound so good together.
Yeah, you kinda bring up a great point, even if it’s just one voice that is kinda known for a musician. It’s definitely a team effort.
Yeah, that was one of the things I found odd about even the Rock world that, that vocalists are kind of put on a pedestal. I kind of always wanted to have a band where everyone was brought up, everyone knew the drummer, the guitarist, and the vocalist. Because like it seems kinda odd that people would, I don’t know I guess it’s the voice of the band, like that’s what people relate to the most. And that makes sense too but like, you know. I would much rather like every member of the band be brought up and be paid attention to and all that stuff and rather than just the vocalist, because it is a huge team effort.
I agree! When I go to concerts, I always get kinda sad I can never see the drummer. I love watching them drum though, they are kind of a big part of it. They keep everyone in rhythm!
Yeah. I always joke with my drummer. I’m like, “Dude, you’re so lazy! All you ever do is just sit behind your drums in the back of the stage. You never even get up, obviously you can’t get up,” but that’s the joke we have. He’s like “All you do is talk the whole time, you never even shut up.”
So we love joking around about that kinda stuff.
So, I saw that you guys are about to go on tour with Bad Wolves and Diamante.
Yeah. It was a tour that just made sense to do. Bad Wolves is coming out with an album in May, ours is out now. So team up, do a co-headliner and bring another artist out from the label as well. And us just kind of do almost like a label tour. So we can all support each other and bring bands from each camp to the other.
Yeah. Its gonna be a good show. I’ve actually, these last few weeks I’ve been seeing a lot of From Ashes to New and Bad Wolves. It is like escalating and then there’s that announcement that you guys were gonna be on the same tour. I was really excited for that.
Yeah, you know what’s funny? I wish we were in more direct communication because we could have–Have you ever seen like bands that have the fake beef, where like they’ll like talk crap on each other, but then they’ll announce a tour like a week later? I kinda wish we could have done that cause. We could have been amazing! People would have been like “Aww man, these two bands are fighting! What’s going on? They’re trash talking each other.” Then, bam! They are on the tour a couple of weeks later. That would have been awesome, but unfortunately we don’t know those guys like that quite yet. So maybe we will have to talk about doing that some time. That would be hilarious!
Talk about a genius marketing campaign though.
Oh, yeah for sure.
What do you guys looking forward to the most? Are you playing in any Rock festivals?
Yeah in May we’re doing Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, and Rock on the Range.
Unfortunately, I’m not gonna be Carolina Rebellion, but that’s gonna be a great show.
I don’t know what stage we’re playing on, but its gonna be awesome! So, I’m pretty stoked about that! That’s actually what I’m most excited for is to play the festivals, cause I’ve never gotten that opportunity before.
Oh yeah, you’ve only been with the band since last fall right?
Yeah, well, about summer time.
I hope you have a good festival circuit! I’m sure you will, they seem like a blast.
Yeah, it’s gonna be amazing! We’re gonna have tons of fun, all the people are gonna be awesome, we’re just gonna have a blast.
I think you know that’s all the questions I had for you. Is there anything else you want to add?
No, that should be it. Thanks for the call, appreciate the interview. It’s always my pleasure to do these interviews, I always have fun doing it.
Absolutely and I will see you in about 2 months with Bad Wolves.
Awesome, I’ll see you then.
Have a great day!
You too!
