Ethan Henry of ASHES OF THE SUN Reveals GODS WITH MACHINES

0:04 Hi, you love done to censure. W for wow crazy Youllroy welcome. I am love try notus listening. Be yahwey. This is the Pipeman here on the adventure is the pipe man W four C Y Radio, and I'm here with our next guest. At is a killer musician with some great new music. So let's welcome to the show, Ethan Henry of the Ashes of the Sun.

0:54 How are you, man? Oh man, I'm just totally freaking impressed when somebody can make amazing music and do every part well. I appreciate that. Man. Yeah, I I didn't. I write so much stuff and I record so much stuff from my bands that I've been involved over the years, and I'm just sick of sitting on this stuff. And I was like, man, I know it's it's I do hardcore, I do metal, I do like some froggy metal stuff. I'm in a doom band and I and I have this. Collection of songs that are like hard rock, and at least to my mind, it's hard rock. And I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna I'm gonna record it and I'm gonna send it and see.

1:45 Where it lands. There you go and you know, I think that's cool too, that you can play in multiple bands that are all basically different genres. You know, they're within the same major genre pretty much, but you know, very different. So it's it's kind of like switching hats all the time. Yeah, I mean that's how That's how my playlist is. I mean, I have a really I own a tattoo shop, and at work some of my work lists, people are like. What do you listening to? I'm like, well, I mean that's Prince or oh that's Dylan Dricks skape Plan or that Slayer. I mean, you know, I have a crazy, crazy playlist, so it influences me sometimes, you know, it inspires me and uh, you know, I don't.

2:30 I just you know, doing the Frey thing. It's hardcore kind of metal. You know. I'm in this band called Boyd Emperor doing that. It's like doom metal. I mean, I play bass in a funk band. It's a metal funk band. It's kind of like Frizzle Fry Primus and uh yeah, I just kind of jump all over the place. See I love that because there's so many people, especially nowadays out there that they kind of plugging this formula and that's all they stick to. And to me, what you're doing is true musicians because you know, listen, if you're a true musician, you're gonna want to learn everything you can. Yeah, I'm inspired by so much. I mean as an artist, it's kind of like when you're a tattoo artist is doing one thing, you know, any anything like I the production company that I have Injurant Tourist Productions.

3:18 That was kind of the concept. You know. There was a one of my friends had we found a photo of his dad and he was like standing next to us some sacred, some private like statue that nobody should go up to, and then the back said Ignorant Tourists and I was like, that's funny. I was like, we. Should call our production company that, because you know, I make movies and stuff. I did a movie last year called Severn's Mountain. It's a horror movie. I don't do. Horror movies, but I did it. I usually like action or sci fi or weird stuff like that, or comedy. So I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted to, and in releasing this album, I did it through Ignorant Tourist Productions, which is growing right now. So it's the first time in a long time that I haven't been on a record label, so I don't have that support I didn't didn't have. You know, I'm kind of going, I'm making it up as I go, but it's part of the whole thing. I'm totally supporting, you know, local art, indie art, local film, indie film, local music, indie indie music. People that are just getting into it.

4:13 You know, sky's the limit. You know, we should all try, you. Know what I mean? And I in this Ashes of the Sun. Is that for me? It's like, you know, my friends are gonna poke at me me because I'm doing like hardcore, you know, and I'm doing this raw, screaming heavy stuff. And I'm like, I got this like rock album. I'm like, you know what I'm sending it. I think it's cool. I think it's kind of it's a it's like a really heavy hard rock grunge album that has a metal kind of influence kind of over top. Of it, you know what I mean. Yeah, totally. And you know what, I think any true artists too. They don't want to play the same shit over and over and over again, you know, So it's kind of cool to be able to diversify. I think that's why a lot of people do solo projects like you're doing, so you can kind of experiment out of your norm Yeah, some of.

5:05 Those songs I wrote for past bands, I said, I in my mind, I was gonna write this song, and then I was done. I'm like, I don't know, man, sounds kind of like soft, you know, and that's weak for what we're doing. And I actually had someone recently tell me that said, oh, what do you Your band kind of sounds like Velvet Revolver. I'm like, Velvet Revolver. I'm like, I don't. Even listen to those guys. I heard like one or two songs, and I'm not knocking them or anything like that. I like the songs that I heard, but I don't listen to them. And it's funny that with no influence, you know what I mean, it kind of sounds like that. I've heard people say some you know, Allison Chains. I listened to Alison Chains. I love Allison Chains. That makes sense, you know what I mean? Megadeth, that makes sense. Velvet Revolver or Stone Typle Pilots or some of that stuff.

5:46 I'm kind of like, somehow I accidentally sing people and play kind of like I noticed my solos. I'm like, is that sound like a slash song? And I was kind of laughing at myself. I'm like, I had no idea. I thought I was playing like Kirk Have It or something, you know, old per Kid. But it's funny where those things fall, you know, at the end of it all, and how people perceive it, and then you know what I'm doing. So this this album, I had no expectations other than I'm sick of recording music and doing nothing with it. I'm sick of having this pile of songs and I'm like, nobody's ever gonna hear them, at least if I release an album, I'll sing it all the same. I'm like, I'm not gonna scream on it because I want this to be different than what I normally do.

6:27 So I sang it, and you know, I said, I'm not gonna play and I'm not gonna try to play some really crazy soul. I'm not gonna put crazy breakdowns. I just you know, one of my friends would say, oh, it's half baked. I'm like, ah, or it's like pop metal. I'm like it's kind of straight to the point. It's easy listening for the you know, those people that don't want all the crazy or all the all the all the heavy vocals. You know, this is something that like someone who might listen to like Guns n' Roses, or someone that might listen to Advented sever and Fold, they might actually say, oh, this is actually pretty cool, you know. Or if Ive Finger death Watch kind of it doesn't sound like them necessarily, but it's not a stretch if you decide to pop it in your playlist, you know. What I mean, Oh, no doubt. And you know, it's funny because people generally want you to stick to what they know, but sometimes it's cool to just do something totally different then perceptions everything. So now you gain all these other people that like what you're doing. Now they may like the other stuff too, so you know, yeah, just expanding near horizon, so to speak.

7:34 It is. I mean, that's I mean, I've discovered a lot of bands like, oh, do you know this guy's in this fandomic no kidd you know, And I mean I found a few bands like that, or I'll hear something that sounds like you know him or her, and then I'll look it up and I'm like, it is, oh, this is a band, it's a supergroup or some side project. The day before, I mean, I just you know, I've been listening to Rainbow lately. You know, you know, when you think Deal, you don't think Rainbow. But lately I've been in nineteen seventies I don't kick About two weeks before Ozzie had passed, I just was at work and I'm just sick listening to the same old ship and I was like, I'm playing. Uh. I looked up seventies metal, I hit on random and in Rainbow kept popping up. I'm like, man, this is deal, you know what I mean? This is right and badass.

8:17 Yeah, dude, I'm just I'm just like, that's like a band, and you know, diehards will know, but the general. Public they don't know. They they they buried no deal, you know what I mean. So it's like it's like little things like that where you find these bands and just are so cool, kick ass that you just don't don't get the shine and uh yeah. So to me, Ash of the Sun is like it's my it's my kind of it's in the shadows, it's. This thing I did. I didn't look for a label. I didn't ask anybody. I just kind of just kind of putting it out there, you know, doing some promotions of myself do stuff like this, and just uh seeing where it lands. Man. What's cool about that too, is because labels are gonna tell you what you need to do, and here you're just being your free artistic self.

9:03 Yeah. Yeah, it's it's uh. I mean it probably has its pros, and I mean has its person that's cons and there's probably things like you know, I read something or someone you know, they said, oh it sounds good, but you know, it's kind of like those in this threat. She doesn't really have a lot of this event. And I'm like, well, that's kind of the point. You know, maybe you know the metal crowd might look at it and say, that's pretty straightforward. It is. I wrote it that way on purpose. It was a rock in my mind. I'm thinking rock. I'm doing like a soft version of barreness. I'm doing a I'm doing like something that like those those hit rock song guys can can get behind, like a stonetup pilets or something like that, but it's a little heavier. Has my metal influence I played, you know, the way I play things. It's a little bit pushing the limits. But but like, I don't know if there's a place for I don't know where the place is. And a label would say, well, you should probably be thrash metal, you should probably be froggy metal, you should probably be.

9:54 Rock, you know, pick one, and I'm like, I don't want to pick one. I'm just kind of throwing it together and making a brand new cake. Yeah. Yeah, they always want to box you in, and I don't think ours should be boxed in. Play whatever the hell you want. I mean, there's a lot of music in every genre right now, where like it's just having a hard time distinguishing. I'm like, I'm is that in some way? Who is this? Oh no, it's a bad of sounds like dumb all. Great yeah, and and and that's off man, some of that shit is some of the metal bands are coming out are really complicated, really talented guys. But you know, I've heard that ineration before, you know what I mean, And maybe the same thing for what I'm doing now. But you know, that's one of the reasons I liked, you know, doing stuff with. Freya because I felt like we we sounded like the stuff we were doing, but we didn't fall into the classic hardcore box and we were just kind of playing heavy hardcore rop you know what I mean, metallic hardcore and and Ash to the Sun is no different for me when it comes to that stuff. It's kind of same idea, same mentality, keep it, you know, keep it simple to the point, and something my kid or some fifteen year old kid can like, I can do it just a drums if they liked it, you know, vocally, it's it's it's it's cool. I think it's it's it's easy to listen to. Maybe that kid's dad would be like, this is metal. I don't normally like metal, but I kind of get into this. Man, it's kind of heavy, you know. I imagine it's.

11:13 For that crowd, you know what I mean, no doubt and uh, you know the fact that the matter is it's just badass musicianship. I can't believe, Like I'm always like in Awe of the Norris like you that can play every instrument that's on the album. Yeah, thanks man. It's uh. I don't know how, I don't know when, I don't know why. I just I just I. I I've always been a bass player, you know, I've been a drummer for sole On. Now it's kind of out weighing that, but I was I've always been a bass player, and. I was always doing primacy, proggy stuff. And it got to the point where some of this stuff was so proggy and I could sing, so I would sing and play bass. But some of the props that we were doing was so intense I couldn't sing and play it anymore. So then it got way off the rails, and then I was in I was in a metal band called The Last Season. I don't know if you're familiar with Data Johnson, he sank for Blood Runs Black and God Below, and so he started this band and we were just this this we used to play with. We went tour like can Diaria, Birt by the Sun, we went on the road with We played some shows masses On back in the day before they got real big, and that was the kind of music we were. We fit right into that that thing, and it fell apart, and then I joined Freya and I was playing bass. They were on Victory Records. It was a really cool gig. You know, it's just twenty years ago now, and we got to this point where we needed a drummer and they said, hey, do you play drums?

12:30 Cause I played when we were writing and stuff. I'm like, I don't know if I want to. I'm not really a drummer. And then I ended up going to I ended up going to Europe with those guys. You were on tour with Walls of Jericho all Show Perish Fear of My Thoughts and all these kick ass bands. Back in two thousand and seven, I'm playing drums and I'm like, like, like I wasn't. I was a good drummer, but I wasn't like a drummer drummer, you know. I was like, I'm a bass player, dude. I'm a bass player, really, And when they saw me play bass, I was like, holy shit, why are you playing drums. I'm like, we needed a drummer. I just did what we had to do, and then I just stuck at drums. And that it's every Drummers are hard to come by, so as long as you can keep your temple be sild. I'm good at my changes. I usually I'm a touring experience. So now I'm a drummer. And so you know, but I can sing, I can play guitar, and I can't play bass too.

13:15 So but I'm kind of you know, I'm a drummer. I guess, Well, since you were a Bassis, you I'll give you a trivia question. Do you know who's one of the most famous Bassis in history that never wanted to be bass? They were a guitarist, but there were three guitarists, and so one of them had to pick the short straw? Was it Steve Harris my Maiden? Maybe no, but that would be a good guess because he's a badass Bassis saying it sounds like he's playing guitar when he plays bass, think. Of it, But I think he can poses most of the stuff for he made at one point anyway. But no, I you know, I think I know this answer, but I but I but who is it? Paul McCartney?

13:56 Oh, yeah, you know what. I think I did know that. Man. Now, if you listen to it, like after I knew that day, I started listening to Beall's songs in different perspective, I'm like, oh, yeah, holy shit, sounds like he's playing the guitar but on the bass. Yeah, he's uh, he's legendary. What can I say? You know, like, you know I played I played that for some people like it's okay, it's kind of boring. I'm like, don't put him into the mix now and think like you're gonna be shocked, you know. I mean, think about what he did for music and think about who he was. You know. There's so many bands that people just everybody's. So like they just they want now, they want you know, it's all just like competition. But man, that guy. We wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for guys like him. You know.

14:38 Well, think about you know, talking about Ozzie. I mean like there would be no Ausie without the Beatles because Ozzy was a Beatles freak, you know. And without Ozzy there wouldn't be any of the metal that we have today. Yeah, someone just tell me a story thing. I'm all the true. They said that the way Zach Wild. They wanted to go see Zach Wild. He's doing zaz Sabbath, he's doing a tour. Yeah, he's coming up this way and we're going to see him. And and I said, yeah, I can't wait to go see him. And someone said, you know, he accidentally got discovered for Ozzie. I didn't here, I didn't know this story, but apparently some scouts were going out looking at someone else and they randomly stopped by a bar and Zach Wild's and they're playing, like, hey, you want to record a demo for us or something, and like they that's how they found him. I'm like, that's just I mean, the guy is amazing and what a what a what a lucky draw?

15:27 And you know I heard at first Ozzie didn't want him. I don't know, man, how Wild is? That Guy's amazing? I mean he's filling in for Dining Bang right now doing the whole well. I think I don't know what the future of Panteran is. But I went and saw that tour and I love Charlie Banante. He's one of my inspirations as a drummers, and I love Anthrax, and uh. I went and saw it and I was I was stoked. Man, it was pretty cool. I mean, in the back of my mind knowing all the stories and the beef with filling Selmo in the in the in the you know, I have a brothers and stuff that I think, Uh, is this really cool? But I enjoyed it. I thought that first too, but then there's the other side of it, like Vinnie would have been toy cool with Charlie playing drums, and Dime would have been toy cool with Zach playing guitar. Like they were perfect matches for if you're gonna do that to have them there.

16:23 And you know, sometimes you guys squashed the beef too, Like I'm friends with Nsemo and he's he's pretty cool, and like, you know what, when you're young, sometimes you do stupid shit. And that's it. That's where I ended up too, Like I love Panta, and I mean, I don't know what their beef was, but you know, when you're riding around, especially as big as they were at the time, at the age they were, I mean, if you've ever been on the road before, you know, man, okay, I mean there's been plenty of times where you know, some of my brothers on the road I wanted. To yeah, but you know, you come home, you really sometimes they were doing some grueling Tori, So I mean, you know, it's easy, it's easy to hate your family and on those long road trips.

17:08 Yeah, no doubt, and listen, you are a family and even your own family. You wouldn't want to be on those road trips with like or anybody your favorite people in the world. Sometimes they'd get annoying to you or you know, it's so grueling that you're so tired and probably cranky. That shit happens too. It's sure. It's a true test to your friendship with with these guys. No doubt, no doubt. So tell everybody how they can connect with you and reach out to you. And also check out the new album Gods with Machines, which is so appropriate for the world we're living in today. You know, I wrote I wrote this through just some of these songs are really old and I came up with that concept that name like a long time ago, Like I just I just loved it because aliens and gotten that weren't for just people.

17:57 You know. So anyway, Yeah, Gods with the Machines. It's it's on all streamers, Amazon, iTunes, Apple, uh, Spotify, all all the places. I'm gonna be having some hard copies here made soon. You know what. Once Once is a big enough to band. I'm gonna do some records and stuff. But uh, I do I have my own personal Instagram. I use for pretty much everything. Ethan Henry forty three Instagram and I just recently started and Ashes of the Sun banned Instagram because I probably should promote this separately, and even though I like the idea across the morning everything together. I have a website, Ignorantoristproductions dot com. It has all of our content. You know, we make movies.

18:37 We're getting ready to film a movie, and we have some past stuff on there. But after the Sun stuff's on there, and there'll be some more music stuff on there as well as I move forward. And yeah, that's the I. I That's pretty much where I'm at. My personal Facebook, Ethan Henry and on Facebook, and uh, I have a TikTok too, Yeah, Ethan's brains three and five. Most of stuff on there too. Nice. I'm an old guy, dude, I'm just getting used to all the social media, so it's not doesn't come off as quick, you. Know, it's a pain in the ass, to be honest. I missed the tape trading days. I've dispressed it all day today, I'm like, shit, did I pretty content out?

19:18 I know, right, it's so hard to be an artist nowadays. You guys gotta work so much harder, like you have never been. I gotta tell you, in the eighties, with all the debauchery that was going on and all the drugs and alcohol, they would have never been able to make it because they wouldn't have ever been sober enough to do all this social media work. And you're honesty, Dan, I wonder how many of these great artists are sitting there that just don't or can't you know that being said, man, there's some kids doing some business stuff that I know that don't do a lot of half of what I know other businesses new. But because they're so internet savvy, they're so like quick on the on the social media, like they're just blowing.

19:59 Up my what. I'm like that person, and I'm like, okay whatever. So it's like, you know, it's I'm forty nine, man, you know, I grew up in the eighties and nineties, and. Uh, I gotta do it, man. I don't I don't want. I don't want to ship the sail away man. So I'm so I'm doing it. Learn I'm learning it all. And uh I feel pretty comfortable there and I just I just got to get my rhythm down, you know. There you go, Well, you'll do it and you'll keep doing it, and uh listen, you're like one of the hardest working musicians out there with all the projects you do. Well, you know, I mean everybody. I don't sleep much, so I'm currently I'm getting ready to film a movie. I just I got a forty five foot wide spaceship set in my backyard of my house.

20:42 It's about twice Oh. It's it's I'm just constant. I just pivot, pivot, pivot, pivot, work all day, tattoo, work on the music. You know I'm doing. I'm doing Boy Damper. We're playing on Tuesday with Crowbar and I Hate God down at the Loss Horizon and Syracuse, which is gonna be a cool show. And uh, just I just can't stop. Man, I'm gonna stop when when the ticker stops, just like Ozzie. That's it, man, go till you can't well. There it is. Well. Thanks a lot for giving us some great music, and thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man. Pipe Man, Thank you very much. Joy, thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipemin.

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