Billy updated his myspace blog tonight with his top 5 records of all time…
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
-Beautiful and scary….what a great Dark Wave record should be. There are parts of this record that I have gone to time and again as a well of inspiration. They weren’t afraid to break the production mold without going too far and ruining the overall vibe just to be arty. This record sounds like a sharp, shiny shard of steel to me.
Adam & the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier
-Takes me back to being a child. In my opinion, this record was cutting edge in the 80’s, 90’s and the 00’s. I can’t think of another record like that. The sounds and the balls it took to make this record when nothing else sounded like it, marks it’s place on my top 5 favorite records.
Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
-Elvis Costello is one of my all time favorite artists. It was very difficult to pick one record of his but this one, his first record, was a fixture of my musical upbringing. For some, his voice is a dagger through the head. For me, it is gritty and powerful without being pretentious. As for song writing, he has given the courage to, when in a rut, “write songs on a left handed fretless bass upside down, in the dark.” I have used that ideal many times.
The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
There are four Cure records that are very important to me as a musician including Japanese Whispers, Pornography, Head on the Door and this one. This was a tough band to just pick one record from. At Seventeen Seconds (and Faith), The Cure grew into a band that made me look at the world differently. It was an undercurrent of mood that seamed ancient, like it was always there but I just stumbled upon it. I had no access to the scene that surrounded this band, only the personal effect it had on me. A record to listen to by yourself and TAKE IN.
Side note: In high school, I was asked to take a class survey and find the student body’s top ten favorite records. I inserted this record as 10 which was preposterous as the other records of the day were Bryan Adams, Def Leppard and such. I was obviously discovered. Sorry about that.
Cat Power - You Are Free
-Such a hauntingly beautiful record. Honest and rough in the most delicate way. I find myself singing these songs and believing the words to stories that are so personal and relevant only to Chan. This record has driven me musically for 5 years now.
Posted in Blogs
Ex-APC and current QOTSA member Troy Van Leewun was recently interview by ultimate-guitar.com and had good things to say about Billy and ASHES dIVIDE.
“Speaking of Billy Howerdel he has been working on some new music.
Yes, it’s a new project called Ashes Divide and if you like A Perfect Circle you’re going to like it. A Perfect Circle was really his music. I don’t play on the album but I really like it and back it totally. We did get together a couple of times over the last couple of years but he really takes his time. And rather than force something to happen, we just decided to hang out. I listened to a bunch of his new music but it seemed he had it pretty much covered if you know what I mean. He likes to pick the parts and then divide amongst the musicians. He is such a well rounded player. “
Read the full interview here
Posted in Reviews
Billy did a fairly revealing interview with the people over at the Rock N Roll Experience.
“So how come you chose to tour with Linkin Park this Summer as opposed to doing a headlining Ashes Divide tour?
We are starting off doing some radio shows which I’ve never done..with A Perfect Circle, I don’t know that we ever really did a radio show before where you are kinda put on..I guess they are the same thing as going on a festival of sorts, but then we are doing our own club headlining stuff intermingled with that with some radio shows & then onto the Linkin Park thing…it just, you know, the opportunity got presented to us & I thought it was a great opportunity, I mean, I don’t know a ton about Linkin Park, I’ve heard they are really cool guys, but I thought it was very cool of them to take the band out & put us on the main stage without..they got an advance copy of the record & that’s it, they’d never seen how things come together live, nor has anyone, so I thought it spoke alot for their trust & I appreciate it..those guys believed in us enough to do that..I think it’ll be a fun Summer thing to be involved in.”
A Danny Lohner Remixed version of Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright was also briefly mentioned as being tentatively in the works.
Read the full interview in it’s entirety here
Posted in Interviews
A new interview with Billy has been posted on 411mania.com
“So how was it working with Danny Lohner again?
He’s an asshole (Laughs). No, Danny is one of my best friends…it’s almost like, if he wasn’t working on the album, he would be doing the same things he’s doing. I planned things over the phone and he would come over the house to hear stuff and he would give me “Hey dude that sucks” or “Oh this is great” or “You really should do this.” Danny was an executive producer on this. I would play him things and he would give me great input on tracks and we come from the same place in a lot of ways, but he is a broader fan of music than I am. He’s more into things I’m wouldn’t be into and he would see things a little different. He likes things a little simpler, more traditional…it was really great having someone I trust with great taste to say “Oh man, why don’t we try this?” So face time working with him in the studio…I didn’t get a ton of time, but it was more important that I could call him up and go “Dude, I’m ready to stop. Talk me off the cliff,” so Danny was an important part of the process.”
Click here for the full interview.
Posted in Interviews
You may want to free up your Tuesday Night
UPDATE: For reasons unknown the show has been cancelled.
All purchased tickets will be refunded.
Posted in Tour
Yet another review, this time on Decoymusic.com
“Howerdel’s obscure signature guitar playing style is easy to notice several times throughout the record. He has this knack for writing melodies where you almost guess their outcome and end up being completely wrong. They start off sounding normal and pleasant, and just crash toward the end in an odd, yet somehow good sounding way.”
Go here to read the review in it’s entirety.
Posted in Reviews
According to the Island Records News Page XBox LIVE has selected ASHES dIVIDE as their Emerging Artist of the Month.
This month XBOX LIVE subscribers have exclusive access to check out Billy Howerdel on the set of his video, The Stone.
Click Here for more information.
To Access the content just go to the Xbox Marketplace on XBL and the video is located in ‘Music Videos’. The video is about ten minutes in length and features a couple interesting cameo appearances.
Edit: As far as we can tell it is NOT available in the UK
Posted in Interviews
Several headlining dates around the US and Canada have been added to the Tour Calendar
Also take note that the 3/14 headlining date at the Music Farm in Charleston, SC has been moved to Jesters Pub in Fayetteville, NC for unknown reasons.
Posted in Tour
Reviews of Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright are showing up all over the place.
Links and excerpts can be found below:
Sputnik Music : “Billy Howerdels solo project, Ashes Divide, is a good step in the right direction and brings back a powerful feeling to alternative rock. It is something that fans of A Perfect Circle and Tool would enjoy.”
Rock and Roll Ghost : “Though not all of it succeeds, Howerdel manages to make something rewarding to listen to and it’s fair to suggest that future ASHES dIVIDE albums will rise to the occasion.”
All Music : “By relegating his more powerful pieces to the back of Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright in favor of more inconsistent opening tracks, Howerdel makes the entire album feel somewhat shallow and emotionally static. Instead of exploring new territory, he seems content in revisiting old successes.”
The Rock Blogger : “While Ashes Divide may not be a revolutionary effort, it certainly is a beautiful one, as Howerdel effectively lives up to heightened expectations.”
GuitarBassMan : “Overall, “Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright” is a good record, I just don’t know if its something I will personally keep listening to for a long time. Time will tell I guess.”
Lonely Reviewer : “Keep Telling Myself has a consistent stream of musical sadness that runs through the 45-minute album length, with each song sounding like the score to a mini-film.”
The East Carolinian : “The surreal atmosphere that is created through the various tones and textures on the album make it brutally heart wrenching, yet beautifully human.”
Posted in Reviews
For those of you that were unable to catch the Rockline interview with Billy earlier this week you can listen to the interview separated into 4 parts from the players below.
Rockline Interview Clip 1
Rockline Interview Clip 2
Rockline Interview Clip 3
Rockline Interview Clip 4
Posted in Interviews, Media