» link.brightcove.com

Billy Howerdel, who formed A Perfect Circle - was really impressive, and appealed to my affinity for what I like to call "Tool Lite." I loved A Perfect Circle. I loved the melodic, floaty feel to their tunes, some of it a bridge over from the similarly-feeling, yet much harsher, sounds of Tool that Maynard Keenan brought to the band. Though with Ashes Divide, it now becomes easier to see where a lot of the band's - both bands - sounds have originated. Onstage, the backdrop and lighting, the use of the fog machine, all lends nicely to the "feel" of Howerdel's music, and I really enjoyed Ashes Divide's set. His chosen touring band is excellent, and they lend a nice charisma to the stage without overshadowing the more serene Howerdel as he plays and sings his songs. With the past popularity of A Perfect Circle, and the never-ending love of Tool, I can easily see how Ashes Divide has quickly gained a foothold in the music scene, and I feel it's well-deserved. Maybe they are not the most complex arrangements Howerdel has ever written, but it's good, good feeling music any way you look at it. Another good choice for this tour, definitely.”

REVIEWER: Lynn Malpass

Site: Pageant’s Pop-Culture Dog and Pony Show

http://www.pageantzine.net/concertreview/prcamden7-19-08.php

MLB.com is running an auction for a copy of Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright autographed by Billy with proceeds going to ThinkCure, the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers. ThinkCure champions critical cancer research at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Head over to the auction site to view the details and submit your bid now.
The auction will be closing on 8/24/2008 at 23:59 EDT.

» media.islanddefjam.com

» media.islanddefjam.com

» media.islanddefjam.com

On certain occasions, these signings will take place at the Island Records Street Team Truck. The dates that the truck will be at Project Rev are.

Fri 08/15/08 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sun 08/17/08 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
Tue 08/19/08 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Thu 08/21/08 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amph. St. Louis
Sat 08/23/08 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Centre
Sun 08/24/08 Houston, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Make sure to stop by the signing booth, meet the band, and get some gear signed!!!

By Cam Smith, Associate Staff Contributor

www.the-peak.ca

“Taking the stage around 10:30 p.m. — Howerdel in a blood-red dress shirt and pants, and his backing band in black suits and ties — Ashes Divide wasted no time in setting a foreboding tone for the evening. The set began with the album’s closing track, “Sword,” starting the concert with an unsettling funeral dirge-like arrangement of keyboards and violin samples which swelled into a swirling sea of buzzing guitars and propulsive drumming. Handling lead vocals for the first time, Howerdel’s breathy singing voice was equal parts calming and disquieting. Mournfully half-whispering the lines “Don’t let them silence you / ‘cause you’re a waste in their eyes / There’s a grace inside of you / I need tonight,” he seemed to cast his gaze beyond the audience, towards something unseen and intangible. It was a stunningly effective prologue for the evening.

Following with the more up-tempo songs “Enemies” and “Denial Waits,” the group proved equally adept at revealing a vigorous apprehensive fury, which had the audience raising their fists and bobbing their heads in a wave of cathartic energy. Yet, it was the band’s performance of the melancholy rocker “Too Late” which was the arguable highlight of the evening. Blanketed in a haze of green and red light, Howerdel solemnly pledged to “not lose you to the melting sky / Or to the mad parade / To the bloody jaws or the fire fall” before regretfully declaring “If I could separate me from myself, I’d stay away from me,” the band had their spectators in a state of glowing euphoria.

The rest of the night consisted of a tightly wound set that ran through every track of Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright, as well as a surprisingly teeth-baring cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” Closing with first single “The Stone,” the band showed a level of professionalism uncommon for a group in such early infancy. Through a masterful combination of controlled chaos and unabashed emotional vulnerability, Ashes Divide is the antithesis of most modern rock. The musicians are genuine, lacking the inflated egos of the typical rock band, which results in a greater feeling of identification with the band for the audience. The look of modest bashfulness that flashed across Howerdel’s face whenever the audience enthusiastically roared with approval spoke volumes.

As the crowd departed the venue, there was a real sense of exhilaration in the night air. We had all shared a collective immersive experience that only the best rock concerts are able to deliver. Ashes Divide earned several dedicated fans that evening that will hopefully converge again when the band next sees fit to revisit this vicinity. As I said to my friends Shaun and Tommy afterwards, it was worth double what I paid. And with today’s concert prices, how often can any of us say that?”

We have officially launched the ASHES dIVIDE Street Team!

Click on the link below to JOIN.

- Join the team to take part in contests for exclusive prizes

- Win cool merch, show tickets, and more

- Hear unreleased Ashes Divide music

- Get INVOLVED and SPREAD THE WORD about the music you love  CLICK HERE

Also, START NOW by posting these banners all over the web! Post on your myspace pages etc.

Recruitment Banner #1

<a href="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/click/16020" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/view/16020.jpg" border="0"></a>

Recruitment Banner #2

<a href="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/click/16019" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/view/16019.jpg" border="0"></a>

Recruitment Banner #3

<a href="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/click/16018" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/view/16018.jpg" border="0"></a>

As always, THANKS for getting involved and we’re psyched to have you on board!

We have officially launched the ASHES dIVIDE Street Team!

Click on the link below to JOIN.

- Join the team to take part in contests for exclusive prizes

- Win cool merch, show tickets, and more

- Hear unreleased Ashes Divide music

- Get INVOLVED and SPREAD THE WORD about the music you love

CLICK HERE: http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/signup

Also, START NOW by posting these banners all over the web! Post on your myspace pages etc.

Recruitment Banner #1

<a href="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/click/16020" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/view/16020.jpg" border="0"></a>

Recruitment Banner #2

<a href="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/click/16019" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/view/16019.jpg" border="0"></a>

Recruitment Banner #3

<a href="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/click/16018" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fancorps.com/ashesdivide/view/16018.jpg" border="0"></a>

As always, THANKS for getting involved and we’re psyched to have you on board!

Street teamers will have access to exclusive content such as banners and posters. Also we’ll be holding team contests with prizes including unique merch pieces, items signed by the band, show tickets and more!

Want to be a street team CAPTAIN? We’re looking for  3 or 4 people from around the U.S. that can regionally manage the street team. If you want to become an integral part of the team and you’re  really organized, send an email to ashesdivideteam@gmail.com with the subject: STREET TEAM CAPTAIN. Tell us what would make you a great street team leader!

LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU!

*This offer is NOT available for Projekt Revolution dates in Irvine, CA, Mountain View, CA, Cincinnati, OH, Wantagh, NY, or Woodlands, TX.

*This offer is NOT available for Projekt Revolution dates in Irvine, CA, Mountain View, CA, Cincinnati, OH, Wantagh, NY, or Woodlands, TX.

During my recent trip to New York, I had the pleasure of seeing ASHES dIVIDE perform at the Dysfunctional Family BBQ in Herkimer. Their performance was incredible. Billy Howerdel appears to have easily taken on the role of frontman. His vocal style is reminiscent of 80's British pop, but the music is fresh and current. More importantly, the crowd went raving mad for it.

Several days later I had the opportunity to talk to Billy Howerdel about ASHES dIVIDE, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright, and life on the road.

Type 3 Media: I recently got to see you guys perform at the Dysfunctional Family BBQ in Herkimer, New York.

Billy Howerdel: Cool. That was a great show for us. It was a good reaction from a big crowd.

T3M: What was different about working on the Ashes Divide material vs. A Perfect Circle?

BH: The vocal part is a big difference... writing lyrics... taking center stage for this. It's all just like starting over again. It's going back trying to figure things out while playing little shows trying to get the word out. As far as getting people to the shows, we have a lot of work to do spreading the word and traveling around.

T3M: What direction were you trying to take with Ashes Divide?

BH: It was a lot of things inside me that I couldn't do with A Perfect Circle. And some things that I could.

T3M: It looks like your band is gelling pretty well, and you looked comfortable in that center stage spot. How big of an adjustment has that been for you?

BH: I think it was a bigger adjustment with the guitars... really trying to figure out how to play and sing at the same time, and trying to do it where it's second nature and not having to think about it. I set it up so we had like two months rehearsal to try and figure it out. I think everyday it gets a little bit more comfortable for me. That's the everyday experience from being on the road. It's really fun. I think the band sounds really good, and every day it grows. I wanted to stay pretty close to the record for right now with the songs we play. We're also doing a cover song that's just kind of growing every day.

T3M: How is the band handling life on the road together?

BH: Really good. My friend asked me that too. Those guys didn't know each other either... just personality-wise. It's fun. All of us like to be here, and everything is turning out really good so far.

T3M: How is your voice holding up?

BH: Good, no problems so far, knock on wood. There have been no issues; no one is getting sick around me.

T3M: It must help that it's a spring/summer tour.

BH: Yes, absolutely. I talk to Maynard quite a bit and sometimes ask about how he handles certain things, and he'll give me advice on what to do, or what not to do, so I don't destroy my voice.

T3M: Have you had a chance to hear his Puscifer project.

BH: I have. I really like what he's doing with it. I think that was something inside of him that he wanted to get out, and he went in a direction that many people did not expect.

T3M: I hear a lot of British influence in your singing style.

BH: I think that the way we express ourselves comes from those things that influence us. I used to listen to a lot of new wave or darker post punk bands like Echo and the Bunnymen, Souxie and the Banshees, and the Cure. When you grow up in England you don't speak French.

T3M: You'll be joining the Projekt Revolution tour soon; what are you looking forward to most about it?

BH: That's going to be great. I'm really looking forward to that. I've done a lot of summer tours. The whole traveling circus vibe is kind of cool. We are going to be in a really good spot, opening the main stage. We're all really looking forward to that. With this tour, we're doing a lot of our own shows in smaller markets. Typically a tour will start and you want to go out and get major markets first. Have that show and some hype that trickles down into the smaller cities. We're kind of going the opposite way, starting in smaller markets, like in Pennsylvania or South Carolina. The reason for that is during Projekt Revolution we're going to be doing those major markets later. So right now it's this thing that is very intimate small shows. It's cool. It's a different experience.

T3M: You mentioned that a lot of what you're doing now is getting the word out about ASHES dIVIDE. How did you react to the fairly strong debut of your new album?

BH: I honestly haven't paid a whole lot of attention to what the record is doing. I really wanted to focus on the live stuff. I think that's going to be the thing that holds it together. I'm really proud of this record a lot. I'll take whatever we can get.

T3M: It was good talk to you.

BH: Thank you very much for spreading the word.

Billy's Interview

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