White Ash | Matt Connarton Unleashed

0:00 Speaker 1: That is called Round we Go. The band is White Ash. What a cool sound. I really really like that a lot. And they are our second guests in a row today on the show by the way from Liverpool. But let's get the guys on. Let's see who we have with us via Microsoft teams. Hello, can you hear me?

0:18 Speaker 2: Hello? Oh?

0:18 Speaker 1: There we go? I got nervous there for a second. Hey, so who do we have? Who do we have on the line with us from the band?

0:26 Speaker 2: And you've got brought out the five at the minute?

0:30 Speaker 1: Then good? Go ahead?

0:34 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh.

0:39 Speaker 1: Yep, go ahead.

0:41 Speaker 2: I'm on them.

0:42 Speaker 3: Play the keys and the and wise.

0:44 Speaker 4: Ash on the basis I played the guitar like the songs.

0:51 Speaker 1: Sing all right, very good? Who are we missing?

0:55 Speaker 4: And Deacon he is our league guitar. He's just cuddly laying floorboards.

1:03 Speaker 1: I got cha. We couldn't be working for a living. I get it. I get it. Well, welcome, welcome to the show. It's it's great to have you here. Uh yeah, I love that. I love that song Round we Go? Like I said, it's just got such a cool vibe to it. And tell tell tell us about White Ash. Have you been around for a long time? And I mean you're a relatively young band.

1:23 Speaker 2: Correct, Yeah, that's it.

1:26 Speaker 5: It's only been what's twenty twenty three since we started.

1:30 Speaker 4: Yeah the end, it's twenty twenty three, it was, so I think that's roughly soon or a half.

1:36 Speaker 2: Years, isn't it. Yeah?

1:37 Speaker 1: Like that so pretty new.

1:40 Speaker 2: Yeah, and we've never like to the fast, you know.

1:43 Speaker 4: So we just saw cloaks about the local scene, got our sounds together, and then slowly now we're starting to chel shocks outs people.

1:51 Speaker 1: Yeah, what what what has it been like for you in terms of, you know, getting your sound together, as you put it, because you've got such like I said, I hate to keep using the word the same word cool, but it's just got such a cool vibe, especially a song round we Go and we're gonna play another song of yours at the end of our conversation. We're gonna play Blue Skies, which also a great song. But I mean, did the sound of White Ash come together quickly for you or what was it something that took time for you all to kind of gel or what was that like.

2:25 Speaker 3: We we are to go alike loads of different stiles. To be honest to light, we gelled quite easily. But were just trying to see how many different you know, styles we could go for them, which one we liked them?

2:39 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I would imagine with five of you in the band, there's a heavy confluence of influences, right, I mean you know there must be obviously five people. Everybody has different backgrounds. I'm sure you all kind of bring something different to the table in terms of of the sound that becomes white Ash when you all play together.

2:59 Speaker 4: Absolutely, absolutely, because i'd like to Chris our basis tea.

3:03 Speaker 2: There's a lot of funky, there's a lot of.

3:05 Speaker 4: Music like that, and everyone's got their own different musical seats, so it all blends in. And I think you can tell that through Valley Call especially, and it's like there's a lot of mixtures of genres threw into the one shack.

3:17 Speaker 2: It's not just the one.

3:20 Speaker 4: And that and that is why Primiley on the early stages, we didn't want to, so say John Malocke, ourselves and bring music out to early because we want to make sure what we were going to bring to the masses and to the people was good enough, and there of sudden we would we would be happy to listen to ourselves.

3:38 Speaker 1: Right, Absolutely, tell me about being from livery by the way, so you're the second artist on the show we've had today. You're the second guest that we've had from Liverpool. And I was talking with Dave Jackson from the room he was under in the first hour, and we talked about how, you know, what what is that like? I was asking him what it's like because Liverpool obviously has a very very you know, it looms large in terms of the artists, you know, obviously the Beatles and everyone else who came from Liverpool.

4:06 Speaker 1: I mean, what is that like? Is it hard to stand out in Liverpool?

4:12 Speaker 3: I think there's a there's a lot of life, a lot of competition life, and there's like because because we're quite a small city as well, obviously there's loads of like a lot of musical people from here, like so there's loads of other bands and stuff like that that the city.

4:33 Speaker 5: You get a lot of university as well.

4:36 Speaker 3: Yeah, so you get the sound of the places in England as well instead of just that.

4:42 Speaker 5: Liverpool. So there's there's just all kinds going on.

4:46 Speaker 4: To be honest with jack, we we found it quite surprising how much how much feedback we've had more from America with those songs you've brought out really local and yeah, and there's been a lot more feet but I think we're say, you've got a lot a lot more people listening over your shot of the Puns that is over the here.

5:07 Speaker 2: We've got a lot of listeners, don't get me wrong.

5:09 Speaker 4: And like with Shocked Out, however, the our music was managed to beach over there.

5:14 Speaker 1: You get with them me, Oh that's fantastic though. I mean, that's that's really validating because I know that historically, you know, like for example, again you know, not to keep bringing up the Beatles, but they they would talk earlier in their career about how it was important to break in America. You know, they that that was what they saw, that was kind of the big goal. You know, if you could break big in America, then you've really made it in terms of establishing yourselves internationally.

5:43 Speaker 1: And so I think it's pretty validating for you guys that, you know, if if American radio was starting to play your music, and like I said, the first time I listened around we Go, I was like, I can't wait to play this on the show. But that's that's that's really validating for what you're doing. I think that's great. Uh. And and do you I mean, why do you think that is? Do you know what the reason is that you're able to connect with you know, kind of start building an American audience versus what the reaction to you is there where you are in your home base?

6:16 Speaker 2: Answered this one.

6:18 Speaker 4: So I I fairly believe that is because in Liverpool, everyone expects a certain sounds to come out of the bands and the expected at the Genetta say, may you beats, a lot of beetles stuff, the expected to that that sounds where we are not and your genetic bands will come out of the city behind beyond that that sounds. So I believe that purely that that helps push us out of the city more. If you get what I mean, I do because because graces the Beatles are for the city and as graces, the likes of the Zosans and stuff that too.

6:52 Speaker 4: I wouldn't say so much Theosans are he would actually say time and the Beatles and stuff like that. It's created the source of a uh image that you've got to break house of within the city.

7:03 Speaker 2: If you get what I mean.

7:05 Speaker 1: Right right now, that makes sense. That makes sense, by the way, So I and I've learned this term from a friend of mine who's British, but then I saw it in your bio. So you you refer to yourselves as a scouse band? Is that a reference to being from Liverpool?

7:20 Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah?

7:22 Speaker 1: And and and what does that mean?

7:23 Speaker 2: What?

7:23 Speaker 1: What does that term mean for people who don't know? Does that just mean somebody somebody from that area?

7:29 Speaker 2: Are you just a scouse? Yeah? There's life I don't way probably know where it comes.

7:42 Speaker 3: There's all kinds like, well we've got out o discalled scouts as.

7:44 Speaker 1: Well, okay, okay.

7:54 Speaker 6: Yeah, because there's a lot of a lot of history's a lot of shape London and the big rich people looking down upon our city maybe not.

8:05 Speaker 2: Given as well what we should have got.

8:07 Speaker 4: So a lot of people from Liverpool like to say with Scouts, we're not actually English, we're from Liverpool. Fit webc ourselves is from Liverpool, and then from England we're not English and then Scouts that's the other.

8:18 Speaker 2: Way to are with us.

8:20 Speaker 4: Okay, it's probably because a lot of us in the city and more together where if you go out of the city there's a lot of.

8:29 Speaker 2: I wouldn't say that discrimination, but there's a.

8:31 Speaker 4: Lot of funny marks being getting made because you're from where you're from.

8:36 Speaker 1: If you get on the mean, Okay, that makes sense. The same thing happens in America. Absolutely.

8:43 Speaker 4: We just signed Fly the Flag as much as we can ash where we're from.

8:47 Speaker 1: Be proud of where you're from. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, Well, there's something very rock and roll about that too, isn't there?

8:57 Speaker 2: Definitely? Definitely?

9:00 Speaker 1: What's up? What's the live situation for you guys? Have have you guys been touring or obviously, I mean, I'm sure where you are there's lots of places to play, but have you been able to get out and maybe do some festivals or anything like that.

9:16 Speaker 5: And start gigs and the likes of London? Okay, then you've done that for what it is down there playing and World War was so.

9:36 Speaker 1: Yeah, and then so what's what's kind of the trajectory as far as you know, you've got some singles? Are these going to do? Do you have plans to release an EP A full album?

9:48 Speaker 2: What?

9:48 Speaker 1: What's kind of the future plans as far as releasing new music?

9:54 Speaker 4: Yeah, in change in change of music, that's definitely more on the way that we couldn't become a hundred shade uh and within the within the end, before the end of the year, there will be another White Ash singles have been listened to and just be I think everyone should just be prepared to see a steady fast.

10:12 Speaker 2: Flower songs to come from us and a lot more to from us too.

10:16 Speaker 1: Oh excellent, excellent. Well, we look forward to that because, like I said, you know, I became a fast fan. That's that's very good. Well, I hope that we're the first, uh. I hope they were the first American radio station to play the new single when it's ready. But we'll definitely we'll definitely have to have you guys back for that. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely so in a moment at the end of our conversation, I'm gonna play the track, uh, Blue Skies, another really cool song. But before before I let you all go.

10:45 Speaker 1: Where is the best place online to go to keep up with everything that White Ash is doing? Where should people go online?

10:53 Speaker 5: Instagram? Instagram?

10:56 Speaker 7: Yeahs, socials and ideally the best place of finders is on the streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music for even the YouTube.

11:10 Speaker 4: If you head over to day that's the best way you could support us, and even better if you if you'd ever come to Liverpool or you'd ever come to England, take a look at what shows we've got on and come and come supporters live.

11:21 Speaker 2: We'd love to see a few faces dead too.

11:26 Speaker 4: Absolutely, get get over to the Instagram to check out where we're playing, and get over to any streaming platform and check our music outs and keep.

11:34 Speaker 1: Listening outstanding, outstanding. One more thing too, before I'll let you all go, the obvious question I haven't asked yet. Where does the name come from? It's a cool name, white Ash, Well, what does it mean? Where does it come from?

11:48 Speaker 4: Well, so basically we were practicing one day, were outside for the smoke and obviously when when I've flicked the ashes, fellow with the bond when we finished, we were in the middle.

12:04 Speaker 2: Of trying to think of a name, and then it was kind of like we got covid.

12:11 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, no that makes sense. No, it is a very cool name though I like it. It definitely fits.

12:17 Speaker 2: Well.

12:17 Speaker 1: Listen, thank you to the four of you who are able to make it today, and you know, really appreciate you coming on the show. Like I said, I love your sound, love what you're doing, and we will definitely do this in the future when the next single is ready. Uh, not to put you on the spot, but but I would love to have you all back on the show. And uh, we will do that. In the meantime, we're gonna hit this track called Blue Skies. But White Ash, thank you all for joining us.

12:40 Speaker 2: Thank you.

12:42 Speaker 1: All right. I would love that. I would love that. I hope that happens. We'll put that out into the universe and uh and hopefully it will be so all right, thanks, thanks guys, AP appreciate, appreciate the four of you take care exactly all right. All right, that is four four fifths of the band White Ash. And let's give this a listen. This is another great track from them. I like this a lot. This is called Blue Skies.