The following fill in the blank responses come from Lancaster-based band, From Ashes to New. This sextet consists of members Matt Brandyberry (vocals/guitar/keys), Chris Musser (vocals), Dan Kecki (guitar), Branden “Boo” Kreider (guitar/vocals), Garrett Russell (bass), and Tim D’onofrio (drums). Since forming in the fall of 2013, the band has become known for their unique blend of the rap, metal, alternative, and rock genres. From Ashes to New will be hitting the Cleveland Odeon stage tonight (July 17th) with other artists including P.O.D. and Hoobastank. Learn more about the band and drummer Tim D’onofrio from his responses below and be sure to check out their recent EP, Downfall before tonight’s show.
Three words we’d use to describe us are…. “Well, every time we tell someone we’re from Lancaster, PA they ask if we’re Amish since that’s where they film the show “Amish Mafia” I’ll go with, “Not. Fucking. Amish”
The story/meaning behind our name From Ashes to New is….Well the name came from a lyric that Matt had written in a previous band that he was in with Musser but in the literal sense it’s basically touching on all of our previous bands that we used to play together in that had fallen apart or “burned to ashes”. So this band is basically an amalgamation of all the ashes of our previous bands that became, “From Ashes to New.”
The pickiest eater is….Garrett haha. He decided to become a vegetarian recently so he wins this one hands down.
The most OCD member is….Matt! I don’t know if it’s OCD or if he just knows how/what he likes things and is at times unwilling to compromise hahaha. That can be challenging on the road but I don’t have much room to talk because if there was a runner up for this title it would be me!
For fun we like to….Snapchat has become our new source of entertainment. We like to do fun stuff on there to give the fans a little insight to what it’s like to be on the road with us. We all enjoy playing video games too. We have a PS4 out with us and GTA5 has provided this band an untold amount of entertainment. A couple of us are into the Call Of Duty games as well.
We’re currently listening to….Haha speaking of Snapchat, we just made a video of some of us singing along to Bring Me The Horizon while we were driving. Other than that, we always have Of Mice & Men on, Korn, Eminem, Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars…those are the staples but we will mix it up a lot too depending on who’s driving the RV. The driver gets control of the radio!
Our favorite songs of all time include….Oh man, I don’t think this question is possible to answer! I mean I can only speak for myself and I can’t even pick a favorite band let alone favorite songs! Hahah let’s just keep it fun and say anything off Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits.
We find inspiration from….This is another one where I can only speak for myself but back in the day I would find inspiration from my favorite drummers like Joey Jordison, Vinnie Paul, Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan”, Travis Barker. I still do draw inspiration from them but now that we’re on tour I think you can watch just about any drummer that’s at the touring level and take something away from their playing. I used to drum tech for Halestorm’s Arejay Hale and I learned so much from his showmanship and improvisational skills by sitting behind him and watching every night. I follow Travis Barker on social media and it is inspiring to see how much that guy practices still even at his level of playing. I have so much respect for that kind of humbling attitude towards your craft.
One thing we want you to remember while listening to our music is….That no matter what you’re not alone in this life. Our lyrics are meant to give people hope and we want to help people through rough times in their life because that is the source of which the lyrics have come from. We have an incredibly supportive and vocal fan base on social media and everyone should know that no matter what, if you feel like life is too much to handle or you need someone to listen that we and our community of fans are all here for each other.
Downfall was recorded in….Lancaster, PA at Atrium Audio with Grant McFarland and Carson Slovak about this time last year!
The first song we wrote together was….Well the first song Matt ever wrote was “Live Again” off our first EP. You can find that EP and song on iTunes. It also has the songs “My Fight” and “I Will Show You” which got some pretty heavy rotations on the Sirius Radio station Octane.
Our craziest or most memorable gig was….Rock On The Range 2015 in May! We knew damn well before we hit the stage that day how important it was for us to go out there and kill it. We took the stage absolutely crushed it! The crowd response was amazing, the adrenaline was pumping and we’re eager to keep proving ourselves any stage we get on like we did that day.
Our favorite tracks to play live include….My favorite song to play live used to be “I Will Show You” but now that we’re playing new material I think “Downfall” is my favorite. There’s a lot of opportunities for me to have some fun behind the kit tossing and flipping my sticks around like an idiot hahah. When I can, I like to toss my sticks back and forth with the guys in the band while I’m playing… sometimes I’ll even toss them with a fan in the crowd if they call for it.
Something odd we don’t want our fans to know about…how about the fact that I have a handlebar mustache right now?? Haha gotta love days off on the road!
We’re absolutely terrified of….Garrett’s driving! Hahaha we love Garrett but when it’s his turn to drive the RV everybody starts sweating bullets.
Our last meals would be….Cookies lol Cookies and milk. I know it’s not exactly a meal but most everyone in the band does their best to eat healthy but if chocolate chip cookies or Oreos somehow find their way in front our faces it is unfortunately OVER. Our FOH engineer Angel has gotten the nickname “Cookie Monster” if that’s any indication of the deviance level we’re talking about here.
In the next six months you should expect….to see us on the road this fall with Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, and In This Moment. You can catch us at Dirt Fest August 8th as well. Our full length record “Day One” (although no release date has been set) to be released as well as an official single accompanied by a music video. To keep up with everything we’re doing people can find us on just about any social media you can think of; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. etc.
– Victoria
Kryptonite Music Magazine 