Ashton – Demo

Ashton
Demo
1992 Redeye Records
San Bruno, California, USA

Jason “I don’t have a nickname” Childress – lead vocals, guitar, vocal cello, claps, screams, noise, stuff
Robbie “Can I Have a Solo in This One?” Schultz – Guitar, vocals, keyboard, claps, feedback
John “Guardian of the Groove” Simpson – Bass, vocals, vocal cello, claps, yells, creaks’ whistles
Juan “This time for sure” Montoro – Drums, claps, tambourine, concussion

Side 1;

1. Return of the King
2. All the Same (2Me)
3. Said a Prayer
4. Peition

Side 2:

1. The Road
2. Hey, Suess
3. Wheel of Misfortune
4. Narnia

Ashton is a heavy band with a good dose of trippy psychedelia as well. You notice several references to Christianity, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and possibly even Hinduism. I could be hearing some of that wrong, though. There also appears to be some heavy King’s X influence on the sound – even though you have to listen close at times as they don’t sound just like King’s X. They have a different sounding vocalist and guitar tones. Sometimes they almost end up sounding like Enuff ‘Z’Nuff. Of course, they also have a song called “The Road” with lyrics from Tolkien’s “The Road Goes Ever On,” as well as a song called “Hey Seuss” that uses lyrics from, well, you can guess. The band acknowledges this in the liner notes, and even points out that quoting from Green Eggs and Ham might mean parents will not want their children to listen to the album (a joke lost to time I am assuming).