Ashen

 Ashen were a band who may have been from Atlanta, and were active from 1996 to 2003. I was unable to find a working archive of their website, but there is an archive for the site of their label, Two Sheds Music, which offers this comprehensive biography:

Ashen began as an instrumental trio in 1996, as long-time friends Benjamin Cenis, Kelly Guinn, and B.J. Hale came together to put their own spin on the "shoegazing" genre with their blend of textured, melodic pieces. A couple of years later, the trio felt the need to add a vocalist, and Erin Akemi was brought into the mix. The band has now been transformed into a powerhouse which bridges the gap between trailblazers like Swervedriver and the Cure, and more modern indie bands like Jejune and Sarge.

In 1999, the band released its first single, a split 12" which featured two Ashen songs. The band followed that up with a quick tour of the mid-Atlantic and mid-West area, then returned to the studio to finish its brilliant full-length release, No Other Comfort.

Zac Carlson joined the band in early 2001, as B.J. left to focus on his career. Zac had previously played in outfits Autumn Cotillion and For the Life of Me. Having originally passed on auditioning due to time and school constraints, Zac was delighted to learn that the position was still open once No Other Comfort was released, and officially joined the band in January 2001.

The band's efforts to write for its follow-up record was interrupted in May 2002 by a van accident while returning from a show, but the band was able to resume completion of material for a follow-up EP. The band finally recorded Pull and Repel at Zero Return Studios in Atlanta in February 2003, and the EP was released in June 2003.

Shortly following the release of Pull and Repel, Ashen decided to disband, leaving behind a catalog of 15 songs, no fluff, and a lot of disappointed fans.

Benjamin and Kelly are now members of the Atlanta band Fate Heroic, which also features B.J.

Multiple sources, including a review on RateYourMusic, talk about the band as being an early example of emogaze, but to be honest I don't really hear it. Compared to something like, say, Bufferins, or something more modern like Sore Eyelids, the shoegaze elements are very subdued. I would call them an emo pop\midwest emo hybrid with a lot of 90s post-hardcore influence. The midwest emo portion of their sound would become much more prominent on their final EP.

The band's discography is simple enough: A split 12" with Flux Capacitor (a band who are a good candidate for the blog and whose discography is mostly a mystery) in 1999, the full length No Other Comfort a year later in 2000, and the final EP, Pull and Repel, in 2003. Besides that, they contributed a track to Fireworks Anatomy: A Twenty Band Compilation, but it's from the LP.

Unfortunately, my copy of the album came with the booklet somehow glued shut, and opening it destroyed much of the interior artwork. I've been unable to locate a second copy, so for now it is what it is.

Ashen Discography