In the space of the past 12 months, post-hardcore New York mob From Autumn to Ashes have gone through a number of changes. Upon returning from a six-month break, lead singer Ben Perri quit the band during recording to be replaced by drummer and co-vocalist Francis Mark.
That and they released a fourth album which is both beautiful and barbarous in equal measure. Now with new drummer Jeff Gretz and guitarist Ron Lauristen added to the line-up which is completed by Brian Deneeve (also guitar), FATA are back to what they do best, playing live.
Just before their Manchester gig I caught up with bass player Josh Newton for a quick natter.
You’re about halfway through the tour, how’s it been going so far?
Thus far its been great, the crowds have been good, its been fun. We love coming over here.
What can the kids expect out of tonight’s show?
A lot of kicking and screaming and maybe some falling down!
Its been quite a while since you’ve last been here, how’ve the crowds reacted? There’s been quite a few changes to the band since last time.
I think we almost have a new crowd, like a turnover in the generation of fans. Its been cool, they seem really into the last couple of records and when we play really old stuff they seem to look confused occasionally!
How’s the reaction to the new album, Holding a Wolf by the ears, gone? It’s the first since Ben Perri left and Francis Mark fully took over on vocals.
The reaction’s been really good so far.
Were you worried at all about how some fans, especially the long-term ones, would take to it?
No not really. We’re gonna do what we’re gonna do and if people like it that’s awesome and if not there’s plenty of other bands out there for them to listen to.
So the new record’s gone down well?
Yeah sure, you occasionally get those who are all “you’re too different now, you’re not the same band” but there hasn’t been much of that all. Truthfully I expected more of it!
I’ve read that the band sees Holding… as its most significant album to date. How did that come about? Had anything in particular changed during recording?
I suppose it was the right combination of us and…I mean there was nothing consciously different at the time. Ben quit literally as he was supposed to do his vocals, so everything was already written at that point. We just played in a room together and whatever didn’t suck we kept. I guess it was just luck more than anything.
You were saying about how the crowds have changed slightly do you think that’s in part due to the recent popularity of bands such as My Chemical Romance pushing the scene that the likes of you, Thrice and Thursday helped to build more into the mainstream?
I don’t know if its necessarily “helped” it just sort of is what it is. But I’m definitely not complaining. I’m glad that anyone likes the band, we really appreciate that. Its just interesting to keep seeing a new crop of faces, which I suppose happens with every record. You’re always going to gain and lose people no matter what.
So before recording began for Holding… From Autumn to Ashes was “on hiatus” for a couple of months. Was there ever a period where you thought this is it for the band?
Its seems with this band that every record is the last record so it wasn’t really that big of a deal. We had spent quite some time touring, then Brian Deneeve (guitar) and I went on tour with Reggie and the Full Effect. It just wasn’t too much of an issue.
But usually when a band is “on hiatus” it can be read as “we’re breaking up”…
Oh yeah definitely. But it just worked out that way, we were burnt out from playing our songs and we needed to take a break for a while. It wasn’t a conscious thing, it literally just sort of happened. It definitely wasn’t a dramatic “oh we’re not going to play for however long” thing. We were just hanging out one day and it was like “let’s do a show”, then it was “let’s go do Warped tour!” and we were back.
So what’s the plan after this tour?
We’re going into Germany and the rest of Europe for about a week, come back here to do Download. Then we’re off back to the States for a fortnight with Senses Fail, then two weeks in Canada and other two with Aiden. After that we’re back in Britain again for the Reading and Leeds festivals and after that who knows?
We have at least 12 months of touring for the new album so we’ll probably be back here a couple of times before the year’s up.
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