If someone asked me to describe Ashes Fall, I would say passion, love of music, and desire to create music that resonates with their listeners are some key things that define this modern rock/alternative metal band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founding member and guitarist Cole Nations was very kind and sent me a huge amount of background on the band for this writeup, but he was also gracious enough to let me do a video interview with him so I could learn even more. We had an amazing late-night two-hour conversation about music, his bandmates, and just life in general and how music has helped us both through so much in our lives.
Other than Cole’s deep love of music and enthusiasm while talking about his current bandmates and the projects they’re working on and shows they’re booking, something else that struck me about him was his knowledge. When we did our video call, he would pick up his guitar while he was explaning a part of a song and play some of it for me. Listening to him talk about music was a very enjoyable expperience. I can’t wait to do it again!
Cole is the only original member of Ashes Fall, and the rest of the lineup has changed completely over the last five or six years. The other bandmates include: Alex Holbrook (drums/vocals); Ronny David (vocals); Daniel Sivley (bass); and Dustin Price (rhythm guitar). The stories of how Cole found the rest of the band members are interesting and I’d like to share them before diving more into the music.
Drummer and vocalist Alex Holbrook
Cole met Alex near the end of 2018 when Alex was working at a Food City and Cole tried to sell him tickets to some of the band’s shows. Early in 2019, when Cole was rebuilding the band’s lineup and came to the store, Alex remembered Cole had tried to sell him tickets and asked if he needed a drummer. Cole brought him in and threw the entire Ashes Fall catalog of 14 songs at him, and not only did Alex crush the audition, he even had variants for some parts which impressed Cole. Alex was a huge part of rebuilding the band and has been an essential part of the new era of Ashes Fall.
Vocalist Ronny David
After finding a new drummer, the band put out adds looking for singers to audition. They had just played a huge Sevendust show a few months prior to that in Atlanta, which was the 20-year anniversary show for the Home album. They had singers from all different states audition, possibly as many as a couple hundred. About a year and a half ago, they met Ronny David, who is from New Hampshire. They brought him in to audition and they were completely blown away. He found out they had played with Sevendust, which was a big selling point for him joining the band.
Rhythm guitarist Dustin Price and bassist Daniel Sivley
This part of the story began about six months ago, when a friend of Cole’s wanted him to come jam with his Christian band. Cole agreed to do so, but only if there was a rhythm guitarist to play with, too. As a lead guitarist this was important to him so he could focus on his melodies and accenting. His friend told him that his brother Dustin would be playing rhythm, which was great because Cole and Dustin were “scene kids” as teenagers and used to hang out together. When Cole found out he’d be playing with Dustin he was excited and agreed to jam with them. When he was heading into the first session he could hear them from outside, and the rhythm and bass sounded so good that Cole kept thinking that he wished he had these guys in his band. Dustin was the first to join Ashes Fall, initially as the bassist, but he really wanted to play rhythm guitar, which was his passion, so they needed a bassist. Daniel was the bassist in the same Christian band that Dustin was in. Cole reached out to Daniel to thank him for letting him jam with him and express how much he enjoyed it, and that they were glad to have Dustin playing rhythm guitar with them but they needed a bassist. When Daniel found that out, he offered to come jam with them. Thus, Dustin and Daniel became the two last missing pieces of the puzzle that is Ashes Fall. Cole says they have been amazing additions to the band.
Recently, big news was announced that Ashes Fall would be joining forces with “The Southern Flame” Ms. Dawn McIntyre and Massive Media MS. She will be working closely with the band, providing management, booking, and promotional support. Massive Media, based in Biloxi, Mississippi, is a dynamic artist booking, management, PR, and advertising company. About this partnership, Dawn says, “These dudes are extremely talented and dedicated! We are so blessed to be able to work with them!” Cole says, “This new era of Ashes Fall is just getting started, and we are thankful to have such amazing people as part of the team!”
Now, about the new single “Shine Through”, which came out July 27th. This is a song Alex and Cole wrote the music for back in 2020 after a frustrating recording session for another song. They wanted to do something fresh to rejuvenate their creative flow, so Alex created a beat with no music in mind, and the first thing Cole played on guitar was the chorus that is part of the final version. They actually wrote and recorded that part in 10 minutes, but didn’t touch it again for about a year and a half. After some time, they came back to it and continued working on it. When they brought in Dustin and Daniel, they helped contribute to changing some of the rhythm arrangements. This was the first song Ronny wrote lyrics for after joining the band. Typically, Cole and Ronny write the majority of lyrics, with Alex contributing also, but they mostly let Ronny have free reign on this one. The lyrics for the breakdown were written by Ronny and Cole, though. Over time, it became the song we all get to hear now, and they really liked how it turned out.
“Shine Through” was mixed by Joseph McQueen, who has worked with the likes of Bad Wolves, As I Lay Dying, From Ashes To New, and Light The Torch. Cole shares that Joseph is one of the best in the business with a killer discography, and was amazing to work with. Joseph set the band up with Ted Jensen, one of the best mastering engineers in the world, who really helped to deliver on the final version of this song. Ted has worked with many artists who have influenced the members of Ashes Fall, including Metallica, AC/DC, Slipknot, and Stone Temple Pilots, among others. Cole says it’s kind of surreal to work with such amazing professionals who work so hard to help them achieve a great product for the band and their fans.
The meaning behind “Shine Through” is powerful. It’s about mental health and persevering. As a band, Ashes Fall wants to help give people hope and inspiration. As Cole shares, “We just want to touch lives and make a difference, to uplift and inspire people and be a light that pulls them out of that dark place. That’s the whole message of our band. We are very big advocates of suicide prevention and mental health awareness. It is very important to us and a subject near and dear to our hearts.”
When I first heard “Shine Through”, I was immediately hooked by the piano at the beginning. Something inside of me told me that the whole song was going to be great. And I was right! It goes right into incredible guitar melodies and powerful drums, and Ronny’s voice is strong and soulful. I love the tempo changes in the song! It is a very interesting and unique track. I can listen to it over and over because each time I feel like I’ll discover something new about it that I didn’t notice before.
Will there be more new music coming for Ashes Fall? Absolutely! “Shine Through” is just the first single off an upcoming full-length album that Ashes Fall is working on. They have a good amount of songs they have been writing, which has made it really hard for them to choose what order to release them in. The next release will be “Pull The Trigger”, which is about taking chances and chasing after your dreams despite fear and worry about failure. Cole says this song is one of the band’s favorites. Another upcoming song, “So Far Away”, is very personal to Cole. It is about losing a loved one, particularly to suicide. The inspiration for the song came from Cole’s experience of how hard it was for him and his family after his brother committed suicide in 2013. Cole has thought for some time that one day he could put his feelings about this into words and write a song about it in the hopes that it would help others and maybe save a life or save a family from going through the same thing. The lyrics for “So Far Away” were collectively written by Cole, Ronny, and Alex. Finally, another song the band is working on is called “Exposed”, which Cole says is catchy and also has a powerful message. I am really looking forward to hearing what they’re working on!
Ashes Fall has several upcoming live performances that they have announced:
Friday, August 16th: A charity event called the Sounds Of Hope Throwback Party featuring Afroman at Two Keys Tavern in Lexington, Kentucky. Sounds Of Hope is a 100 percent non-profit charity that provides musical instruments and lessons to underprivileged kids.
Thursday, August 22nd: With Trapt at Black Creek Tavern in Fultondale, Alabama
Wednesday, September 11th: With (hed) P.E. at Open Chord in Knoxville, Tennessee
Saturday, September 21st: With REHAB at Pub 96 in Bonaire, Georgia
There will be a lot more exciting announcements to come, so stay tuned to Ashes Fall on their social media for the latest news! You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and the band’s website.
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