A nice light rock act for you to chill to on a Sunday, courtesy of the most laid-back of nations…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We all live in different cities (The Hague, Breda, Helmond) in the Netherlands and we do rehearsals in Tilburg
How did you meet?
First our singer went to Dublin for a half year. He took a guitar planning to learn it and signed up for an open night. He loved it so much that he wanted to start a band.
He met our bass player in a gym, they started to talk about music and it all began. Our bass player invited him to his studio and there, Awash was born. The guitarist was a former band member of our bass player and was asked to play some parts for a song they just started recording. Finally, he joined the band. Our drummer came to audition for our band, he first said no when we said ’Yess!’ but then he changed his mind and stayed with us, luckily. Our keyboard player responded to an advertisement we posted and forgot to take off the internet. Although we were not looking for a keyboard player anymore, he mailed us and said he wanted to audition because he liked the songs we were playing. He was a lot younger than the rest of the band, but the connection was perfect.
How long have you been playing as a band?
This year will be our 10 years anniversary in the same formation!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Awash is just from the dictionary. Our singer started with the letter A and found Awash after a couple minutes.
What are your influences?
Too many… where shall I start? We have a big age difference in the band that contributes to this. It ranges from Saybia, Snow Patrol, Pearl Jam, Ray la Montagne, Genesis, Van Halen, Sublime, Inxs, Queen to Coldplay
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Although our styles differ a bit, people can always recognize the Awash sound. You can tell when it’s Awash. That really helps. We notice people can connect and relate to the songs. It’s the powerful voice with the autobiographical songs blended with the fretless bass and piano, and we are still not afraid to play an old school guitar solo in some songs. If we play plugged or unplugged, the songs still stand and tell their tale, only in a different arrangement.
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Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
The lyrics are mostly about the struggles in life, hope, family and the quest of getting the most out of life. The search for happiness is one of our album themes.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We have played over 300 shows mostly in the Netherlands but also in Germany, Belgium and we did a tour in England. Our shows can be plugged or unplugged. We like to combine our music with a unique location, So we played in places like an old theatre, churches, a water tower, on a bus etc. We never play the exact same set! We want people to experience the meaning and emotions that come along the songs.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Our singer almost fainted on stage a couple of times. He also used to be in a punk, ska, rockband! They gave each other tasks to accomplish during the show which could vary from rolling over onstage or messing with another band member. This was very entertaining. In Awash, we just have fun onstage and focus on our music and the interaction with the crowd.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
We use a Martin acoustic Dc Aura, electric guitar is a Tom Anderson Drop Top 1992 with a Kemper Profiling Amplifier.
For bass we use a Sandberg Custom Thinline 5 string. It’s a fretless together with a TC Electronic BG250 2×8 inch Bass combo.
Synth: Nord Stage 2
Piano: Roland EP880
For the drums we use Pearl MMX with Sabian Cymbals.
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What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are promoting our new single ‘High on Love’ The song is about celebrating life to the fullest after closing a rough period and feeling invincible again.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We hope to do some shows if the virus lets us. In the meantime we are recording a new single and working on new songs.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
We would love Tom Neven from Holland to open for us. He’s a singer/songwriter with a band and we played together sometimes. The last band of the night would be Saybia from Denmark. They would fit with our music and they are amazing live.
