Photo credit: Jeff Fourney
Words by: Cyclone Wehner
Los Angeles-based ASHRR is an unlikely dance music supergroup, consisting of Steven Davis, Josh Charles, and Ethan Allen. Each member brings a unique background—ranging from swing to country to rock. While their music may initially appear to be a hodgepodge of styles, it actually comes together in a cohesive and innovative way.
“There’s always a creative push and pull – and that’s what keeps everyone on their toes,” Charles tells CONE enthusiastically. “We’re all striving to make the best music possible.” Just before the release of their sophomore album, Sunshine Low, the trio sat down with CONE for the THE DISCOVERY series to share their story.
The origins of ASHRR are as layered as their sound. All three members of ASHRR are L.A. transplants with unique individual careers. Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Davis established himself as a jazz performer in New York, releasing several albums and lending his voice to the Disney Haunted Mansion soundtrack. “Having spent most of my career in the music of the big band era, it’s safe to say the distance I’ve traveled to arrive at ASHRR is a longer trek than my partners, especially Ethan,” Davis quips.
Davis is genuinely surprised by his involvement in ASHRR, as soul, disco, and punk-funk have never been part of his repertoire before. “It’s quite unusual for a singer of my style to cross such diverse genres,” he admits. “Years ago, I couldn’t have imagined my musical evolution would lead to this moment and this artistic expression. [But] the unlikeliness of it all makes the adventure even more rewarding. Evolve, keep learning, challenge yourself and strive for authenticity, no matter what lane you’re in.”
A native of New York, Charles—often ASHRR’s spokesperson— began his career as a jazz pianist under the mentorship of New Orleans legend Dr. John. He later emerged as a country singer-songwriter while also embracing rock, blues, and funk.
“I’ve had the great fortune to be a recording artist my entire adult life, working across different genres and writing songs with some of the best who have ever picked up a pen,” Charles ponders. “I became known for the style of music I made, but I love all kinds of music and have always enjoyed working in all genres.” The music business graduate also founded and ran First Second Records.
Charles and Davis first crossed paths in Nashville after both relocated from New York. Beginning around 2014, the duo established a steady studio collaboration. Today, Davis reflects that his 2017 covers album, Departure—which features psych-jazz renditions of ’80s pop standards like Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”—was “a pivotal project that ultimately led us to ASHRR.”
ASHRR crystallized when Charles and Davis left the South for L.A., where Charles befriended Allen, a Grammy-nominated engineer, producer, and composer. Allen, who initially played in regional Texan bands, relocated to New Orleans in the ’90s and became the in-house engineer at Daniel Lanois’ Kingsway Studio. He eventually moved to L.A., where he built his own private studio in Silverlake and joined Gram Rabbit as their guitarist.
“Steven and I worked together on various projects, including several big band albums and film and television work,” Charles recalls. “We met Ethan through a friend and ended up tracking vocals at his studio.”
He adds, “There was an instant bond—like we were brothers with the same goal: to make music for the sake of creating great art. The songwriting chemistry was so incredible that we just ended up making an album of music, figuring out our sound as we went along.”
ASHRR generated intrigue early on in 2018 with their Future Islands-esque single “Don’t Wait Too Long,” featuring True Detective’s Lindsay Musil in the video—a very Hollywood touch. That year, the band released a self-titled EP, followed by their debut album, Oscillator, in 2019. Their sonic aesthetic draws inspiration from synth-pop acts like New Order as well as DFA-era dance-punk and nu-disco.
To their delight, the group has been embraced as a dance outfit. “We weren’t really die-hard house heads, but we do love electronic music as well as funk, soul and disco,” Charles admits. In fact, he co-wrote Wolfgang Gartner’s 2016 filter disco throwback “Baby Be Real,” featuring friend John Oates.
At any rate, ASHRR found their rhythm. “After the pandemic began to wind down, we wanted to create music that would bring people together on the dancefloor to celebrate life and joy. Ethan and I have always loved funk, soul and dub, and we wrote songs with that dancefloor groove in mind.”
They quickly developed a strong collaborative dynamic. “Ethan and I make all the music together and play all the initial instruments, including programming the drums,” Charles explains. “When we have a song idea, we all get together to write the lyrics. Then we go into the studio and record live drums, etc., before finishing up with post-production. Ethan and I play guitar, bass, keys and synths, and we sing, so we’re fortunate to be able to bounce ideas off each other and execute them as we go along.”
They have also fully embraced collaboration with DJs and producers. In addition to partnering with the iconic UK DJ and producer Lawson, they also enlisted Felix Dickinson to remix their dubby boogie track “Fizzy,” inspired by his “killer” reimagining of Khruangbin’s “Time (You and I).”
“I got an email from his manager, who happened to be the former manager for Khruangbin,” Charles recalls of linking with Dickinson. “She said she really liked ‘Fizzy’ and wanted to hear more, asking if we had a deal. We sent her the [new album] demos, and she said she would help us find a label—with 20/20 Vision in mind. From there, Ralph got involved, listened to the demos, and months later signed us to the label.”
He elaborates, “We challenged ourselves with different song structures, musical ideas, tempos and more. Every great band evolves as they mature, and we felt this was a natural step in our progression. The whole album takes you on a cosmic journey from start to finish. We’re really proud of that.”
The members of ASHRR are continuing to diversify their sound by introducing a club-oriented side project, ASHRR Soundsystem, to DJ and remix. Charles and Allen served as selectors at their album launch. Next, Charles promises “a completely new reworking of the songs from Sunshine Low made exclusively for the dancefloor,” with ASHRR Soundsystem testing them out in new paradigms. He also hints at promoting a “hybrid” set, “incorporating live elements.”
Still, having shared Live in LA in 2019, ASHRR plans to perform more dates as a five-piece. “We’ve been rehearsing with the full live band, learning all the songs for the album and putting together a killer show. We’re hoping to start playing out soon!”