OUR SATORI

OUR SATORI
BY AMANDA MARTINEZ

Intrepid is the
word that most readily comes to mind in describing the motivations of singer-song- writer Asher, frontman of the local band Our Satori. The characteristic strongly and consis-
tently manifests both in the experiences he seeks and his willingness to express his emo-
tions in his lyrics. Picking up the guitar in June of 2000, Asher
played solo for about six years, taking restaurant gigs, parties, playing on the street, “whatever I could get,” he says. His first disc, 2006’s
Neptune’s Satori, an intimate collection of acoustic, alt-rock ruminations, started a buzz
about town, but where the expectation might have been for Asher to strap in and start pro-
moting himself, the young musician instead, took off to Europe, sans companions, for two and a half months. It was there, steeped in
exotic isolation, that Asher, who attributes his staunch independence to his birth sign, the feisty loner, Aquarius, really came to grips with
his longing for community. “I was sitting in the desert of Turkey and
watching this beautiful sunset,” he recalls. “I’d just checked out this ancient town, and I was so sad and lonely ... That was one of the
biggest things I learned—how much I appreciate community and being able to share moments with people.”
Establishing that connection with others, the ability to share an experience, says Asher, is
a huge part of why he writes and plays. “When people come up and tell me ‘oh, you did a great job, I really liked your sound,’ I’m always
grateful for those comments,” he says. “But when they say they were listening to the words and it actually helped them in some way, that
makes me feel better than anything.”
While many songwriters use their lyrics as a platform to dwell in reflection, Asher’s songs tend to hook into an immediate emotional moment (a choice to be made, feelings to be
admitted) and then employ a strategy
of calm reasoning that leaves the
chaos of that moment behind in
favor of a soul-settling, big-picture
perspective. Says the songwriter, this
approach comes from the band’s
philosophy and namesake, satori, a
Zen Buddhist term
meaning “to reawaken to each
moment” while maintaining a state of “continual awareness.” In truly capturing satori, Asher’s songs are often written “in a matter of
minutes.” Concerts are also an opportunity to observe satori. “They’re a moment of aware-
ness and escape, and a journey into this moment right now and right here,” he says. “People can come and enjoy themselves. They can escape from the bullshit they experienced
today and that they’re going to have to experience tomorrow.”
The band formerly known as Asher’s Satori has in recent weeks recast itself as Our Satori, a formal recognition of bass player Aaron Glass
and percussionist Mike Pinette, and a group identity that Asher says has existed for quite some time. “It’s always been Our Satori. It’s
always been more than just me.” The band plans to release a live EP soon, and as such, will record the entirety of this Tuesday’s gig in the
hopes of harvesting “two or three performances that we’re really stoked on.” Asher has promised that all those in attendance who sign up for the band’s mailing list will receive a free copy of the recording. “We
just want a lot of energy to be in that room,” he says, “because the more people are there, the better we’re all going to sound.”
- Goodtimes