White Ash Falls

New Music
Premiere: Riding With White Ash Falls

White Ash Falls is the solo project of Andy Bishop, the former bass player for Yukon Blonde. Andy is based in Vancouver, where he crafts his unique songs that blend together alternative-country and folk music. His newest video for "When She Rides" is above.

The video depicts a modern motorbike romance while breezy country gallops along with sun-kissed pedal steel, whirling organ and electric guitar twang. It's the best campfire music to be found north of Tennessee. - Noisey

On his second album as White Ash Falls, Andy Bishop makes great strides as a cosmic cowboy, delivering ten tracks of pure left coast bliss. It's easy to understand why bands like Yukon Blonde have hired the BC singer-songwriter's services as a sideman; his musical instincts are impeccable, ranging from the vintage psych-country of "Want It Bad," to the gospel-inflected "That List Is Too Long," and the backwoods stomp of "Lock The Door." The ethereal production approach, courtesy of Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Dan Mangan), is the album's binding force, creating a gauzy wall of sound that allows Bishop and his large cast of musical friends to storm the gates of heaven one minute on "I Have Been Received," before taking a drive into the desert on "When She Rides." The overall effect lands somewhere in between Bahamas and My Morning Jacket, but it's unfair to try to pigeonhole White Ash Falls. Bishop has created what must be regarded as a personal masterpiece, and it will be fascinating to see where he goes from here. - Exclaim!

Andrew Bishop is er zo een die in allerlei bands speelt, punk en rock, maar wiens hart eigenlijk bij folk en country ligt. De Canadees (uit Vancouver) volgde in zijn vrije uurtjes dat hart en maakte eindelijk vorig jaar onder de naam White Ash Falls zijn debuut met het album By The River Bend. Dat beviel, want ruim een jaar later ligt er al een opvolger: Over The Night (Light Organ Records). Een prachtig gevarieerd album waarop countryrock in al zijn gedaantes een modern en soms psychedelisch jasje krijgt aangemeten. Luisteren naar dit album is een waar genot. Zoveel te ontdekken, b.v. dat heerlijke orgeltje en de schitterende koortjes in het traditioneel aandoende That List Is Too Long. Het boom-chakka-boom huppeltje van Lock The Door. I Have Been Received begint dan ingetogen met zang en schitterende vrouwelijke achtergrondvocalen en lijkt een soort gospel, totdat de grote gitaren invallen en het nummer bijna uiteenscheuren. En in When She Rides wordt het reverb-pedaal zo diep ingetrapt dat je vanzelf aan de 13th Floor Elevators moet denken. Het album sluit dan ook nog eens werkelijk majestueus af met het ruim 7 minuten durende Linger On. Een klein meesterwerk met 10 zelfgeschreven nummers dat van ons een dikke 4 sterren krijgt.

Over The Night is verkrijgbaar via de website van Light Organ Records

Zie hieronder een wat uitgeklede versie van Tonight I’ll Be Here With You. - Alt Country Netherlands

Former Yukon Blonde member Andy Bishop has been a busy guy in his musical career. Bassist with Yukon Blonde, & Guitarist of Red Cedar, you wouldn’t expect a solo project that of White Ash Falls, but his solo project has a debut disc coming this fall and the project was also signed to Light Organ Records today.

Check out the first single “I Can’t Get Tomorrow,” a cool folksy ballad with some weeping pedal steel, a little hammond and Bishop’s intimate / confessional lyrics. It’s a great, classic sounding track that fits somewhere into the ever expanding classic folk rock spectrum.

Look for By the River Bend this fall. - Music Savage

Vancouver's Andy Bishop has kept himself busy the last few years playing in Yukon Blonde, Twin River and the now-defunct Red Cedar, but beyond that, the West Coast musician flexes his songwriting skills in his solo project White Ash Falls. He'll rep the latter a little harder this fall, when he drops his debut disc By the River Bend.

Light Organ Records will release White Ash Falls' By the River Bend on September 4. As a press release explains, while Bishop begun the project with some self-recorded acoustic demos, the White Ash Falls moniker was chosen to reflect the openness of the outfit's lineup.

"I like to think of it as a collective," Bishop said in a statement. "It's not necessarily a band, because everyone's coming and going depending on when they're not busy. I was lucky enough to have players who were so competent that they were able to learn songs in an afternoon and be ready to make an album."

Up to ten players performed on particular tracks on By the River Bend, which was recorded live off the floor at Burnaby, BC's Hive Studios, where Brandon Scott of Yukon Blonde served as co-producer. Highlights of the nine-song set are said to include the moody, castanet-assisted "Your Song," and the "alt-country gallop" of "Whatever You Want." While featuring some Bishop originals, the album also includes covers of Hoagy Carmichael's 1943 number "Hong Kong Blues" and the Scottish folk standard "Katie Cruel".

To get a taste of what's in store on By the River Bend, you can stream new number "I Can't Get Tomorrow" below.

While there's still a couple of months to go before By the River Bend hits shelves, the press release reports that Bishop is already working on a follow-up with producer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Yukon Blonde).
- Exclaim!

Who are these fellows? White Ash Falls is the new project from Yukon Blonde bassist Andy Bishop. They released their debut album, By The River Bend, earlier this year on Light Organ Records. For Bishop, White Ash Falls allows him to explore a style more close to his heart. He has said, “I've played in punk bands. I've done just about everything, but I've always had a thing for folk music. With other types of music, I feel like I'm writing for that genre. Whereas for White Ash Falls, I'm writing for myself, and this is what comes out.” While White Ash Falls began as a solo project, it quickly grew to a group of collaborators, fleshing out the sound.

Scott Wood: You call White Ash Falls “a collective.” Can you talk about herding cats—getting people together for these tracks? And how the mix of players or members affected the output?
Hello folks! Scott Wood here! I'm the host of the interview show, a syndicated radio program you can find on several campus community radio stations across Canada. This year, I am doing a yearlong series for earshot online on the "hidden talents" in my local Vancouver scene. Basically, I am going to give the campus community radio readers the chance to get to know some of Vancouver's most interesting, undiscovered bands.

Andy Bishop: It was actually fairly easy to get everyone together. I had started writing music for this project as a solo artist. As the songs grew so did my need for musicians. I asked around and found a few people who wanted to play on the first set of recordings. At the time, I had never imagined White Ash Falls This month, I chat with indie- folk- alt-country collective White Ash Falls. being anything more than an outlet for some of my thoughts and needs that were not being met in the other groups I played in. Most of the original players on the album are so busy with other bands I don't think any of us had a vision any further than making the record. After By The River Bend was completed, more friends heard the songs, and were eager to play in the band. After a few lineup changes, I've found a really great group of musicians who are willing to put their time and energy into my music. It's pretty incredible feeling when that happens.
White Ash Falls

Having a mix of players definitely affects the output. Even though this started as a “solo project” I never wanted to make White Ash Falls records with me playing the majority of the instruments. I give people the freedom to add and play what they want. I think I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by such amazing and talented musicians with a similar goal in mind. I feel by calling it ‘a collective’ it allows the players to come and go when they need to. No pressure really, just a positive creative outlet for everyone.

Scott Wood: All the bands you have been involved with have a nature vibe going on with their names. (Twin River, Yukon Blonde, Red Cedar and now White Ash Falls.) Coincidence? Where did the name White Ash Falls come from?

Andy Bishop: I don't think there was ever really the intention on naming bands with a nature theme. I guess that's just how they ended up. It is kind of strange though.
There is something unique about creating music within a group. In certain ways, you're closer to your band mates than your lovers.

The name White Ash Falls came while I was touring the US with Yukon Blonde a few years back. I had already started writing songs for the record and was struggling to find a name other than using my own. We passed a sign on the highway saying something like “White Falls 20 Miles” with an arrow pointing south. After I wrote the song White Ash Falls, it seemed a fitting name for the project.

Scott Wood: Since you have been involved with so many Vancouver bands, everyone must know you! What’s one advantage and disadvantage of this?

Andy Bishop: The advantage has been having a good pool of musicians and friends to draw from both creatively and personally. As a musician, I find a great comfort in being surrounded by fellow musicians. I guess if I hadn't played with people I wouldn't have them around, or have them to be willing to play with me. I really like the concept of a community within music. If people don't contribute, it becomes dispersed and lonely quickly.

The disadvantage is not having a blank slate between projects. People are usually so quick to compare one to the next, instead of allowing them to be distinct from one another.
After a few lineup changes, I've found a really great group of musicians who are willing to put their time and energy into my music. It's pretty incredible feeling when that happens.

Scott Wood: Vancouver’s Olio Festival described White Ash Falls like this: “A handful of folk. A pinch of psych-rock. A thick layer of alt-country. First date: walk through Lighthouse Park. Second date: barn-burner near Hope.” I like the date metaphor. Are these your date suggestions? What is your ideal first date?

Andy Bishop: Those were - Earshot

After touring the country with one of the most harmonious, melodic bands (and Blue Jays hype men), hearing Andy Bishop’s fractured take on Hoagy Carmichael’s “Hong Kong Blues” is jarring. The spare picks and down and out tale are also the perfect choice for Bishop to showcase his own sound as White Ash Falls.

Andy’s debut LP, By The River Bend is intimate and heartfelt, which is surprising when you hear the different textures offered up. The folk/alt.country songs grow with swells of choral backing, layers of steel, harmonica and percussion, but Bishop and his cast of supporting players manage to keep a timeless sound feeling fresh and spontaneous. Spacy backdrops and subtle keys give the record some punch and break up the listen nicely, providing Bishop more influences to experiment with (he even hints at a little Neil Finn when he offers up his take of “Katie Cruel”).

The record might seem unassuming on first listen, but as you settle in, the strength of the harmonies (“Winter’s Darkness) give the most tender moments a spiritual feel and the band adds surprising weight to the builds to deliver a surprising impact when asked. Good stuff, folks. - HeroHill

The Telescope presents Alberta’s favourite tear-in-my-beer balladeer, squaring off against Vancouver-based newcomers, White Ash Falls, whose Andy Bishop once graced Yukon Blonde’s membership. Both acts have new discs—Lund with Cabin Fever (out now) and White Ash Falls with By The River Bend (out in three weeks); both albums are rooted in traditional country music, but they come from very different kinds of cowboys.

Stephen King, of all people, built one of the modern era’s most memorable cowboys, in his Dark Tower series: the sentimental, sensitive, but equally deadly gunslinger—a combination that’d be easy to back as the ultimate in manliness. It’s in this unassuming but disarming milieu that we find White Ash Falls nesting.

Bishop takes a cue or two from Fleet Foxes on his acutely personal originals—less pomp, more stirrups—but the real winners here are the covered classics: Hoagy Carmichael’s “Hong Kong Blues” and the Scottish folk standard “Katie Cruel.” As many as ten people play at a time on this disc, so you’re not in for dull introspection.

Corb Lund, by comparison, is the commercial cowboy; you wouldn’t be surprised to see him on CMT, but you wouldn’t turn the channel, either. His concerns are considerably more external: oil wells, grave diggers, drinking, getting pulled over by the cops. He wanders into sentimental territory on a few occasions, but tends towards surface metaphor: “You ain’t a cowboy if you ain’t been bucked off.” It’d all feel trite, if Lund wasn’t so good at what he does; he even manages to make a comical song about cows enjoyable, on this one.

Cabin Fever’s last few tracks are unexpectedly disturbing, but a dark turn probably should have been expected, given the album title (Lund actually wrote this thing in a cabin in the woods).

The guns are drawn; who fires first? Whose aim is truer? Check out Lund’s “September” down below, followed by White Ash Falls’ “I Can’t Get Tomorrow.”
- Telescope Media

Vancouver’s Andy Bishop, frontman of the recently disbanded psych-rock group, Red Cedar, and a contributor to Yukon Blonde, has decided to record something more personable this time around. With experience in numerous rock bands, Bishop has spoken about the personal relationship he has drawn to folk music. Comparing the writing styles of past albums to the material on By the River Bend, he said “I’m writing for myself, and this is what comes out.”

The album starts off bleakly in terms of instruments, with a simple strum and then silence. Sparse picking overlaps the vocal-centred opening track, “Hong Kong Blues.” While it is largely an album that Bishop himself wrote, the “live off the floor” recording process is what really makes this album stand out. Steel guitars, harmonicas and backup vocals layer each track while the band members create chemistry in the studio.

Some tracks, like Bishop’s version of the traditional folk song “Katie Cruel,” focus on folk roots, while most build into alt-country collectives. The swooning “Don’t Let it Go Down” builds into a triumphant choir-like chorus, while “Whatever You Want” opens with a cappella and builds into an extended jam session. Folk music might have inspired Bishop to create White Ash Falls, but many influences make themselves present. - Beatroute

The aforementioned White Ash Falls was up first. It's the solo project of Red Cedar's Andy Bishop, but "solo" was a little misleading, as there was seven other people up on stage with him, including Brendan Scott & Graham Jones from Yukon Blonde on guitar & drums, respectively, and Matt Kelly from Treelines on slide guitar, as well as some keys and even a violin. The band had an alt-country sound going, but weren't afraid to rock out once in a while. And even though there was a staged packed with musicians, they still had somewhat of a simple sound,
They were really fun to watch, and I would definitely think of catching them next time they play. - 3am Revelations