Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s From Ashes to New is a band beginning to make its mark on the hard rock scene.
The group has recently toured overseas with the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach and In This Moment. With their energetic, nu-metal-influenced sound, the band’s single, “Through it All” has been receiving considerable airplay on the Tri Cities’ local active rock station, WZRK. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing the band’s drummer, Tim D’Onofrio, who discussed the band’s origins, their current rise and their future plans.
Q: How did the band come together?
A: “We all played together in our own respective local bands a few years ago, and sometimes Branden [Kreider- Rhythm Guitarist] and I would fill in for members in Chris [Musser- Vocalist]’s band. After all our bands dissolved Chris and Matt [Brandyberry- Vocalist/Guitarist] eventually started a band together that wound up not working out either, and then From Ashes to New was born. Branden was the obvious choice on guitar and Chris and I stayed close friends over the years, so he brought me in on drums.”
Q: What are some of your major influences?
A: “I can only speak for myself personally, but Korn, Slipknot, Sevendust, Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium, 30 Seconds to Mars, Blink-182 are just some of the big ones for me. I could go on and on for days but that’s the short version.”
Q: You’ve performed with some pretty big names (Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, etc.) What band was the most exciting to share the stage with?
A: “Again, this is one of those questions I can only speak for myself on, but I think Papa Roach was the biggest one for me. They were part of that era of music that got me so passionate about music. Getting to share the stage with behemoths like 5FDP is a whole other achievement in and of itself too though. That being said, a band doesn’t have to be HUGE for me to be excited to share the stage with them. We’ve gotten to share the stage with some newer bands that I really enjoy listening to on a personal level like Twelve Foot Ninja and PVRIS.”
Q: Speaking of which, you’ve recently done some touring in Japan. How was your experience over there?
A: “It was absolutely amazing! We had no idea what to expect going over there as some of us haven’t even flown before, let alone left the country! [laughs] I think it’s safe to say we all fell in love with the culture, food, and were equally charmed by Japan and can’t wait to go back! One Ok Rock were amazing to us as well. I can’t even put into words how grateful we are for how well they treated us as well as getting to share the stage and get to know All Time Low and PVRIS.”
Q: What are the band’s plans for the near future?
A: “We have a busy year coming up! Feb. 26th is the release date of our first full length LP, Day One, that we will also be having a CD release party for at Studio at Webster Hall in New York. We have a tour coming up with Atreyu in March, some exciting prospective gigs soon to follow that we’re waiting to get details on, we have another tour to follow that we can’t talk about yet, we have some festival dates we can announce and some we can’t yet but we’ll be busy during the spring and summer. Everyone will just have to pay close attention to our social media so they can stay up to date on all our updates and announcements!”
Q: Do you have any advice for all the bands out there trying to get discovered?
A: “I’d say just be prepared to put in the work [laughs]. Try and hone your craft as much as possible before hitting the road as it can be difficult to practice, learn how to utilize your social media, hustle, hustle and hustle! If you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get discovered and take your band to the next level, be prepared to invest your own money, time and have an open mind to learn how things work on the fly!”
Fans can expect Day One to go on sale Feb. 26, with select tracks digitally available now.
