One of the most difficult things to do in 21st Century music is create your own sound. With the release of seven-song LP “Ash Relics,” a small-town Sierra Nevada librarian has done just that.
“On a meta level, I’m an organizer and facilitator to access culture. As a musician, I’m a creator of the same culture.”
— Chris Seal
Chris Seal was born in mid-70s New Orleans and raised in the indie rock hub of Portland, Ore. After viewing a rescreening of Led Zeppelin’s landmark rockumentary “The Song Remains the Same,” he picked up his first guitar at age 13.
Watch Ash Relics perform “Gone Again”
“I saw Jimmy Page and thought, ‘I could do that,’” says Seal.
Seal married his wife on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in 2007 and soon afterwards resettled in Markleeville where he now works at the Alpine County Library. He hosts a bluegrass jam there (now on Zoom) every Friday afternoon.
“On a meta level, I’m an organizer and facilitator to access culture,” says the multi-instrumentalist. “As a musician, I’m a creator of the same culture.”
Seals is a founding member of South Lake newgrass outfit Bison that traveled to Telluride Bluegrass Festival last summer to compete in the renowned band contest. He also plays with proto-punk quartet Garbage Can featuring members of the notorious South Shore Riot crew.
“I think it’s great,” says Seal of the South Lake Tahoe music scene. “I definitely jam with people. Per capita, it’s a ridiculously talented community.”
Seal created Ash Relics as an outlet for his one-of-a-kind solo material. The band name is an anagram of his name; the analog project combines 80s-style drum machines with electrified blues guitar. The results sound a lot like what might happen if West Coast rap pioneer Too $hort and emo folkie Nick Drake got together to jam with the ghost of Jimi Hendrix in the German home studio of EDM innovators Kraftwerk.
“It’s a one-man-band kind of project,” says Seal. “It’s more fun with other people, but it’s much, much simpler by yourself. I did it out of limitations and necessity. There are a lot of solo acts, but I wanted to do something bigger than just a guy with an acoustic guitar.”
Written and recorded in Seal’s downtime, the project has taken shape over the several years with the bulk of the recording occurring in 2019.
“With my level of perfectionism, I wanted to make sure,” says Seals. “I sat on it for a while. If I had a million dollars it would be promoted and distributed and all that. But I can’t wait forever and have things be perfect. I just gotta do it. So I decided I’m just going to put this out.”
With three of the tracks already available on Ash Relics’ website, the full album will be released on major streaming platforms on Oct. 31.
“There’s a tortuous side of it; I have to do it,” says Seals. “It’s like an itch you have to scratch.”
Electrifying Mish-Mash of Beatbox Blues
The album opens with 7 minutes of raw Telecaster blues rocker, “Hard Times.”
“It comes from a place of emotion,” says Seals. “The words come out until it sounds like you want it to sound, but it doesn’t necessarily have a concrete subject. It’s kind of about the dilemma of modern culture.”
The simple, yet profound ZZ Top-ish riff of “Make Me Feel Good” was written while jamming with friends in Portland.
“We were having such a good time, that’s what I started singing,” says Seals. “I don’t mean to be obtuse, but that’s how I write.”
“Emerald Bridge” is a mellow instrumental fit for a sunset cruise while “Drive” features an electro-funk bassline reminiscent of Joe Walsh’s more experimental work.
“That one’s about how I’m not gonna let it get me down even if the odds are maximally against me,” says Seal.
The 3 minutes of straight-ahead “Gone Again” is the most Hendrix-like song of the bunch with Mitch Mitchell’s firepower drumming replaced by a Roland D2 Groovebox. “Inside” and the gorgeously rising album closer, “A Thousand Miles Away,” shift the tone to a melody-based, quasi-spiritual formula recalling late-era David Bowie.
“What I love about making music is going back to the roots of everything I’ve listened to,” says Seal. “I’ve been a rabid consumer of music all my life from underground folk to punk rock. I’m so deep into music as a fan that the next step is to become a creator. When you do get into that vibe where it’s just flowing perfectly, that’s meditation right there. It’s a moment of pure pleasure, pure enjoyment. It’s transcendent in a way.” | ashrelics.com
