ASG (band)
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ASG is an American stoner rock/metal band signed to
Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The ...
, originating from
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
. It is a four-piece band, with Jason Shi on vocals and guitar, Andy Ellis on bass, Scott Key on drums and Jonah Citty on guitar. The band has acquired an underground following, as a number of its songs have been featured in skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding videos.


History

ASG started with the name All Systems Go in 2001, but shortened to the acronym ASG after a brief copyright issue with another band of the same name. Through the years the band has claimed in jest that 'ASG' has several alternate meanings, including "amplification of self gratification", "all systems gone", "anarchist school for girls" among others. ASG recorded and self released their debut album/demo in 2002 (later released by Volcom in 2005). Soon after in 2003 they signed with
Volcom Entertainment Volcom Entertainment, officially founded in 1995, in Big Bear, California, and currently based in Costa Mesa, CA is the brainchild of Volcom founder Richard Woolcott and theLINE's singer/guitarist Ryan Immegart. Ryan being Volcom's first spons ...
. In 2003, they released their first full-length with Volcom, ''The Amplification of Self-Gratification'', and immediately began a tour to promote it, playing portions of the 2003 and 2004
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...
. After the '04 Vans Warped Tour, ASG went to Los Angeles to record their second Volcom release, '' Feeling Good Is Good Enough'', produced by
Matt Hyde Matt Hyde (born June 19, 1964) is an American record producer, engineer and mixer. He has been credited as engineer, producer, mixer and/or mastering engineer on notable albums such as No Doubt's '' Tragic Kingdom'', Monster Magnet's '' Powert ...
. Shortly after completing ''Feeling Good Is Good Enough'', second guitarist Jonah Citty (formerly of the band Ergot) was added to help recreate the album's sounds live.Hatch, Shannon (August 25, 2005).
Fresh off the Warped Tour, local rockers ASG 'Feeling Good' about upcoming new CD
, ''
Star-News ''StarNews'' is an American, English language daily newspaper for Wilmington, North Carolina, and its surrounding area (known as the Lower Cape Fear (region), Cape Fear). It is North Carolina's oldest newspaper in continuous publication. It was ...
'', p. 10.
John Staton of ''
Star-News ''StarNews'' is an American, English language daily newspaper for Wilmington, North Carolina, and its surrounding area (known as the Lower Cape Fear (region), Cape Fear). It is North Carolina's oldest newspaper in continuous publication. It was ...
'' called the album one of the ten best of 2005. In 2008, ASG released their fourth album, '' Win Us Over'', which was again produced by Matt Hyde and features vocal guest,
Blag Dahlia Paul Cafaro (born May 8, 1966), known professionally as Blag Dahlia, is an American singer and record producer, best known as the vocalist for punk band Dwarves.Ritchie, Ryan (2007)Locals Only – Blood, Guts and Literacy: Blag Dahlia steps out ...
, on the track "Palm Springs". In June 2009, ASG released a split EP with Black Tusk, ''Low Country'', that was recorded live at the Jam Room in Columbia, SC and was produced by Phillip Cope of
Kylesa Kylesa is an American sludge metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with heavy riffs, Down-tuned guitar, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by ...
. The artwork for "Low Country" was done by John Dyer Baizley from
Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...
. In 2009, ASG released a split CD with Savannah, Georgia band Black Tusk. It was recorded by Phillip Cope of
Kylesa Kylesa is an American sludge metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with heavy riffs, Down-tuned guitar, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by ...
at the Jam Room in Columbia S.C. John Baizley of
Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...
did the album's artwork. This split was self released by ASG and also by the Hyperrealist record label. In 2010, ASG released a split 7' vinyl with West Virginia's
Karma to Burn Karma to Burn (commonly abbreviated as K2B) was an American Rock music, rock band from Morgantown, West Virginia. The band was noted for its heavy, mostly instrumental sound. Their name comes from a sleevenote on Bob Dylan's 1976 album ''Desir ...
as part of Volcom Entertainment's vinyl club series. ASG included the song 'All Over Creation' and
Karma to Burn Karma to Burn (commonly abbreviated as K2B) was an American Rock music, rock band from Morgantown, West Virginia. The band was noted for its heavy, mostly instrumental sound. Their name comes from a sleevenote on Bob Dylan's 1976 album ''Desir ...
included 'Twenty in TwentyTen.' In late 2011, ASG signed with
Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The ...
out of Philadelphia. According to the band's Facebook page, they entered the studio to record their Relapse debut, '' Blood Drive'', with producer Matt Hyde in August 2012. It was released on May 28, 2013, soon followed by videos for "Day's Work" and "Scrappy's Trip" (premiered by
VEVO Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
and
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
respectively).


Overview

The band plays a mixture of
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
,
southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...
,
stoner metal Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Slee ...
and
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
. Tracks from the band's albums have been played on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
shows, including ''
Viva La Bam ''Viva La Bam'' is an American reality television series that stars Bam Margera and his friends and family. The show is a spin-off from MTV's '' Jackass'', in which Margera and most of the main cast appeared. Each episode had a specific theme, ...
'', ''
Rob & Big ''Rob & Big'' is an American reality television series following the lives of professional skateboarder, actor, and producer Rob Dyrdek and his best friend and bodyguard Christopher "Big Black" Boykin. It premiered on November 2, 2006, and con ...
'', '' Living Lahaina'', ''
Homewrecker A homewrecker (sometimes styled as home wrecker or home-wrecker) is a person, object or activity that causes or comes close to causing the breakup of a marriage (or similar partnership). The homewrecker is said to have taken one of the spouses ...
'', '' Bam's Unholy Union'', ''Road Rules/Real World Challenge'' and ''Remaking Vince Neil'', and as background music in numerous surfing and snowboarding videos. Their song "The Dull Blade" from the album '' Win Us Over'' was included in the soundtrack of the skateboarding video game ''
Skate 2 ''Skate 2'' is a 2009 skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released worldwide in January 2009 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 after the spin-off title '' Skate It''. It is the sequel to ...
'', and "Dream Song" (also from ''Win Us Over'') was included in the soundtrack for the 2010 video game ''
Splatterhouse is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Namco in 1988. It was the first in a series of games released in home console and personal computer formats. This game would later spawn the parody '' Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti'', the ...
''. ASG has toured with bands such as
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
, Weedeater,
The Dwarves The Dwarves are an American punk rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois and based in San Francisco, California as of 2009.Gentile, John (2009)Interview: Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves", ''The A.V. Club'', April 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010 ...
, Saviours,
Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...
,
Graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
,
Orange Goblin Orange Goblin are an English heavy metal band from London. Formed in 1995, the band's lineup currently consists of singer Ben Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, drummer Chris Turner, and bassist Harry Armstrong. Their most recent album '' Science, Not ...
,
High on Fire High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance with thei ...
, and Torche. ASG played the 2007 Volcom Tour with Valient Thorr and Riverboat Gamblers. In September 2008, the band was part of that year's
Volcom Volcom was an American lifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributed boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', ...
Tour along with
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
,
Valient Thorr Valient Thorr is an American southern rock/ heavy metal band from Greenville, North Carolina. The name of the band is based on the urban legend of Valiant Thor, an Alien which came from Venus to Earth. Valient explained, "That'll be the backg ...
and
Year Long Disaster Year Long Disaster was an American rock band from Los Angeles. Formed in 2004, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist Daniel Davies, bassist Rich Mullins and drummer Brad Hargreaves. Hargreaves was later replaced by Rob Oswald, and gu ...
. They were replacing both The Misfits and Airbourne who had pulled out of the tour. In 2009, ASG opened for CKY on their summer tour alongside Sweden's
Graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
. Vocalist-guitarist Jason Shi is the main songwriter for the band. ASG has credited influences such as
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...
,
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...
, Torche, Zeke, and Ween. In a review of the album ''Win Us Over'',
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote that the band's sound combines "the best qualities of
Kyuss Kyuss ( ) was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands in ...
and Queens of the Stone Age".Lee, Cosmo (2008). " Win Us Over,
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Retrieved May 26, 2010.


Band members

* Jason Shi – vocals, guitars * Jonah Citty – guitars * Andy Ellis – bass * Scott Key – drums * Blake Riot – guitars


Discography

*''ASG'' (2002) *''The Amplification of Self-Gratification'' (2003) *'' Feeling Good Is Good Enough'' (2005) *'' Win Us Over'' (2007) *''Low Country'' (split with Black Tusk) (2009) *'' Blood Drive'' (2013) *''Survive Sunrise'' (2018) *''Pyramid Wheels (EP)'' (2022)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:ASG Rock music groups from North Carolina Musical groups established in 2001 American stoner rock musical groups Relapse Records artists