Dunston Ashe
Local modern-rock band has high hopes

By KRISTEN PYLE
Collegian Staff Writer

Dunston Ashe found its missing link unexpectedly one night when Eric Himan sneaked into the bar where the band was playing, picked up another musician's guitar and insisted he take the stage.

At that moment, the group members knew they had to have him. And Dunston Ashe has been flying high ever since.

Recently named a "Best Unsigned Band" semi-finalist by Musician magazine, Dunston Ashe is releasing its second album, Permanent Record, today. The album is the first to be released since newcomer Himan (sophomore-telecommunications) joined the band last fall.

"I thought the music was great on the last album, but this is more of a group effort," vocalist and percussionist Jim Hinckley said.

Dunston Ashe describes its music as modern rock, bass guitarist Matt Croyle said. The group is influenced by everyone from Dave Matthews Band to Janis Joplin, but it also tries to cultivate an original sound. A Dunston Ashe show consists of a mix of originals as well as cover songs ranging from the Beastie Boys to The Barenaked Ladies.

"We take the best of all our influences and slam them together," Hinckley said.

The band plays at 10:30 p.m. every Monday at The Brewery, 233 E. Beaver Ave., and at 10:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Lion's Den, 118 S. Garner St. A compact disc release party will be held at 8 p.m. today at Cafe 210 West, 210 W. College Ave.

Dunston Ashe also plays on campus and at fraternity parties, and has taken its act on the road around the state -- the band will participate in the music exhibition "Millenium '99" this weekend in Harrisburg.

The local modern rock band formed in 1997 as a project of four Penn State students who formerly played with other bands. Croyle and Hinckley played together for three years before joining Dunston Ashe. Joel Hellman (senior-real estate), lead guitarist, and Tim Sharkey (senior-education), vocalist and keyboard player, previously played together as well. With the addition of a new lead singer, five diverse sounds merged to create what Dunston Ashe is today.

Once the band formed, members concentrated on giving themselves a name. They toyed around with a lot of word imagery, careful to create a name that would give no preconception of the music.

"We wanted the music to stand for itself," Hinckley said.

The group's name came from a Kodak advertisement for black and white film, which Kodak claimed would print the color that falls between dust and ash. The group liked the imagery created by dust and ash, and when running the two words together, they came up with Dunston Ashe.

The band plans to stay local until three of its members finish school. After that, the sky is the limit. The members plan to branch out and move to a city, preferably New York or Philadelphia. Until then, they will keep playing to build their experience and to gain a loyal following, Croyle said.

"We write from the heart, play from the heart, and we'll only be here for a short time," Hinckley said. "But we hope that we've touched some people along the way."