Alternative metal band From Ashes to New is currently embarking on the second part of their Blackout tour, which is promoting the most recent release of their album of the same name. This leg of the tour features support from Elijah, Phix, Ekoh, and Point North. Not only was the first leg of their tour well-attended with some sold-out dates, but the second leg is selling tickets just as fast. Additionally, From Ashes to New has also recently seen success with chart-topping songs and exciting new collaborations being released, such as their newest single, One Foot in the Grave (feat. Aaron Pauley from Of Mice and Men).
Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with one of From Ashes to New’s vocalists, Danny Case. In this interview, we discussed the band’s current and future plans, their recent collaborative efforts, stories from tours, and more.
All Music Magazine: Before we get started, can you tell me a little bit about your role in the band?
Danny: Yeah. So my name is Danny. I’m the singer for the band From Ashes to New. You know, I help write some stuff, but mainly, you know, just singing the parts from the front of the stage. Trying to command the crowd, make sure everybody has a good time, singing something from my heart, all that good stuff. That’s pretty much my role.
All Music Magazine: And speaking of that, you weren’t the original vocalist of From Ashes to New. How did it feel stepping into that role and how have things changed from the beginning to what they are now?
Danny: You know, obviously anytime the band changes a vocalist it’s very choppy water in uncharted territory. For a lot of bands, it doesn’t work out. Luckily for this band, I think that the lineup that we have now is what the band was always meant to be. So in the beginning I, you know, came in, just put my head down, went to work and you know, did whatever I needed to do to help make the band successful. And you know, now we’ve really found a groove and we’ve really, like found our identity as the four of us and so now everything’s really fluid and free flowing and we can work collaboratively on a lot of things on a lot of different fronts. And it’s just great. It’s overall great. The fan base has been really obviously well responsive of it, and it feels like we’re just on the up and up, so it’s really good.
All Music Magazine: As your Blackout album cycle comes to an end, what’s left for 2024? Do you have any big plans in store or are you going to wind down a bit after touring?
Danny: Yeah, we do have some tours that we have not announced yet, so it’s going to be a busy year. We’re working on new music as well. So we’re just trying to keep firing on all cylinders and keep the ball rolling and capitalize on the momentum that we have from Blackout since it was such a great record.
All Music Magazine: Speaking of Blackout and your newest release, I think it’s really great that we’re getting to see a big collaborative effort between From Ashes to New and other artists lately. Is this something we can expect to see continue? Are there any artists that you want to work with in the future?
Danny: Yeah, I think you can expect that to continue. I think that’s something rock really needs to step more into. I think a lot of people like a lot of different bands and share similar interests. And so when you get to see some of your favorite artists working together on things, it’s just, it’s really cool to see. I think for us and for the rest of the rock scene, I hope that there is more of it. I definitely would love to collaborate with my favorite band of all time Avenged Sevenfold, whether it’s their guitarist or their singer, or whatever. That would always be really cool. I know that some of the other guys have their own bucketlist of artists they’d like to have on too, but I think for me it would be Avenged Sevenfold.
All Music Magazine: Something I think is really great about From Ashes To New is the message behind a lot of the songs, which you bring into your interactions with the fans. You make it clear that anyone from anywhere or any background can keep working towards what they want and reach their goals, which is something that I personally find really inspiring. So how does it feel knowing what an inspiration you all are to so many? Has it affected how you interact with fans at all?
Danny: Yeah. I think for us, you know, it’s really awesome to see other people find inspiration in the things that we are writing about when they’re coming from such a real place for us, you know? Most of, if not all, of us in the band have always been the underdog in our own personal lives, growing up and even throughout adulthood. So to be part of something that is successful, that other people are looking towards for inspiration, that is giving them hope or inspiration to go and chase their own goals, is just really awesome. So you know, it never gets old to hear stories from other people about how they started doing the thing that they loved or wanted to do because of the motivation that they found through our music. That is always awesome. And so interactions with fans like that, it’s always great, and we never get tired of it.
All Music Magazine: So, in the beginning, did you ever see yourself being where you are now?
Danny: Yeah. I mean, I think all artists have that dream or that vision, you know. I always say that there is a sense of delusion that you have to have, like delusions of grandeur to be like, I’m going to go out and do this incredible, amazing thing. Just taking one step at a time, knowing that in the long run it is a gigantic mountain that you just have to climb bit by bit. And yeah, looking back, it’s crazy to be even where we are now, let alone where we’ll be in five or ten years. I started playing music when I was like 11 years old and my dreams of playing big stages and writing music and all this stuff. Looking back on the journey, it’s been such a long journey. And there were definitely moments where you know, you’re like, man is, is this going to work out? You know, do I have what it takes to get there, and is my band ever going to be noticed? And seeing it come to fruition is wild. Even though you always dream about it, having it happen is something else entirely. But at the same time, we keep working towards that next level.
All Music Magazine: Since I’ve had the opportunity to see you guys live before, I can say that something I associate with your live performance is high energy and fun crowd interactions. So what would you say is the most difficult part of upholding that stage presence night after night?
Danny: I mean, definitely health on the road is one big thing. Especially for Matt and I, because our bodies are our instruments. You know, we can’t change a string in our vocal chords like a guitar, you know if something’s messed up. I think one of the the biggest challenges on the road is making sure that we’re well rested, that our voices are remaining healthy. Because there’s nothing more uncomfortable in the world than getting on stage and having to push and push and push just to try to get through a set and being afraid of not being able to perform well. We take what we do really seriously, and we are there to put on a show for the fans, so the last thing we want to do is let anyone down. And so I would say that the biggest challenge out on the road is just maintaining the high energy and the drive, but also not going overboard at any point and then having it affect the rest of the tour. So it’s like controlled excitement, you know, trying to always maintain some level of control while we’re going crazy on stage and then just making it through the whole tour and being able to give everything we can each night.
All Music Magazine: So you’ve definitely toured a lot at this point and you’ve seen a lot of cities. I know playing to a crowd and seeing a city are two completely different things, so is there a city that you’ve enjoyed seeing more than others?
Danny: As far as sightseeing, that’s always tough. I’m a bit of a hermit, so I don’t get around or out all that much, especially since we’re only there really for one day and we have soundcheck, we gotta grab food and then we play the show, we gotta shower and stuff like that. There’s very few and far between opportunities that we get to see a whole lot of any given city. Like I always say, I’m from Rochester, New York and every time we play there, the areas that we’re playing in just aren’t aren’t very great. So it’s like, “guys, I promise you Rochester is beautiful, it’s just not this part of Rochester.” So I always try to keep in mind that there are a lot of areas that are probably like that. Maybe we’re playing in an area of a certain city that is, like, not the greatest. So it’s hard to know those, like, the little suburbs or different parts of maybe the city that are really nice that you can go and experience different things, try different foods, stuff like that. I will say that one of the places that I do love a lot is Norfolk, Virgina. Partially because of the venue itself and the areas right near there are also really cool too. So I always like playing at the NorVa.
All Music Magazine: Do you have any interesting stories from on the road that you haven’t really talked much about?
Danny: Interesting road stories….We don’t talk about this a whole lot, publicly I think, but when we were out on tour in 2021, we all got COVID and we had to call the tour short and head back home from Arizona. So, Arizona to Pennsylvania was a five day drive. We’re all locked in the back of a tube basically, because the whole idea was our driver really was not supposed to, at the time, the rules were he was supposed to not come anywhere near us, so he was not allowed to come back on the bus until we were gone. And he just did us a huge favor and he was like, “look, I’ll make the drive back. We’ll just have to set up some rules,” and basically we drove during the day and we were closed off into the bunk alley all day and all night, except for when he would sleep at night to go and take breaks. Those are some weird times. We got real bored and we did all sorts of weird stuff. We had toilet paper that we were just hanging out the window to see how far of a trail we could make. And I think I got a little over bored and threw a pillow out the window at one point. It was just, we were doing anything, just to keep sane while being locked in. You know, ten of us being locked in the back half of a bus. So that was an interesting, interesting time for us.
All Music Magazine: So before we wrap things up, I just want to do a fun rapid fire round where I ask you some random questions and you say whatever pops into your head. Okay, so first question, favorite pizza topping?
Danny: Ooh. I’m a plain guy. Can I just pick pizza? Like, Buffalo chicken. That’s going to be my go to pizza.
All Music Magazine: Socks or no socks?
Danny: Socks.
All Music Magazine: Favorite color?
Danny: Blue.
All Music Magazine: Favorite movie?
Danny: Interstellar.
All Music Magazine: Least favorite fruit?
Danny: Papaya…I think that’s a fruit? Papaya. I don’t like papaya. It tastes like nothing.
All Music Magazine: Cats or dogs?
Danny: Dogs.
All Music Magazine: Cereal first or milk first?
Danny: Cereal first, unless you’re a serial killer!
All Music Magazine: and finally, since I was rather disappointed in the answer or received the first time I ever asked this question, what’s your favorite species of penguin?
Danny: Where are they? I can’t remember. There’s a specific kind, that’s the only kind I know. I can’t remember…Emperor. We’ll go with that for a penguin. I can’t remember the one I wanted to remember.
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