Biography
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Years Active
2003 – present (21 years)
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Founded In
Seattle, King County, Washington, United States
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Members
- G. Stuart Dahlquist
- John Schuller
- Milky Burgess (2007 – 2008)
- Toby Driver (2010 – present)
- Trey Spruance
Asva is a drone doom supergroup spreading a contagious disease of creative music. Formed in 2003 in Seattle, Washington. This band is a collaboration between members of Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, Sunn O))), and Burning Witch. Their music unleashes a legion of doom music using minimal percussion, droning guitars, and dark poetry. Asva have successfully integrated intimate electroacoustic sounds with a natural progression in drone-rock music. Their epic compositions surround the listener with shimmering sonic energy, sub-harmonic tones, and low-end vibrations. Asva breathe new life into a sonic dimension, creating an atmosphere with haunting notes capable of sending a sudden chill through the listener's ear. Asva also amplify ambience through delicate drones and visceral vocals in their world of minimalist music. Asva's track titles are encrypted in a Cyrillic alphabet, and heavily influenced by the writings of Russian futurists like Aleksei Kruchenykh, Elena Guro, and Vasily Kemensky.
Asva is blowing through town and taking the drone rock medium to new lows. Not your average "doom" band, Asva's saddlebags are filled with wooden chapel organs and subharmonic drones. Their packs are stuffed with electroacoustic sensibilities and hand-scribbled laments to the alchemical stars - they rode through walls of electrostatic fuzz to toll the mission bell on this side of the firmament - then they smashed your piano to splinters just for the sound it makes. In their wake nothing remains but tumbleweeds and twisters, dancing pointlessly in ageless dusty darkness.
Asva consists of a multitude of creative musicians, including G. Stuart Dahlquist (bassguitar), B.R.A.D. (drums, percussion, vocals), Jessika Kenney (vocals), Trey Spruance (guitars, piano, tubular bells), John Schuller (guitars), and Troy Swanson (organ and instrument tweaking). Troy Swanson's omnipresent Hammond Organ provides a perfect backdrop for Asva's music. Jessika Kenney's resonating vocals reach operatic status during "Fortune", inspired by Carl Orff's legendary choral composition "Carmina Burana: O Fortuna". During Asva's "By the Well of Living and Seeing", Jessika Kenney recites esoteric text from American poet Charles Reznikoff. She also collaborates with the Seattle-based orchestra ensemble and arts organization Gamelan Pacifica. Bass guitarist G. Stuart Dahlquist has produced music in Burning Witch and has featured on two full length albums from Sunn O))), "ØØ Void" and "Grimm Robe Demos", also track "Flight of the Behemoth". His low-end bass rumblings can also be heard on Goatsnake's "Flower of Disease" and the Goatsnake/Burning Witch split album.
In July 2004, Dos Fatales Records released a limited to 500 split 12" vinyl picture disc with hand silk screened covers. This rare release contained two exclusive tracks: Asva's "Caprichos 1-80", recorded during June 2003 with Earth's guitarist Dylan Carlson, and Burning Witch's "Rift Canyon Dreams", previously unreleased and originally recorded in 1997 but recently re-discovered, professionally mixed and mastered for this special split release. Asva's first full length album was recorded at Aleph Studios by Randall Dunn, and prolific producer Billy Anderson, who's album portfolio includes work with Fantômas, Melvins, and Porn among many others. "Futurist's Against the Ocean" has been co-released on G. Stuart Dahlquist's micro-label Dos Fatales Records and Trey Spruance's Mimicry Records. Asva anticipate a North American tour throughout 2005, and have plans to dominate Europe with the drone-rock prevalent on "Futurist's Against the Ocean".
The original lineup:
G. Stuart Dahlquist - bass guitar, organs, guitar
Greg Gilmore - drums
Former members:
B.R.A.D. - drums, percussion, vocals
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