Fads come and go and come-and-go again, from '50's rockabilly to '70's disco to '90's grunge to today's already-on-the-way-out hipster garage rock. If, as they say, careers can be made lumping like substances together, then pigeonhole-ing and genre-fying are booming industries indeed.

And yet, through it all, American rock has always managed to hold its own. The truth is, music fans will always have a place in their hearts for that one constant: the real live Rock Band - touring around the country, playing a new city every night, and making new fans all along the way. Four guys, a couple of guitars, a bass, and a drum set, all going town to town and show to show with a musical message of, "We're all in this together, and everything is gonna be all right." These bands prove that beyond image and pretense, there is always room for a great song.

This principle is the foundation of ashwednesday.

You could say they sound like Tom Petty, that is, if he got in a fistfight with Oasis. ashwednesday seethes with that energy, and through their music they channel it and share it with their fans. They'll make you feel, they'll make you care, and most important, they'll pick you up.