The Shore a sure thing for Maverick Records
By John Fox
Staff Reporter
jtfls3@psu.edu
Maverick Records' The Shore
hail from sunny California and
push out an even blend of
psychedelic rock reminiscent of
the legendary Brit-rockers Oasis.
Frontman Ben Ashley took time
between touring to talk with The
Capital Times.
Ashley, 27, was born in
San Francisco and raised
in Philadelphia. Music was
prominent in his house growing
up and there were always records
lying around.
His personal relationship with
music began at age 16. He
played different instruments in
many of his friends' bands. Like
most young bands, they practiced
anywhere they could: attics,
garages, and basements. Ashley
said it wasn't until five years ago
that he started writing songs of
his own. The Shore is the first
band he has ever fronted.
"I never really played out until
The Shore," said Ashley. "It's the
first band that I really wrote the
songs for and sang for. This is
the first band I ever fronted and
ran the show."
Being a Los Angeles transplant,
Ashley talks about the bi-coastal
contrast. "L.A.'s way more laid
back," said Ashley. "It kinda suits
me better 'cuz you can get away
to the ocean or the mountains.
The east coast definitely formed
a lot of the personality in me."
Ashley said he has already
begun writing material for their
second Maverick release. The
Shore has not yet had the
chance to tour outside of the
States. Ashley said he is looking
forward to international touring
and is interested in seeing how
the band will be appreciated in
other countries.
Many bands struaole their entire
'owe shapes future business leaders at PS
By Charlotte Spector
Staff Reporter
cspector@psu.edu
Cindy Rowe-Taylor, founder
and president of Cindy Rowe
Auto Glass, spoke to over 50
students at the 6 1 h annual Career
Forum in the Gallery Lounge at
noon on Wednesday, March 16.
The event was co-sponsored by
Alpha Sigma Lambda, the adult
honor society, and the Office of
Career Services.
A registered nurse, Rowe spoke
first about her decision to enter
Seafood-laden menu
drives Sophia's success
SOPHIA cont'd from 9
For the diner who prefers
something other than seafood, try
Fettuccine di Mamma Antonietta
($l5), a favorite dish of Isernia's
father, fettuccine dressed in
tomato sauce and enlivened with
capers and black olives. Gnocchi
al Pesto ($l6), rolled potato and
herb "dumplings", are made with
arugula in place of basil, and
are a subtly modern take on
this classic. If you must stay on
the safe side, order fresh veal
Parmesan ($l6), but keep in mind
that trying something new is not
risky at Sophia- it's delightful.
A cannoli, tiramisu, or special
dessert of the day are wonderful
when paired with espresso,
which as you sip and look at
the mural of Pozzuoli, you may
wonder if you haven't traveled to
the Mediterranean and not feel
the least bit shy about humming
along to the lovely Italian songs.
We are told in life to stop and
careers chasing major labels.
Ashley talks about the band's
relationship with Maverick.
"It's been a learning experience,"
said Ashley. "They're really cool in
the sense that they allowed us to
make the record that we wanted
to make with no interference
They didn't tell us
what to do, which
is something most
people would
think a major label
would do to you.
It's been a long
struggle for them
to realize `cuz we
don't sound like
any other artist on
Maverick. They're
kinda a pop label
and were more of
an introspective
psychedelic
band "
Ashley said
that the band's
relationship with
Maverick is great
and that the only
point of contention
is getting out on
bigger tours.
He also said
the band draws
from a lot of late
1960 s folk bands
for their musical
inspiration. He lists
older artists like
Buffalo Springfield
and Neil Young
as top influences
as well as newer
bands such as My
Bloody Valentine
and The Verve.
As far as personal favorites,
Ashley reveals what you might
find among his CD collection.
"I've been listening to a lot
of folk stuff like The Fairport
Convention and Tim Harding,"
that profession. As the middle
child of 5, whose parents were a
doctor and a nurse, she saw it as
a good choice for a woman in the
19605, when choices seemed
limited. But after a number of
years, Rowe decided she wanted
to be her own boss.
Following up on an advertisement
about the windshield repair
business, Rowe underwent
training and went into business
for herself. Making "cold calls"
to businesses that had fleets of
vehicles, she knew she had a
good product and could provide
smell the roses, to treat others
as we wish to be treated, and
to remember that you can't take
it with you. In true Italian style,
invite someone (or two, or three,
or more) to dinner, sit and enjoy
an exquisite meal at your leisure,
and have a hearty laugh. It works
for Sophia, and it will certainly
work for you.
SOPHIA SEAFOOD
RESTAURANT
403 WALNUT STREET
HARRISBURG, PA 17101
(717) 236-3980
HOURS:
M-F: 11:30AM-2PM
T-SAT: SPM-10PM
RESERVATIONS
RECCOMMENDED
CREDIT CARDS: ALL MAJOR
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE
NON-SMOKING
BYOB
OWNER/CHEF:
ADRIANO ISERNIA
said Ashley. "I'm also a huge fan
of The Beach Boys late 60s and
early 70s stuff."
Ashley said that the band's
songs are about love, loss, and
the search for redemption.
"Not necessarily in a religious
sense but in a soulful sense,"
Maverick Records' The Shore hail from sunny California. Frontman Ben Ashley says their songs 'are
about love, loss, and the search for redemption.'
said Ashley. "They're about how
you can overcome the pain or the
joy that's going on in you all the
time. That whole gentle violence
topic."
service consistency. She learned
not to take rejections personally
as she grew her
business and
plowed her profits
back into it.
David Taylor, her
husband, joined
her in the business
in the late 1980 s
and the two of
them "did it all"
until they finally
were able to hire a
general manager and a CPA. The expounded on five qualities that
business now has 10 locations, encompass her tips for success,
He says that the band's
DID YOU KNOW?
Cindy Rowe was a
registered nurse be-
fore founding Cindy
Entertainment
introspective lyrics can relate to
anyone and acknowledges the
similarity between The Shore's
sound and that of Oasis.
"They're (Oasis) one of the great
bands of the last ten years or so,"
said Ashley. "We have the same
big guitar driven sound. I think we
use some of the same gear as far
as guitars and amps."
The Shore toured the United
States throughout 2004 and has
been continuing that drive into
2005. Ashley said he likes life
with over 80 employees, and has
expanded to include auto glass
replacement and
paint less dent
repair.
Rowe Auto Glass
Photo courtesy of www.synthesis.net
Rowe said she
always had faith
that her business
would succeed
and considered
each step she
took as a base to
build on for the
next one. She
on the road and that the band's
success seems to grow with each
gig they play.
"We've been having a lot of
fun," said Ashley." It's really cool
to meet people who know our
record. Each time we go out more
and more people have heard it
and its like moved
them and changed
them. And, as a band
we all get along so
it's been a pleasant
experience."
Ashley said it is
hard to explain the
feeling of looking
out in the crowd and
seeing fans sing
along to the songs
he has poured his
heart into writing.
"It started happening
last fall and I was just
kinda in shock. It's
like wow,`you really
know the words
I wrote?' It's very
unreal, very kind."
He remembered a
euphoric on-stage
moment. "We were
in Minneapolis
and we played in
the freezing cold,"
said Ashley. "It
was 20 degrees
below zero and we
played to a packed
house. Everyone
was singing along
to the words and
all of a sudden it
wasn't so cold out.
It was warm, sweet,
uplifting, and cool."
Being on a major
label definitely has its perks.
Bands on a major label are
much more likely to become a
commercial success than are
independent bands.
Ashley talked about the
which seemed to summarize her
business philosophy. The areas
include: people (treating them
well), communication, flexibility,
balanced outlook, and passion.
Regarding the last, she said, "Do
what you love and love what you
do."
Although Rowe keeps up with
her nursing by volunteering
weekly on a mobile health van
in Baltimore, she spoke to the
issue of changing careers by
emphasizing that what you
choose to do in your 20s may not
be what you want to do 10 years
The Capital Times, April 4, 2005
potential of The Shore becoming
a commercial success. "I don't
really think about it on that level,"
said Ashley. "I'd like to be able
to pay my bills. It's important
that people who want to listen to
music like ours can. I just want to
be able to keep on making music
and changing and interacting with
people who understand it. When
you look at the whole picture, just
getting the music out to people
is really what's important. (It's
important) that they can hear
something that you worked so
hard to make sense come to
life."
The Shore's video for The Hard
Road was in rotation on MTV
and the song is on the playlist of
modern rock format FM stations
across the country. Ashley said
that he hasn't seen the video
yet and laughed when giving his
explanation why.
"I don't have cable," said Ashley.
"I'm actually the only one in the
band who hasn't heard it on the
radio so it's kinda funny that I'm
the last to know. It's exciting and
really cool. People are letting us
know they're thrilled to see it."
Ashley doesn't mix politics
and music. He said that there
are social issues that he feels
strongly about but chooses not
to use the band as a soapbox to
voice his convictions.
He said that Fyodor Dostoyevsky
and Haruki Murakami are among
his favorite authors and that he
has recently read a lot of works
by Russian poet Alexander
Pushkin.
Ashley is excited about the band's
future and said he is thankful for
the amount of success they have
achieved so far.
You can check out The Shore
on their website at www.
theshoremusic.com or drop
them a line on MySpace at www.
myspace.com/theshore.
later. She related how she had to
take a nursing refresher course
to reactivate her license and that
she was a more serious student
the second time around.
One of her biggest challenges
was to learn to delegate
responsibility after having to do it
all herself for so many years. And
while she no longer has to take
such a hands-on approach to all
tasks, she stated unequivocally
that she makes sure to read all
the response cards that come to
the company giving feedback on
their work.