Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 11/20/07 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Laila Hanson Lead singer Ash bounced around stage enthusiastically, eager to get the audience to do the same.

Media Credit: Laila Hanson Bassist Anthony provided the laden hooks of many of the songs, as well as backup vocals on some of the more somber tracks.

Media Credit: Laila Hanson New Year's Day drummer Russell provided some of the rhythmic backdrop for Ash Costello's deceptively sweet voice. The songs are pop laced, but have lyrics that challenge love instead of being heart broken over it.

Ash Costello wants people to dance. Standing onstage clad in a black tutu and technicolored Mickey Mouse tshirt, she beams, radiating enthusiasm. "This next song has gotten a lot of response on our shows so far…but I think that, even though you're a smaller crowd, you can blow all of them out of the water. Are you guys going to dance with me?" She waits, then hears screams of affirmation from the young audience,

On that note, the opening chords of one of the only happy love songs on New Years Day's debut album, "My Dear" begin, gentle, but rhythmic, taps of the drums and bass strings leading the nostalgic lyrics of comfort. "Temecula Sunrise" was made for dancing, that's for sure. After the song wraps up, lead singer Costello congratulates her listeners with a smile. "You guys did great! This side," she gestures stage right, "did better than the other side, but no disrespect to you guys. I still love you. You know I do." She finishes up her little speech with a few grinning, inconspicuous looks to some of the non-dancing fans.

Last Sunday at The Ottobar, a hole-in-the-wall concert venue located on Howard Street, this pop-punk band hailing from Anaheim, California opened up for emo powerhouse bands Madina Lake and Mayday Parade. They're currently on a tour with acclaimed Warped Tour bands Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hawthorne Heights and Amber Pacific. Sunday happened to be an off date for RJA, but this did not stop New Years Day from taking advantage of more performance opportunities.

The crowd was mostly younger, (i.e-9th graders) but this did not stop some of the older people (yours truly) from singing and dancing along to the power danthems with poison-laced lyrics that hint at the idea of kicking love back when it trips you. Throughout the entire show, Costello kept a smile on her face, her enthusiasm never waning.

Aside from, "Temecula Sunrise," New Years Day performed a healthy amount of songs of their solid debut album. The title track, "My Dear," opened the show, embracing fans with a glittery chorus, complete with soaring backup vocals by guitarist Mike and bass player Anthony. The almost Ska-sounding, "My Sweet Unvalentine" represented the self proclaimed "love-hate relationship with Valentine's day" that Costello was happy to share, getting people to nod their heads along to the emotionally charged but sweetly sung lyrics. The fast paced "Saying Goodbye" almost drove the small throng into creating a circle pit, ending their listening with cheers and smiles. "I Was Right" was a crowd favorite of the night, being the band's first single off the album, its video winning the MTVU weekly freshman video contest earlier this year. The drumming, ambient "Razor" stunned the audience into singing along, even if they did not know all the words. An older song, from the band's digitally-released EP, called "Razor" as well, also surfaced. This track, entitled "Who We Are" emitted confident lyrics that sounded almost like advice. "Ready Aim Misfire," made immensely popular on MySpace, ended the set, leaving everyone ready to shoot "Cupid out of the sky" and "gouge out his eyes" and to do so with a smile and a wink.

After the show, I was able to talk to lead singer Ash Costello about everything from touring to designing to her inspiration behind the band and her random love for decapitation.

Laila Hanson: You've been touring hectically since, "My Dear" came out.

Ash Costello: Yeah! We were on tour for… almost 6 months before then, too. This month, actually, we'll have been on tour for a year.

LH: Is it hard?

AC: Well, it's a lot of fun. You get to be with your best friends. And now, since I've been to Rhode Island last week, I can say I've been to every state. So, it's neat that I've gotten to see the country, but of course you miss loved ones. It's hard, but there's nothing else I'd rather do.

LH: Does it give you any new inspiration to go to all these states? How's the song writing going?

AC: Yeah! Well, it's hard to write songs. I always have a notebook with me. We're in the van for 9, 12 hours at a time, so there's nothing to do but think. And I'll always think of a line, think of a thought, and write it down. But as far as writing [instrumental] music goes, there's really not a whole lot of time to do that on the road.

LH: What about your designing? Do you design the merch yourself?

AC: I do design all the merch. Every part of the band is a part of me, and I would want to design something that I would like, that I would wear. So the CD cover I did, it needed to reflect how I felt about the album, the shirts need to reflect things I like, so that's why I tend to want to design everything myself.

LH: I heard that you're designing for Osiris.

AC: Yes! They have a girl a season come in and design a shoe, and they approached me about doing their Fall 2008 shoe.

LH: How'd they find out about you?

AC: They were sent a list of 30 bands. Just…I don't know from who, or why the 30 were picked, but they listened to [songs from the bands] and picked me.

LH: Is it a lot of strain to be doing all this at once?

AC: It definitely is a little bit of a strain. But you know, I think of…not saying I'm Gwen Stefani or anything…but she has like, purses and shoes and fragrances and clothing and a kid and I'm like, "You know what? Quit being a baby. If she can do all that, you can design a damn shoe, and do a show a day, how hard could it be?"

LH: So when you get home, what are you going to do?

AC: Oh man, when I get home, I am going to go to Disneyland. It's going to be the first thing I do.

LH: Yeah, I've been reading about that on the questions and answers blog you have on your MySpace [that you like Disneyland]. I think it's totally cool that you give fans a chance to ask you what they want.

AC: Oh, thank you! Well, I have a story about why I'm like that. Sunday Morning was filmed right down the street from my house, you know, the…No Doubt video. At age 12, I was standing outside the video shoot with about 6 other neighborhood kids and every member of No Doubt came out except for Gwen. And I CRIED. It definitely scarred me for life so I said I would never be like that, ever. I want to give as much back as I'm given, and the fact that people listen to us at all? They deserve the world for it.

LH: That's really sweet.

AC: Thank you, I'm glad someone appreciates it.

LH: So what's it like being here on the east, compared to the west coast?

AC: We honestly haven't toured on the west coast [for] like…a year. But the kids on the east coast are so cool. Really responsive, especially on the Red Jumpsuit tour. They've been nothing but welcoming. So, I kinda don't want to leave, but I'm a little ready to go home.

LH: So, random question. I've heard that you like decapitation.

AC: You know what? I am definitely a connoisseur of decapitation.

LH: How'd you get into that?

AC: I had a very eccentric family when I was growing up. My grandma was a theater teacher, and she thought she was a Wiccan, and she tried to teach me like, witch stuff. And my uncles were both very dramatic. You know, they'd fake their own suicides for fun, just to scare me. They'd slit their wrists with fake theater makeup, they would tie shoestrings to shower curtains to pretend ghosts were moving it. Yeah, they really kind of tortured me as a kid! They had a Freddy Krueger claw that they'd wake me up with, so I think it's just kind of, you know, I was just kind of born with it, I guess.

LH: That's cool, though.

AC: Yeah!

LH: That's pretty much all I had. Thank you for your time!

AC: Thank you!

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