Jammerzine Exclusive: An Interview with 50FOOTWAVE Drummer Rob Ahlers

Currently, on tour as part of Kristin Hersh’s Electric Trio, we got a rare glimpse of 50FOOTWAVE drummer Rob Ahlers, who actually talked with us from the road. In the middle of the current tour featuring himself, Kristin, and multi-instrumentalist Fred Abong (dates HERE), Rob was gracious enough to call us and give us the latest information on the current tour with Kristin, his beginnings in the music industry, and how he manages to juggle the life of a touring musician as well as husband and father. Consider this interview a life lesson and guide for all of you musicians out there thinking of making the transition into fulltime.

About 50FootWave

Comprised of Kristin Hersh and Bernard Georges of Throwing Muses, and monster drummer Rob Ahlers, this LA-based power trio is known for pioneering the name-your-own-price movement, which began with their 2005 release “Free Music”.

Named after the lowest note audible to human ears, 50FOOTWAVE was intended as an outlet for the noise/math rock pieces that didn’t fit the aesthetic of Throwing Muses or Kristin Hersh’s solo work.

Their most successful and influential release, 2009’s Power + Light, is thirty minutes of non-stop music, a barrage of free-form sound that found the band challenging its own complex song structure. Drowned in Sound says 50FOOTWAVE is “neither self-indulgent nor like many tracks cobbled together, but bruisingly visceral”.

50FOOTWAVE’s early releases are available for download free of charge HERE and licensed for sharing via Creative Commons. In this relation, Kristin co-founded the non-profit Coalition of Artists and Stake-Holders (CASH Music) in 2007. Over the past few years, CASH has not only completely funded Kristin’s own output, but has also powered dozens of other artist and label projects and has grown into a widely-recognized powerhouse of technical tools that enable commerce, communication, and sustainability for artists.

‘Bath White’ is available on CD and vinyl through HHBTM Records or via digital download from Bandcamp https://50footwave.bandcamp.com/album/bath-white. Deluxe 12” color vinyl packages also include full-size artwork, a screen-printed tote bag and a limited edition button.

SOURCE: Official Bio

LINKS:
http://www.kristinhersh.com/
http://www.facebook.com/50footwave/
http://www.facebook.com/strangeangels
http://50footwave.cashmusic.org/
http://twitter.com/kristinhersh
http://www.youtube.com/user/throwingmusic/videos