Page 12 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 99

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have to fit in the way they feel society needs band put out a couple of EPs before their writing that song, and Lance, he deals with
them to fit in and that being unique and debut album, ‘Day One’, was released in personal demons of his own every day so
being different is a better way to go.” 2016. Signed to Eleven Seven’s Better Noise I’m sure that he put a lot of himself into writ-
subsidiary and getting the chance to tour ing that song as well.”
usically, these days, Matt still loves around the U.S., you might be mistaken in Lance Dowdle is the band’s lead gui-
Mcertain Christian bands and fellow thinking everything was wonderful. Unfortu- tarist. He’s been a member of From Ashes To
bands that make music with a purpose. He nately though, behind the scenes it wasn’t, New since 2015 and stuck by Matt through
recently tweeted Skillet saying that he’d love with certain band members not believing in thick and thin. Lance himself has another
to lay down some fire on a new Skillet track. the band as much as Matt did, and deciding very personal song on ‘The Future’; the song
Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park also found him- to leave. 2017 was a particularly trying time ‘Let Go’ was about how a girl that Lance had
self the recipient of a track from Matt. for Matt. He even ended up in an emergency been seeing online, but not yet met up with,
“They’re artists that I really respect. For me, room due to a panic attack and was pre- passed away in a car crash shortly before
I feel like, I’m a rapper in a rock band, and I scribed Xanax. they were due to meet.
think the world’s not quite aware yet that I’m One song on latest album ‘The Future’, Another standout song on ‘The Future’ is
capable of doing more than rap in a rock ‘Forgotten’, is the embodiment of mental the song ‘My Name’, in which we’re told
band. So, for me, I’d like to collaborate with health issues. Matt tells us, “I felt like at that ‘you’re only gonna lose if you don’t learn
artists that I really respect and not only be a point in my life the band had lost a couple of from your defeats’. Matt says, ”You need to
part of something that would be great, but members, I didn’t really know where every- make mistakes, or… not necessarily have
also show more people what my capabilities thing was going… I think that at that partic- bad things happen, but you need to have try-
are.” ular time in life I was drowning. I felt like I ing times to grow. And if you don’t have
was submerged and didn’t know if I could those types of things and you don’t try to
fter forming From Ashes To New in reach the surface. But it was not only me overcome them, you’re going to fail. You
ALancaster, Pennsylvania in 2013, the writing that song, Lance was a big help in need to have trying times to be able to con-

FROM ASHES TO NEW