Axxa/Abraxas is the music and art project of Ben Asbury, a 23 year old from outside
Atlanta, GA. His experiences as a record collector and music obsessive from a very young
age (''I got into punk in the third grade'') are easily evident in his debut release. Going full
circle from being introduced to 60's pop as a kid, through his foray into punk rock at an
early age, into post-rock and Elephant Six indie, right back into 60's Psychedelia, Ben has
honed his influences (Neil Young, Television Personalities, 'Elevators, The 'Dead, Olivia Tremor
Control) into a cohesive blend to adapt his own take on psych-influenced art-pop.
The tracks on the record were written and demo'ed around the time Ben was in college
(and shortly after) in Athens, GA where he was studying psychology, religion and sociology...
as well as developing a fascination with analog synth that made it's way into his mix of
influences. Meanwhile, he started the RTA Collective, which featured his cassette and CDR
releases along with his visual art. This combination arrived in a package to the Captured
Tracks office in the form of a demo that stood out amongst the hundreds of others with it's
charged DiY silkscreen imagery and poppy fuzz psych music.
The label enlisted Jarvis Taveniere (Woods, Rear House Recording) to record and produce
what would become Axxa/Abraxas debut. It's the artistic culmination of prodigious young
songwriter putting it all together in an erudite way despite his tendency to write lyrics which
are''...generally directed at myself, often criticizing my shortcomings...'' No matter how he
criticizes himself, one need only listen to the record to see he's quite confident in his music.
track listing:
01. Ryan Michalak (Is Coming to Town)
02. Going Forth
03. I Almost Fell
04. Beyond The Wind
05. Same Signs
06. So Far Away
07. Ride Into the Night
08. Painted Blue
09. On The Run
10. All That's Passed