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To Many Rob Ashton is the luckies man in the world.He is the guy who gets to sing and rap the beats over Travis Barker's drum loops and Tim Armstrong's riffs,He is the guy who had never been in a band befor,but landed a gig as the front man in the group,the Transplants.It is this that either makes him a hero or enemy number one.Tim Armstrong of Rancid fame,along with Ashton of what one would call roadie fame,formed the Transplants in December 1999. Ashton had just made the big move to L.A.,when he befriended Armstrong through a mutual friend.Armstrong had played every instrument himself on what would become the first Transplants record and asked Ashton to write lyrics for it,yet still something was missing.And if you are going to add to a side project,why not add the best you could find?Travis Barker of Blink-182 accepted the invitation and within a matter of five hours,his recording job was complete.The end result was their self-titled debut composed of an almost bizarre blend of punk rock and experimental funk.It wasn't a genre and it wasn't expanding on a trend.It made one sit there and think,"What the hell is this?" Therefore,it was perfect.From the opening-rasping yelp of "Romper Stomper"to the California feel-good blend of "Weigh On My Mind"the Transplants had a little something for even the most skeptical listener.As "Diamonds And Guns"became the staple theme song for an Herbal Essence shampoo,even washing you one's hair took on a different beat.Now with the release of their sophomore album Haunted Cities,the Transplants are setting out to prove that they are more then a band you just don't get.Ashton laid down his thoughts on not only what it's like to be in a band for the first time,but also on what it's like to be in one of the most comfusing musical entities as he prepared for the release of Haunted Cities. |
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