Instead of brandishing his troubled past like a badge of cool, Ash has chosen to use it to inspire young people. Ash’s personal history reads like a paperback- drug addiction, mental illness, hospitalization and redemption through music. There is a kind of wholesome, wide-eyed enthusiasm, an interaction between audience and performer and an unabashed camp that brings you back to a time when being cool was about having fun and puppet shows were a necessary part of a concert.Īfter years of struggle and personal issues, this Toronto based singer songwriter is finally living the life he imagined he could have. There is something about it that reminds you of going to concerts as a kid.
Watching USS live is an experience unto itself. Accompanied by DJ and hype man extraordinaire Human Kebab, the live USS show is equal parts hip hop show, alternative rock concert, drum n bass rave and inspirational seminar. The live show incorporates this same methodology. It is an illustrative example of Ash’s ability to think outside the box to create without confine- to take what has been given to him and make it work. His hands occupied by repetitious factory line work Ash listened to books on tape- philosophy and metaphysics, Neil Young, drum n bass, Monty Python, classical symphony, 50’s pop and hip hop and imagined an album. Welding the C:/ was conceived while Ash worked in a factory. Ash has an ability to take what exists around him, what he has learned through experience and what he hears and sees, and combine them in unexpected ways resulting in a new experience completely separate and distinct yet wildly familiar. The overall result is a kind of star gazing pop step -intrinsically uplifting and incredibly raw. The lyrics are clear and poetic, smoothly skating between themes of mental stability and metaphysical realities to love and the importance of being emotionally responsible to one’s self.
There are the nuances of pop, driving danceable beats, ska, classical symphony and hip hop nestled beneath a voice evocative of Cobain’s tortured wail. The music is a tremendous amalgamation of every genre Ash has ever immersed himself in, sewn together with a folk singers gentle hand. It’s a philosophy that Ash lives by and one that drives USS’ unique style. It’s the model” says singer/songwriter/producer/arranger Ash Boo-Schultz who, along with DJ and hype man Human Kebab make up Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (USS).
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