Ascent is just as musically appealing as their creative dope name! This hard rock duo based out of Orange County, California performs complex arrangements of their original, emotional, thought-provoking songs, using live loop to create a unique sound. Dominated by Christina Baldwin’s vocals and Bruce Baldwin’s guitar, this husband & Wife duo is a force to be reckoned with!
Together the two released the electrifying hit single titled “Beacon Eleven”. In this striking and trailblazing record, Ascent delivers a powerful blow to their listener with an iconically driven electric energy. “Beacon Eleven” delivered strong imagery in the lyrics and was complemented by the video released to the song. The guitaring by Bruce was riveting. Every strum he made had an impact on the arrangement of the record. The way he produced a satisfying development from start to finish and maintained consistency was amazing to witness. But don’t sleep on Christina! Her lush vocals and fiery texture to her voice carries the listener through the wave-lengths of “Beacon Eleven”. If you are looking for a classic Rock & Roll hit to take you through a transporting place back in time where music was raw and extravagant, then “Beacon Eleven” is the song for you!
Listen to "Beacon Eleven" here and get to know more about Ascent below!
Welcome to BuzzMusic Ascent! Knowing you two are a husband and wife duo, mind telling our readers how the two of you met and decided to form this project?
One evening, Christina answered a newspaper ad for a melodic vocalist, which led her to Bruce’s door. After jamming with the band twice she was selected as the singer. Over time, the other band members dropped out, making us as a duo. We’ve turned this into an advantage by embracing live looping, which allows us to sound like a full band on stage, while keeping the music 100% live. At least a hundred songs four EPs and one LP later we are still performing, creating and connecting with listeners all over the world and local audiences. We are also still happily married and more in love than ever.
How has the journey been so far performing with your significant other?
It’s made us better! We have a level of close communication that other bands never attain. We’re able to work on music whenever we want to, allowing things to grow organically.
Now let’s talk about the music! Who are some of your influences or inspirations for your killer artistic style?
We are influenced by progressive rock, hard rock, metal, and pop. We love complex and thoughtful bands like Tool, King Crimson, Yes, and Bent Knee. Christina is influenced Motown, R&B, Goth rock, and great singers like Ann Wilson. Our sound is dark, hard, intricate and soulful.
We loved your single “Beacon Eleven”! What was this about? What inspired you to write this?
Bruce: The song is based on a repeated guitar riff of eleven notes. I’m somewhat obsessed with prime numbers - I’ve also written in 13, 17, 5 and 7. I had the riff and the lead guitar melody, and it was originally going to be an instrumental called “Eleven”. I think the timing creates a sense of urgency. One day, I got stuck for a while reading Wikipedia articles about the Channel Islands. I was particularly interested in the story about San Nicolas, where a woman was left stranded there for many years, the last surviving member of her culture. Shortly after that, I went out on a long bike ride. I tend to write lyrics in my head while out on bike rides. The song is about loneliness and isolation. I imagined being lost at sea and encountering this isolated person, sensing the loss all around, yet being unable to communicate.
Any exciting upcoming performances Ascent?
We are playing at the Orange County fair, on the Plaza stage, on July 19 at 5:30. We have regular performances all over Orange County and LA County. The best way to stay on top of where we’re playing is our website, www.Ascent.rocks
What's next for you?
We are writing and recording new songs for a new LP by the end of 2019. We released our “Bleed Like Us” EP online last September.
Connect with Ascent on social media
www.instagram.com/ascentrocks
www.twitter.com/ascentrocks