Deborah and Justin Norton-Kerston as individuals have been grounded in the world of labor strikes and eviction defense. Thus when the two formed the band, Ashera, they took that energy to produce their work. This talented band, Ashera, is made of explicitly antifascist neofolk music.
Ashera’s new 10-song album, “Rob The Rich”, depicts their way into psych and prog rock to Appalachian hill folk. It seems neofolk was just the start point for Ashera. The real roots lie somewhere deeper. The album gives an amazing experience where the music goes passing the limits of antifascist neofolk. The expectations from both the band and the genre have now risen.
“Rob the Rich” album’s thematic concepts focus on the anti-fascism of Ashera’s first EP. They have now explored some other aspects of fascism too, namely white supremacy, privilege, and patriarchy. This time they have gone closer to these subjects and explored it deeper.
The songs have the ‘revolt and burn it down’ fight a war like aspect, similar to their other work. But this time, “Rob The Rich” also explores other aspects of fascism. They are trying to explore how the weapons are used by fanatics, how fascism affects society, and how it can be fought in addition to their ‘going out and punching the Nazi’ aspect.
Ashera hasn’t ever hid from the contested space. That is their principle approach, driving the space open for the audience. The way Ashera is exploring the antifascist neofolk, more bands can get inspired from it and create more in the new genre.
Other Links:
https://linktr.ee/Ashera_
https://www.facebook.com/AsheraMusicPNW/
https://www.asheramusicpnw.com/