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Ash
AshRock group Among the most popular pop groups in the United Kingdom during the 1990s, Ireland’s Ash scored hits with the singles “Oh Yeah,” “Girl from Mars,” and “Kung Fu.” Bass guitarist Mark Hamilton, drummer Rick McMurray, and guitarist/lead vocalist Tim Wheeler differed college plans to pursue the success the young group experienced after the release of their debut album, 1977, in 1996. An edgier version of the bubble-gum pop of American musical contemporaries Hanson, Ash took “cherry-syrup melodies and summer-lovin’ couplets of adolescent pop and dunked them in a tart coating of punkish clangor” on the album, according to Jeff Gordinier of Fortune magazine. The group continued their success with the release of Nu-Clear Sounds in 1998 and Free All Angels in 2001. Twelve-year-olds Wheeler and Hamilton formed the metal act Vietnam in 1989 after receiving guitars as gifts for Christmas. The duo quickly changed its sound, however, after seeing a neighborhood punk band cover The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” In June of 1992, schoolmate Rick McMurray joined the band as a drummer. With the addition of McMurray, the group soon produced their first demo tape at Cosmic Rayz Studio. The following September, Ash recorded its first single, “Jack Names the Planets,” which was released on the indie label La La Land Records in February of 1994. New Musical Express (NME) praised the “teen punkers from Belfast with swell, bitty lead breaks like The Undertones and odd American accents like they’ve been hanging out with Evan Dando (formerly of the Lemonheads) and Pavement.” To promote the single, Ash headed to England to perform a series of shows during their Easter high school break. The tour led to a deal with Infectious Records, which released the group’s Trailer EP the following November. Ash’s popularity grew, and in January of 1995 the band was nominated for Best New Band in NME’s Brat Awards. To keep its success growing, Ash released the single “Kung Fu” in March of 1995. It reached number 57 on the singles charts, the first chart placement for the group. Deciding to make a career of music, the trio dropped out of high school in August of 1995. Two days after leaving school, Ash played the prestigious Glas-tonbury Festival. Several singles followed, including “Girl from Mars,” which hit number eleven on the charts, “Angel Interceptor,” which moved into the number 14 spot in October of 1995, a cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “Get Ready” in 1995, and “Goldfinger,” a number five hit in April of 1996. Fame at an early age took its toll on Ash. Wheeler endured a drug-induced nervous breakdown, and Hamilton suffered from several bouts of alcohol poisoning. In May of 1996, Ash released its debut full-length album, 1977, which topped the United Kingdom charts. Of the group and the album, NME said that “Ash’s heads have been turned far more by an American alternative tradition than British indie of late.” The English music magazine predicted that the band would overcome “the brief shelf-life and potential stigma of being an ooh-aren’t-they-so-young teen phenomenon.” Unlike Ash’s previous releases, 1977— named for Wheeler and Hamilton’s birth year and the year in which their favorite movie, Star Wars, was released—touched on the trio’s debaucherous ways. Drug and alcohol abuse did not hinder Ash’s success, however. The album reached number one on the United Kingdom album charts and spawned five hit singles including “Oh Yeah,” “Girl from Mars,” and “Kung Fu.” Instead of returning to the studio, Ash released the live record Live at the Wireless in March of 1997 on its own Death Star Records. According to Ash’s official website, the band needed a woman’s touch and hired second guitarist Charlotte Hatherley. Following Hather-ley’s addition to the group, Ash scored the number ten hit “A Life Less Ordinary” from the Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz film of the same name. Comparing Ash to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Bono, the lead singer of fellow Irish rockers U2, invited the band to perform as part of a free peace rally in Belfast in May of 1998. More than 2,000 Catholic and Protestant school children attended the event designed to endorse a “Yes” vote for the Belfast Peace Agreement. In October of 1998, Ash sent its second studio album, Nu-Clear Sounds, to stores. The album peaked at number seven on the charts. Despite the album’s popular success, NME panned the single “Numbskull”: “This is the sound of teeth-grinding, gray-misted premenstrual For the Record…Members include Mark Hamilton (born on March 21, 1977), bass; Charlotte Hatherley (born on June 20, 1977; joined group, 1997), guitars, vocals; Rick McMurray (born on July 11, 1975), drums; Tim Wheeler (born on January 4, 1977), guitars, vocals. Formed group in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, 1992; signed with La La Land Records, 1994; released single “Jack Names the Planets,” 1994; signed with Infectious Records, released Trailer EP, 1994; released 1977, 1996; released Live at the Wireless on own Death Star Records, 1997; released Nu-Clear Sounds, 1998; released Free All Angels, 2001. Addresses: Record company —Infectious Records, London, England, website: http://www.mushroomuk.com/maininfectious.htm. Website —Ash Official Website: http://www.ash-official.com. tension.” The video, however, fueled the single’s success. The controversial piece featured group sex, drug abuse, self-mutilation, and a naked Wheeler. Hatherley explained to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) online that Wheeler chose to do the video in part to contradict his image. “I think it goes against Tim’s usual image in the press—getting away from that babyface indie kid,” Hatherley said. “It starts off pretty tame and then it escalates, but I think they’ll be able to show some clips somewhere.” In 1999, Ash shied away from the stage for the most part. Though the group wasn’t playing regular shows, Ash stayed in the press. Hatherley and Wheeler were hired as models for designer Calvin Klein’s Spring 2000 advertising campaign. Star Wars fans, Ash was thrilled when actor McGregor asked the group to entertain during a premiere party for Episode One: The Phantom Menace. To further promote its 2001 album, Free All Angels, Ash headlined the NME Brat Awards. In an interview with the music magazine, McMurray stated that Hatherley had written songs for the album, but he wasn’t sure of the record’s direction and seemed jaded by the commercial disappointment of Nu-Clear Sounds. “We’re almost not mainstream anymore, rather strangely,” McMurray said. For Wheeler, the process of recording Free All Angels was much more “natural” than Nu-Clear Sounds, he told the BBC. “I think the last album, we were reacting to what people expected of us, so we did somethin completely different. With this album, we just didn’t care and just wrote whatever came out. It was a much more natural process.” Reclaiming its penchant for controversy, Ash purchased 300 copies of a single by pop group Westlife and burned them in a city park during an autograph session in Leeds, England. “We were doing an in-store appearance and the manager gave them to us. Westlife epitomize everything that’s mind-numbing and contrived about the music industry,” Hatherley told Teletext about the incident. Upon its release, Free All Angels debuted at number one. “Never underestimate the power of a great record. It got us back on the radio and seemed to be used as a backing track for a few sporting events. That certainly helped relaunch us as a band,” Wheeler told the Glasgow Evening Times. Selected discographyTrailer (EP; includes “Jack Names the Planets”), Infectious, 1994. 1977 (includes “Oh Yeah,” “Kung Fu,” “Girl from Mars”), Infectious, 1996. Live at the Wireless, Death Star, 1997. Nu-Clear Sounds (includes “Numbskull”), Infectious, 1998; DreamWorks (U.S.), 1999. Free All Angels, Infectious, 2001. SourcesPeriodicalsBirmingham Post (England), May 12, 2001. Fortune, October 11, 1999. Glasgow Evening Times (Scotland), May 21, 2001. The People (London, England), April 18, 2001. Online“Ash,” New Musical Express, http://www.nme.com/NME/External/Artists/Artist_Biog/0,1231,art4111,00.html (July 25, 2001). “Ash Get Their Kit Off,” BBC Online, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/artist_area/ash/122.shtml (September 22, 2001). “Ash: Still Shining,” BBC Online, http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/highlights/010212_ash.shtml (September 23, 2001). “People Vs Ash,” BBC Online, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/alt_features/feature_people_vs_ash.shtml (September 23, 2001). Teletext, http://www.geocities.com/altemator_team/tel07apr01.html (July 25, 2001). —Christina Fuoco |
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Fuoco, Christina. "Ash." Contemporary Musicians. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Fuoco, Christina. "Ash." Contemporary Musicians. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3495200011.html Fuoco, Christina. "Ash." Contemporary Musicians. 2002. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3495200011.html |
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ash
ash [OE aesc]. A tree regarded with awe in Celtic countries, especially Ireland. The ash may be any of the various trees of the genus Fraxinus, which usually grow quite tall and have close-grained wood; the mountain ash, rowan, or quicken tree, a smaller tree of the genus Sorbus aucuparia, is usually considered separately in the Celtic imagination.
There are several recorded instances in Irish history in which people refused to cut an ash, even when wood was scarce, for fear of having their own cabins consumed with flame. The ash tree itself might be used in May Day (Beltaine) rites. Under the Old Irish word nin, the ash also gives its name to the letter N in the ogham alphabet. Together with the oak and thorn, the ash is part of a magical trilogy in fairy lore. Ash seedpods may be used in divination, and the wood has the power to ward off fairies, especially on the Isle of Man. In Gaelic Scotland children were given the astringent sap of the tree as a medicine and as a protection against witch-craft. Some famous ash trees were the Tree of Uisnech, the Bough of Dathí, and the Tree of Tortu. The French poet who used Breton sources, Marie de France (late 12th cent.), wrote a lai about an ash tree. OIr. nin; Ir. fuinseog; ScG fuinnseann; Manx unjin; W onnen; Corn. onnen; Bret. onnenn. See also FAIRY TREE; TREE. |
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "ash." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "ash." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-ash.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "ash." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-ash.html |
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ash
ash1 / ash/ • n. the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance: cigarette ash. ∎ (ashes) the remains of something destroyed; ruins: democracies taking root in the ashes of the Soviet empire. ∎ (ashes) the remains of the human body after cremation or burning. ∎ powdery material thrown out by a volcano: the plains have been showered by volcanic ash. ∎ the mineral component of an organic substance, as assessed from the residue left after burning: coal contains higher levels of ash than premium fuels. PHRASES: rise (or emerge) from the ashes be renewed after destruction: Atlanta has risen from the ashes. ash2 • n. 1. (also ash tree) a tree (genus Fraxinus) of the olive family, with silver-gray bark and compound leaves, widely distributed throughout north temperate regions. Its many species include the North American white ash (F. americana) and the European ash (F. excelsior). ∎ the hard pale wood of this tree. 2. an Old English runic letter (so named from the word of which it was the first letter). ∎ the symbol æ or Æ, used in the Roman alphabet in place of the runic letter, and as a phonetic symbol. See also Æ. |
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"ash." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ash." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ash005.html "ash." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ash005.html |
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ash
ash in botany, any plant of the genus Fraxinus of the family Oleaceae ( olive family), trees and shrubs mainly of north temperate regions. The ashes are characterized by small clusters of greenish flowers and by fruits with long "wings" to aid in wind dispersal. The most valuable of the species used for hardwood timber is the white ash ( F. americana ), ranging from Nova Scotia to Minnesota and Texas. Its strong, durable wood is used for sporting goods, furniture, tool handles, and oars. The bark of the blue ash ( F. quadrangulata ) yields a blue dye; the Mediterranean flowering ash ( F. ornus ) is the source of commercial manna . The name flowering ash is also applied to a shrubby species ( F. cuspidata ) of the California canyon chaparral and to the fringe tree (genus Chionanthus of the same family) of North America and China. The mountain ash and prickly ash are not true ashes. Ashes are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Scrophulariales, family Oleaceae. |
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"ash." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ash." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ashBot.html "ash." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ashBot.html |
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Ash
Ash or ashes. In Western religions, ashes generally represent human frailty and mortality. Thus in Christianity, ashes are smeared on the forehead during the Ash Wednesday ritual. The words of committal in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer are, ‘We commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’ But in Indian religions, and especially among Hindus, ash represents the pure substance left when the impure accidents of life have been removed. Ash is therefore smeared on the body as a mark of commitment to the process of liberating the true self from all that encumbers it. Saivites are distinguished by three horizontal ash marks across the forehead.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Ash." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Ash." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ash.html JOHN BOWKER. "Ash." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ash.html |
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ash
ash Group of mainly deciduous trees of the genus Fraxinus growing in temperate regions, usually having leaves made up of many small leaflets, and winged fruits. The wood is elastic, strong and shock-resistant, and is widely used for furniture. Species include manna ash, F. ornus, the flowering ash of s Europe and Asia Minor; the European ash, F. excelsior, which grows to 45m (148ft) tall; and F. floribunda, a native of the Himalayas. Family Oleaceae. The mountain ash of Europe and Asia (Sorbus aucuparia) comes from a different family.
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"ash." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ash." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ash.html "ash." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ash.html |
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ASH
ASH, also æsc, aesc. The scholarly name for the LIGATURE (upper case Æ, lower case æ or æ) of a and e, used in Old English orthography for a sound related to but distinct from the sound represented by each LETTER separately. The form æ is used in IPA for a not quite open, front unrounded vowel, higher than Cardinal 4 and lower than Cardinal 3, as in many pronunciations of cat /kæt/. This was probably the sound represented by the Old English symbol. See ALPHABET, RUNE.
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TOM McARTHUR. "ASH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "ASH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-ASH.html TOM McARTHUR. "ASH." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-ASH.html |
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Ash
Ash, ‘(place at) the ash-tree(s)’, OE æsc; examples include: Ash Kent, near Sandwich. Æsce c.1100. Ash Surrey. Essa 1170. Ash Magna Shrops. Magna Asche 1285. Affix is Latin magna ‘great’. Ash Priors Somerset. Æsce 1065, Esse Prior 1263. Affix from its early possession by the Prior of Taunton.
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A. D. MILLS. "Ash." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Ash." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Ash.html A. D. MILLS. "Ash." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Ash.html |
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ash
ash1 forest-tree of genus Fraxinus. OE. æsċ = OS. ask (Du. esch), OHG. ask (G. esche is infl. by the adj. eschen), ON. askr :- Gmc. *askiz. Rel. L. ornus, R. yásen', W. onnen; Gr. oxúē beech.
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T. F. HOAD. "ash." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "ash." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ash.html T. F. HOAD. "ash." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ash.html |
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ash
ash a tree, from whose wood spear-shafts were traditionally made, which has given its name to an Old English runic letter, , so named from the word of which it was the first letter.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "ash." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "ash." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-ash.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "ash." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-ash.html |
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ash
ash The residue left behind after all organic matter has been burnt off, a measure of the total content of mineral salts in a food.
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DAVID A. BENDER. "ash." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "ash." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-ash.html DAVID A. BENDER. "ash." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-ash.html |
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mountain ash
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "mountain ash." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "mountain ash." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-mountainash.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "mountain ash." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-mountainash.html |
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ash
ash Tephra less than 2 mm in size.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "ash." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "ash." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-ash.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "ash." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-ash.html |
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ash
ash (Fraxinus) See OLEACEAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "ash." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "ash." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-ash.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "ash." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-ash.html |
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ash
ash
•abash, ash, Ashe, bash, brash, cache, calash, cash, clash, crash, dash, encash, flash, gash, gnash, hash, lash, mash, Nash, panache, pash, plash, rash, sash, slash, smash, soutache, splash, stash, thrash, trash
•earbash • kurbash • calabash
•slapdash • pebbledash • balderdash
•spatterdash • backlash • backslash
•whiplash • eyelash • goulash
•newsflash • thunderflash • mishmash
•gatecrash • Midrash • potash
•succotash
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"ash." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ash." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ash.html "ash." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ash.html |
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ASH
ASH (æʃ) Action on Smoking and Health
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FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "ASH." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "ASH." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-ASH1.html FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "ASH." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-ASH1.html |
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