Ashes of Babylon: Headed For The Big Time And The Big State of Texas

By Cassondra Guilbeau
The Times of SWLA

Ashes of Babylon @ L'Aburge du Lac

When you first lay eyes on Ashes of Babylon, if you do a double take, well you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. For seven white guys playing reggae music with such authenticity, the shocked reaction is a compliment.

The undeniable leader of AOB is Corey Saucier, 24, who is responsible for uniting the group’s unique sound. The Sulphur native relocated to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands just after his junior year in high school when his father was transferred there.

Of course, it was pretty much a culture shock for the teenager, who was a musician, but was not a fan of reggae music at the time. He soon found that he would have little choice in the matter.

“It’s pretty much all you listen to, it’s all they have on the radio there,” Saucier said. He remembers the first reggae song he heard on the radio—a dancehall song with lots of sirens and sound effects. “I thought I would hate it, but I ended up loving it.”

While he was in St. Croix, he met schoolmate Jeremy Crenshaw and his brother Jacob who were from Zachary, La. The three started playing music together and continued playing when they moved to Georgia after high school.

Then came the twist of fate. On Easter of 2006, Saucier’s parent’s house burned down. It was after that incident that Saucier decided he needed to make a change. After living away from Southwest Louisiana for about five years, he returned, and quickly looked up some old friends.

He hooked up with his cousin Beau Guidry, 28, and their friends and fellow musicians Sam Chapman, 22; Max Sprigg, 22; Eric Daigle, 28; and Dan Robertson, 28. Jacob Crenshaw, 28, also joined the group. Saucier was ready to start playing and recording right away, and even had songs written before the group came together.

But, his fellow musicians, all from Sulphur except Crenshaw, had limited exposure to reggae, and would need to develop the same appreciation for it that Saucier had.

“That music was too slow for me to listen to at the time,” Chapman , whose musical background includes Sulphur High School band and the McNeese Jazz Ensemble, was playing punk and ska music at the time.

The band’s early recordings helped to sway opinions. “I really didn’t like reggae music, but when I heard what he (Saucier) recorded, it made me like it,” Chapman said. “Corey plays some people’s songs better than they do.”

Under Saucier’s direction, AOB developed a genuine sound that is very unique in this area. Just two days after coming together as a band, they played their first live show. And their live performances became the foundation for their success. They traveled around the state, building a fan base. Many of their fans were being introduced to reggae for the first time.

“Most people, when they think of reggae, they think of Bob Marley, like reggae and Bob Marley are interchangeable,” Saucier said. “But there is so much other stuff out there. It’s good stuff, thought-provoking stuff.”

Ashes of Babylon are proud that they have opened up south Louisiana to a different genre of music. They sought to expand their audience with the recording of “Revolutionary Roots,” their first album.

They recorded a CD themselves in bass player Daigle’s bedroom. But the result sounds far from homemade. They created a professional-quality piece that captured the band’s live show vibe. And they are proud to say their sales just went international. “Someone from Canada bought our CD on iTunes,” Saucier laughed.

To say that their fans are important to them would be putting it mildly. Chapman and Saucier recount negative experiences they have had when meeting musicians they admired. Regardless of the level of success they achieve, they are determined to never let their fans have that experience.

“I would rather somebody think our music isn’t great than think I am not a good person,” Saucier said.

That sort of reputation is a priority for AOB. In addition to recording their album themselves, they book their own shows and handle their own business. So, they are very aware of the impression they are leaving. And, anything short of professional is unacceptable.

“We played Chelsey’s in Baton Rouge and the management complimented us on our professionalism,” Saucier said.

They also put the same care and attention into their live shows. The goal is simple…they want the audience to have a good time. “We like to get a big crowd and get people dancing,” Saucier said. “That’s where the gratification is.” Chapman added that it is a disappointment when an artist doesn’t care about the live show.

Being a musician is about more than creating a sound in a studio. When you are playing live, there are no special effects to hide behind. These serious musicians are determined that what you hear on their CD is what you hear when they play live. They see a successful future including being on the road more, playing live music. They also have an appreciation for the “grassroots fans.”

“I don’t care if people are burning our CDs,” Saucier said.

While Saucier introduced the concept of creating a reggae band in Southwest Louisiana to the group, the sound that they have developed is a collaborative effort. Everyone comes together in the writing process under the band’s songwriting motto, “create and elaborate.” They have written together as a group and written independently and brought their concepts back to the group to perfect. “Everyone is open,” Chapman said.

Everyone is open to doing what is best for the band as well. So, when Robertson’s wife got into graduate school at Texas State, Ashes of Babylon had a band meeting. They decided they all believed in the future of the band and should all move to San Marcos, Texas, to continue the dream. And, that is what they are doing this summer. The move also includes girlfriends and fiancés, which demonstrates just how strong the fabric of this band is.

Even though they are going to take their time getting settled in and meeting people before they record their next album, they have plenty of material written. And you can hear their new songs when you catch a live AOB show. They plan to travel back to Southwest Louisiana every few months to play. But they will be focusing their shows in Texas, gaining exposure in bigger markets.

“Austin is the live music capital,” Chapman said. “There will be professional people there like bookers and promoters we wouldn’t be exposed to if we weren’t there.”

Ashes of Babylon realizes the future is wide open and their potential is unlimited. That is why they find the move, with an opportunity to play bigger shows in bigger venues is so exciting. Until now, their biggest performance was a New Orleans Hornets pregame show. But now, they already have their eye on a specific prize.

“We applied to South by Southwest (music festival in Austin) and didn’t get it,” Saucier said. “We applied this year and we were put on stand-by. Next year, they need to just put us in the damn show already.”

To get your own taste of Ashes of Babylon, check them out at www.myspace.com/theashesofbabylon.