This photo of Derek of From Ashes Rise is one of my favorite photos. He is of one of my favorite people from one of my favorite bands. From the mid-‘90s on, I watched From Ashes Rise through many different lineups and was always a fan. But when Derek joined the band they turned everything up a few notches. They played back to back with Wolfbrigade at the Minneapolis Thrash Fest in 2004 and it was absolutely-beyond-words amazing.
No one was really sure if there would be more Wolfbrigade shows after Micke had damaged his throat, so seeing them at the Thrash Fest and having them play along with FAR was really awesome. Happily, there has been no stopping Wolfbrigade and they continue raging to this day. I wish that I could say the same about From Ashes Rise. Over the past decade, they have been my go-to favorite band—a band of dudes that are like family; dudes that I could easily spend a month in a van on tour with and never tire of their friendship or their live shows. I love this photo because it reminds me of the long, friendly, rad journey through punk life with Dave, John, Derek, and Brad. Cheers guys!
