Howerdel seeks lyrical voice as Ashes Divide front man

Billy Howerdel doesn’t usually shove his opinions down people’s throats.

So when it came time for Howerdel, best known as the guitarist for A Perfect Circle, to write lyrics for his latest project, Ashes Divide, he had to first find his own voice. He’s tackling front-man duties for the first time with this band, and “the pressure is on, so to speak.”

“I had to really start digging in,” Howerdel said during a phone interview from Columbia, S.C., hours away from Ashes Divide’s first headlining gig, ever.

“I can listen to things like Elvis Costello, who is one of my favorite artists ever, and I didn’t concentrate on what he was singing about, I picked and chose sentences, the lyric of the day. I kind of put my ears halfway out of focus, and you can feel where the song is taking you, [instead of having] the sentiment shoved down your throat.”

Introspective lyrics

As a result, Howerdel’s lyrics on Ashes Divide’s debut album, “Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright,” are decidedly introspective, setting them apart from many of singer Maynard James Keenan’s lyrics on A Perfect Circle’s records. But fans of Howerdel and his previous band need not fret when Ashes Divide performs at Revolution Hall in Troy at 6:30 p.m. today, judging from the album.

“I don’t think this falls that far from the APC tree,” Howerdel said. “I don’t know if it was intentional; I wrote from the heart then and I write from the heart now. So it sounds familiar, at least.”

Powerful voice

The similarities to Howerdel’s previous band are most apparent on the first single from the record, “The Stone.” Buried late in the album, the song features a tense yet melodic riff and a lush, atmospheric arrangement, coupled with Howerdel’s surprisingly powerful vocal presence.

The album’s other rockers, including leadoff track “Stripped Away” and “Denial Waits,” also cover familiar territory. But when Howerdel tones down the riffs, as on “A Wish” and “Defamed,” the results, while still typically dark, are almost poppy.

“I’m a big Depeche Mode fan, and this is more in that direction; it could easily go that way,” Howerdel said. “I just wanted to do stuff, letting go of the pressure of whether or not APC is going to happen.”

Howerdel tackled virtually all instruments on the album, with the main exception of drumming duties, which were handled by journeyman drummer and former APC member Josh Freese. When it came time to find musicians to fill out Ashes Divide’s touring lineup, Howerdel opted to seek out musicians who were less well-known.

“I was looking for musicians who hadn’t got a shot and deserve it,” Howerdel said. “It’s a little more work to do it this way, but the pros outweigh the cons. They’re hopefully excited to be here; it’s a fresh start for me and a fresh start for them.”

This lineup, which features drummer Jeff Friedl, bassist Matt McJunkins and guitarist Andy Gerold, made its debut as an opening band for three festival dates in Florida earlier this month. According to Howerdel, the audience was less than ideal, being a more heavy metal crowd, but nevertheless the shows went as well as could be expected.

At the controls

“I can honestly say I’m pretty picky, control freak, detail-oriented, tortured artist,” Howerdel said. “I’m hearing it in the monitor. So it was hard to hear the crowd reaction, but on a scale of one to 10, where one is eggs thrown and 10 is people are into it, sure, we were a three-and-a-half, four.”

The band is now testing its mettle as a headliner, and will continue to tour the U.S. after the Revolution Hall show. But “band” might not even be the right word for this project, according to Howerdel.

“Call it whatever you want; it might be a band, a solo project thing,” he said. “Whatever you want to call it, I’m writing music, putting out an album. Whatever that’s called is what it is.”

Reach Gazette reporter Brian McElhiney at 395-3111 or mcelhiney@dailygazette.net.