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ASKA's long-awaited, fifth cd, "ABSOLUTE POWER", is set to be released on Dec. 1st, 2007 through Vanadium Records.

Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas!!! ;)

Pre-Order your copy NOW directly from the band and get FREE SHIPPING right to your mailbox - plus your disc(s) will be signed by George Call, Keith Knight, Jason Sweatt & Daryl Norton of ASKA - plus get 50% off admission at ASKA's CD Release Show in Dallas, TX on Saturday, Dec 1st.

Send $16 per disc ordered with your name & shipping address to:

Online orders: Paypal: georgeaska@aol.com
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Regular Mail: ASKA
PO BOX 561311
The Colony, TX 75056
USA Make check or money-order payable to George Call

ASKA drummer, Jason Sweatt, recently broke the big toe on his right foot precluding Sweatt from performing at ASKA's April 7th appearance at J. Gilligan's in Arlington last weekend.

Filling in for Sweatt was Omen/Phantom-X's drummer, Danny White.

White, a former member of ASKA, hadn't played with the band in nearly three years yet came in and delivered a near-flawless set much to the fan's delight.

"It was extremely fun playing with Danny again!" said ASKA frontman, George Call "Not only is (Danny) a champion among drummers, but the guy is a true brother man. Always has been, always will be. It was fun to get up and rock with him again."

White's band, Phantom-X, will be Co-Headlining two shows with ASKA on April 27th & 28th in Fort Worth & Dallas where they will be releasing their second cd, "Storm Riders" (Masoleum Records).

LIVE AT RFD DVD is now on Sale.

You asked for it, you got it; you can now download ASKA's "Avenger" and "Nine Tongues" CDs from Apple iTunes! Download the whole album or each song individually. You must have an iTunes player installed on your computer.

ASKA Sets New Attendance Records

Performances in the last few months by ASKA in Arlington live music venues, The Hungry Musician and Club Monte Carlos, have set the new attendance records at both the clubs. The irony is that the band who's records they beat were both.... their own! ASKA held the previous records at these venues and after months of speculation as to who would beat them, the band decided to end the drama and beat themselves!

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ASKA Members work on ArtAziA band project

All that's past is new again.

Once upon a time, when Pantera was making their ascent into the music world, there was a band called ArtAziA making the rounds in the Dallas/Fort Worth metal scene. Sounding a lot like Rush in their heyday, this band is where ASKA's Daryl Norton honed his guitar playing skills. Fast forward 20 years and ArtAziA's back in the studio at last! And band leader, Dave Mack, has requested ASKA's participation in many aspects of their recording process; George Call has helped track scratch and guide vocals. Keith Knight is engineering and co producing their CD project and Daryl Norton is resuming his spot on guitars.

The CD is being recorded at longtime ASKA associate/ArtAziA drummer, Pat "Viking" Murphy's, Bridge Recording studio in North Richland Hills, Texas. You can listen to one of the tracks in progress at www.bridgerecording.net

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ASKA CD 5 Song List

ASKA's 5th cd, now six years in the making, has undergone a lot of song changes, switches, title transfers, etc. Here now is the latest listing of the ten songs to be featured on their new CD. The list, of course, is subject to change but George Call assures us that these ten are the "ones that made the final cut."

They are, in alphabetical order:

FREEDOM
HER GHOST : REMAINS
INVASION
LEGION
LONGSHIPS
MESSAGE FROM GOD
THE GREAT WHORE OF BABYLON
'TIL DEATH DO US PART
VOWBREAKER
WARRIOR POETS

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ASKA interviewed for UTA

ASKA was interviewed last week for a University of Texas at Arlington article regarding their support of Arlington concept club, The Hungry Musician. Featured below is the article. Though, ASKA were only a small part of this story, ASKABAND.COM is looking to bring you the entire, unedited, portion of their interview in both audio and text formats in the following weeks.

The first time Dylan Huddle got on stage, people expected to hear some three-chord middle school poetry music about his budding pitfalls in romance. But as soon as he played the first note to a Pantera cover, everyone knew that this quiet mousy kid was going to be somebody famous someday. Most people are extremely nervous on stage, but he held his own, and looked as comfortable in front of a crowd of people as he would be playing in his bedroom. For a 15-year-old, Dylan knew a lot about music and knew what he wanted to do…get up and play. Whether it is in front of 100 people or just his father, he knew that his life had to revolve around rocking out. As he continued through the song, he held his rock pose and the cliché hair twirl, but to him it was bringing him one step closer to pursuing his dreams.

In most cities, that dream would be a lot harder to achieve. The fact is that someone like Dylan wouldn't have made it in the front door, let alone up on stage. What good is a musician without a full band, let alone one that's not even old enough to drink? But this isn't most cities and this isn't most bars. This is Arlington, Texas and the bar is Hungry Musician.

From the outside, Hungry Musician looks like every other bar in DFW, but once inside you realize that it's not your normal bar. Upon entering, you immediately notice the rustic atmosphere and it takes you back to an old western movie with rickety old wooden tables and chairs and a balcony where at any moment some drunk will be thrown through. There is even a red velvet swing that hangs down in the middle of the bar where one expects a beer maid with fishnets and a feather head band to be swinging back and forth singing and flirting with all the patrons. The Hungry Musician is a club that exists specifically to help musicians network and socialize with other musicians. They have everything you need to play: guitars, drum sets, practices rooms, amps and a sound system. You could literally walk in from the street with nothing and get up on stage to play.

"It's the ultimate music palace," Bar Manager, Jesse Lane said. "There's no other club like it and no other concept like it."

Hungry Musician was formed by Andy Ellis, who grew up playing in bands. He always found it difficult to find other musicians with the same interests and who were going in the same musical direction as him. Ellis wanted to be able to help other bands lessen the amount of time and money that it took to audition potential band members in an atmosphere that was appropriate for all genres and ages.

Hungry Musician opened in December 2005 originally catering to mostly country music, but country musicians in the Dallas/Fort Worth area already had an established network. Today, they accommodate to all genres including rock, blue-grass, and punk. There is always unbelievably good talent and if you don't like what you hear, just wait around 10 minutes and you will hear something you like.

Local Dallas band, ASKA, has played about three times at Hungry Musician since its opening. Lead singer, George Call, thinks that it's a wonderful idea.

"It's a great concept," Call said. "…You really have to hand it to [Andy] for doing something that's visionary. It's so unusual today in corporate America where everything is the bottom line."

ASKA hit the Dallas music scene around 1991. Touring in 37 countries, with four records under their belt and a fifth, Anzareth, due next year, it is hard to believe that with their success ASKA continues to play for small venues like Hungry Musician. Most established bands would not give small clubs the time of day unless they were getting something out of it in return, but ASKA went above and beyond the call of duty to help Hungry Musician in their success.

"We are going to help them as much as we can by continuing to book shows and advertise them and bringing as many people out and making as many people aware of the club as possible," Call said.

Most clubs are hostile to musicians, but Hungry Musician bends over backwards to help in any way they can. They hold a Showcase night for different club owners, agents and record labels to come and listen to the bands to help book shows. There are also nights where if you are looking for a certain musician, like a bass player, or you are a bass player looking for a band, you would be able to show up and meet with other musicians to see if there is a fit. The employees are all musicians, and it's not uncommon to see them playing on stage. They act like it's not a job, but just a place that they are lucky enough to get to come to every day.

Dylan has been playing guitar for five years and started his band, Martyr Machine, with a friend from school. He started coming to Hungry Musician because of the networking opportunities and to get out of the local party scene. By getting to play on stage, his band has been able to gain a lot of experience and has been able to jam with a lot of good drummers. If it had not been for Hungry Musician, Dylan would not have the opportunities to meet new musicians and familiarity of being on stage.

Hungry Musician needs people to come out and see what this is all about. There is no age requirement or membership to join, just show up ready to play. They just want to help other musicians do what they love doing, playing music. Lane said, "It's like the field of dreams. We built it, now fucking come."

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Ride for Dime review in Thunder Roads Magazine

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The long awaited followup CD to ASKA's "AVENGER" now has a name: "ANZARETH". The guys agreed on the name Tuesday night at a rehearsal/mix session and have decided to make it public. The title, Anzareth, itself brings up a million questions- all of which we were glad to ask - but the band has demured saying only that "We will answer all questions when the CD comes out." And the anticipation builds. ASKA will be appearing live in Dallas this saturday April 22nd at O'Riley's where it is expected they will make the announcement personally.

Hi Everyone,
ASKA was scheduled to play SAXON's Dallas date with them (Nov. 11th) as the main support act. We were specifically requested by the band and we've enjoyed doing live dates with the guys in the past in support of their "Killing Ground" CD. It would have been magical, surely, but alas- 'twas not meant to be. SAXON has canceled the U.S. leg of their tour. ASKA is now headlining the show on Friday, NOV 11th at the GALAXY (in Dallas). The GALAXY is in a new location at 2808 Commerce St. (in Deep Ellum) across from Coyote Ugly Saloon.

Mark your calendars for the following weekend, Saturday Nov 19th, ASKA will be headlining the show at Monte Carlos in Arlington. With special guests and good friends of ASKA, Fame 15, Live Wire (a Motley Crue tribute), and Christian rockers Golgotha. It's going to be a great and diverse (not to mention FUN!!!) night of the best rock music this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Veteran ASKA bass tech, Billy Jordan, was recently sentenced to five years incarceration in a Texas state penitentiary when he was found by a judge to be in violation of his parole.

Jordan's parole was revoked when he allegedly assaulted a Fort Worth couple with his vehicle. Jordan denies the incident took place at all and that the alleged female victim in the case, Jordan's ex-girlfriend, fabricated the entire episode.

Jordan claims that his ex-girlfriend convinced her new boyfriend to play along with her story so that she could have her "revenge" on Jordan due to hard feelings she was harboring over their acrimonious breakup and to "get him out of the way".

ASKA, unhappy as they are about the untimely turn of events, have guaranteed Jordan a place on the crew upon bis release.

Correspondence for Billy can be sent to; ASKA - PO BOX 561311 - The Colony, TX 75056 USA. The band will forward it to him directly.

ASKA lead vocalist/guitarist, George Call, recently underwent vocal chord surgery after a biopsy concerned doctors that he might have throat cancer. Call has been under doctor's orders not to speak or sing for several weeks, possibly months. According to the band, it's a serious issue and the band discussed the possibility of having to find a vocalist should George's voice be permanently damaged as a result of surgery. Call, principal songwriter and the band's founder, assures us that he will remain with the band no matter what the outcome.

ASKA's latest series of live performances, both before and since Call's surgery, have featured a number of guest vocalists, including George's bother and former ASKA drummer, Damon Call, to tremendous fan response. "We're making lemon-ade out of this lemon." said Call, "I think it's been a real treat for the fans too as they're getting to hear Keith and Jason do their stuff on the mic. Both of them are great singers in their own right and I really can't think of too many bands that can do what we're doing right now. And it's been a super thrill to share the stage with Damon again. He loves the band, the fans, and it's clear to see that they love him as well. ASKA is one big family, man. We're all there for each other."

Call's pathology report came back negative for cancer but he did have an area on his vocal chords that was considered "pre-cancerous" and it was decided that surgery was the best course of action. George reportedly did get a second opinion.

The band reports that this will delay the upcoming disc. Updates here as they become available.

The entire ASKA band and entourage were recent guests of Judas Priest when the band came to Dallas on tour last month. ASKA was spotted visiting with members of Priest and Queensryche backstage after the show. Rumor has it that Judas Priest drummer, Scott Travis, may make a guest appearance on the upcoming, and as of this writing- untitled, ASKA cd.

ASKA bassist, Keith Knight, is reportedly opening a recording studio in North Richland Hills, Texas with long time ASKA friends and associates, Pat & Lisa Murphy. "The studio will have top notch gear, everything you need to get a solid, professional recording." stated Knight. "I'm putting everything I learned with ASKA over the years, particularly on the CD we're working on now, into full effect. It's going to give this studio an edge over most in town because I've done this hands on for years now."

"Yeah, it's not like some of these places where the people working there are all theory and no practice." said bandmate George Call. We've lived music from both sides of the fence, live and in the studio. They're two completely different beasts. You can have one without the other but that's like having a cock and no balls. With Keith and Pat your getting complete genitalia!"

The studio is presently under construction and should be complete within the next few months. ASKA's upcoming 5th CD is being recorded in ASKA's own private studio but may bounce over to the new studio to tweak the gear out.

Pat Murphy, former drummer in ASKA guitarist Daryl Norton's former band, Avantasia, couldn't be reached for comment but ASKA fans may better remember Murphy as one of the drummers that helped the band out in what turned out to be Jason Sweatt's second extended departure from the band. Murphy headlined a number of shows and enjoyed several high profile concerts with the band, including opening for Saxon and Lizzy Borden.

If you would like to be put on a mailing list for further information on this studio, rates, etc. Send an email to keithaska@aol.com

In 1996, George Call traded a green/blue, aqua/teal colored USA Made BC RICH WAVE model guitar at GUITAR CENTER in Arlington Texas. George has made it clear that he regrets doing so and would like to locate this guitar. George is asking everybody and anybody's help in locating the guitar's whereabouts. Hints, tips, and leads, can be emailed to George directly at georgeaska@aol.com The guitar was made in the mid to late 80's, has a neck through body and features a full complement of active electronics. See pictures. Anyone with information as to this guitar's whereabouts please contact George immediately.