A Few Askew was officially anointed in 2002, but have roots that go back as far as 1995. Its members, seasoned veterans of the Cleveland music scene, come from such notable lineage as Redemption (drummer Al Daher and vocalist Tony Balante, who is also the current vocalist for Stresslord), Odious Sanction (bassist Kevin Farley), and Happy Rainbow Death (guitarist Joe Petrich, also current ax man for The Family Riot)
A Few Askew's discography between 2002 and 2007 yielded two 4 song E.P.s. Personal obligations slowed the band for the next 2 years in which they did not perform live but did begin recording their long over due full-length album with Painesville, Ohio's 5 FIFTHS Studio. This 14 song CD, entitled "Off the Beaten Path", was released this year on May 30th at an exhilarating show at Peabody's in Cleveland. This was the band's first show in over 2 years , headlining an evening in which they invited many of their local musician friends and peers in such bands as Pale Creation, Pursesnatcher, Dohm, Forged In Flames, and many others. The band, in the past, has had opportunities to also open up for national and inter-national acts such as Meshuggah, Gwar, Devildriver, Drowning Pool, Eye Hate God, Dog Fashion Disco as well as notable local favorites 216, Ventana, Philhatchet, All Out, Dead Even, and Shenoah. These shows have helped the band earn a vast and loyal fan base with many more to soon follow in the wake of the much anticipated "Off the Beaten Path"
"Off the Beaten Path" is a collage of everything from jazz/fusion to straight-up, in your face death grind. At times, tastes of Latin percussion and ambience along with vocals that sing, growl, rap and scream, give the listener many colors and shades of music to digest. The multi-faceted approach and militant musicianship of each member of A Few Askew is clearly evident in their collectively unique and distinguishable sound. No specific genre seems to accurately describe A Few Askew, leaving the listener to ultimately draw their own conclusions about their innovative original music.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT A FEW ASKEW
"A sound all it's own, a phrase that is best used to describe the music by A Few Askew" Karen Curtis-Cleveland Metal Music Examiner
"A Few Askew forged their full-length debut, "Off the Beaten Path", with an arsenal of styles---death-grind, hip-hop, jazz-fusion, neo-prog, and some brass knuckles. The 14 song set conquers everything, from transformative eight-minute doom-prog to precise three minute bursts of speed metal" Keith Gribbins-Cleveland SCENE Magazine