Anne’s Band, Upon Wings, Releases New Metal Song/Video, ‘Distant Memory’

I hope that you wake up with me on Saturday mornings here on WRIF, and if so, maybe you've heard me talk about my musical project. I head up a band called Upon Wings. It's a musical project that I've had for more than a decade. When I started the project, our music was very gothic, classical and metal. Lately, I've been releasing some dark-trap pop tracks, which has been really interesting and fun. My last two singles, "Deal Breaker" and "Bad Habit," were both dark-trap with a strong hip-hop beat. But, with Upon Wings' latest song, I'm going back to my roots with a metal track.

Upon Wings' newest single, "Distant Memory," dropped on Oct. 27. It's available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and wherever you listen to music. Listen and watch below. This song features longtime Upon Wings producer and guitarist Kevin Jardine, as well as awesome metal drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña of Kyng and incredible guitarist Patrick Kennison of Lita Ford's band.

"Distant Memory" is the third single I've released this year, following "Deal Breaker" and "Bad Habit." I'm proud of myself, because my goal this year was to release more music, and I did it. I usually release one single per year, but this year, it will be four, as I have a holiday song on the way.

On that subject, I'm releasing an original holiday song called "Christmas with You" on Nov. 17. Pre-save it now here or by searching "Anne Ashley Christmas with You" on iTunes.

I also have a new music video for "Distant Memory." I'm still doing my own videos, which is quite a task, but I enjoy the creative process. I think this video is extra special and perfect for Halloween. Reach out to me with your thoughts here. I'm hoping this song can help take Upon Wings to the next level, so that we're considered one of the hottest newer metal bands out there. Oh, you'll also hear "Distant Memory" on Midnight Metal on WRIF in November.

If you're in my life, then you've heard about the band Bad Omens incessantly. I can't stop talking about them. I think the thing that struck me about this band is that it's been a long time since I've heard a brand new band that really connects with me. So, hearing this band and latching onto them was really special for me.

You know how it is. Or, maybe not. But, at least for me, the bands that I first discovered when I first started listening to music are the bands that have remained my favorites. There are too many to list, but some of my favorite bands from the "early days" include Tool, AFI (read more about my love for them here), Staind, Seether, Judas Priest and so many more.

Early last year, I was listening to some music, and suddenly, a song came that made me say, "Wow. What is that? Who is this?!" The song was "Like a Villain" by "Bad Omens." I immediately texted Jade from WRIF to ask if we were playing the band. I fell in love with their sound right away.

Then, I started to listen to all the tracks off their new album, "The Death of Peace of Mind." This is one of the most unique albums I've ever heard. It covers so many genres. It's so experimental and imaginative, but it also is commercial sounding enough to just have a great, mainstream appeal. I've picked a few of my favorite Bad Omens songs below to share with you. I feel like I'm sharing a piece of my heart, as silly as that sounds, as I share these tracks. Enjoy!

Oh, and for the record, my mom loves Bad Omens, too. She's awesome, so that's a big stamp of approval. Learn more about the band here and here. Bad Omens is playing Riff Fest. Get to know the full lineup for this year's festival here.

Bad Omens' "The Death of Peace of Mind" is my favorite Bad Omens song to date. So perfect. It grows and crescendos in such a dramatic way.

"Concrete Jungle" is simply epic. I can listen to it over and over again. Every time I listen, I hear a new sound that I didn't hear before.

I love this unplugged, acoustic version of Bad Omens' "Never Know." Bad Omens can really do anything. They can scream, they can sing and they can pull things way back.

This is the song that made me discover Bad Omens. When I heard it, I was like, "Who is this?" It's been a long item since I've had that reaction to a new band!

Bad Omens' "Just Pretend" went viral on TikTok, and now it's one of the most played rock songs in America. It's a great song, and I'm super happy for their success with it. I actually like the other songs off the album even more, but that just says a lot about how many good tracks these guys can make.