Giving Back To The Scene: An Interview With California’s Ash Sound Co.
By Staff | July 18, 2026
Ash Sound Co. has run the sound for 924 Gilman and put on their own DIY annual festival, but they really could be best described as a love letter to the community. Family run, at-cost, these East Bay visionaries are focused on facilitating the perfect sound for young bands just starting out, bands that lack the resources that some Gilman alumni have (not mentioning names, but you know who we mean). Above all, they are committed to keeping events safe, all-ages and inclusive, not to mention fun, and this is how they give back to the scene that has given them so much.
What does putting on a DIY festival in Oakland mean to you beyond just running sound?
Robert: It’s a way for us to both have fun and say “thank you” to our local scene and community that gives us the opportunity to do what we love. Without the talented young musicians we work with, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. It means the world to us how much people appreciate the quality of sound and production we are able to bring to a scene that doesn’t typically have the resources for such things. There are so many amazing and talented bands and artists that deserve better. It’s our small contribution to that.
Why is it important to you that this festival stays all-ages and affordable?
Robert: Because there are so few affordable fun things for younger folks to do these days. They are either aged out or priced out. Especially in the Bay Area where everything is so crazy expensive. We are fortunate to be able to do this, and we want to be able to share it with as many people as possible. It’s more fun when everyone can come and it’s not exclusive.
How did you connect with Maria Chaos from Dollfest, and what sort of guidance has she given you?
Robert: We connected with Maria through 924 Gilman where she is a booker and where Ash started working as head of sound. Maria has been a tremendous help in giving us guidance with everything from talent buying, to social media marketing and everything in between, connecting us with website creators, video artists, ticket buying platforms, magazines and podcasts, etc. Since we are primarily a sound production company, we normally just work for other promotors with their events. We don’t normally create and promote the shows ourselves. The bookers normally do all the front end work. We know how to produce a great event on the day of the show but not really what to do beforehand. This is our one and only self -produced event and it’s only our second year, so we needed a little help taking it to the next level in terms of presence and visibility. She’s been great.
If this festival becomes an annual Labor Day weekend staple, what do you hope stays the same about it year after year?
[Robert]: We hope that all the values and reasons we launched the Blowout in the first place stay intact. It’s our love letter to the scene and particularly to the East Bay and Oakland. We want it to stay safe, affordable and fun. Even if it gets bigger. We always want it to start small at heart.
In what ways does Baby on a Rampage and the other young bands you support influence the vibe and lineup of your festival?
[Robert]: The vibe all comes from the current crop of young bands coming out of the Bay Area and the East Bay in particular. They are the ones who create the vibe. We just provide the platform. It’s an amazing all-inclusive scene. Metal, Punk, Hardcore, Screamo, Alternative, whatever. So many genres and sub-genres. It an amazing and inspiring mix of hard and soft and with an openness to all kinds of sounds and aesthetics.
How does running a family run, at cost sound company form the way you think about success compared to the corporate production world?
[Robert]: Corporate production and DIY really are two different animals. But also, not so different in terms of the creatives involved. Ash works in both worlds. Many of the musicians and engineers that Ash works with in the corporate production world also moonlight with us at Ash Sound. The clients are just different. The larger production houses Ash works at are all made up of highly talented artists, musicians, and sound engineers who love real human creativity, art and music just like the rest of us. They just do it on a larger scale. And having that work makes it more possible for us to do the more DIY stuff we do at Ash Sound.
If you could put together your dream lineup for a show at 924 Gilman any 4 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
[Ash]: Mindforce, E-town Concrete, Drain & Sanity Slip. Mindforce because they were one of the first big shows (with Big Boy) that I saw at Gilman without my uncle John (who first turned me onto Gilman) after he passed. So they mean a lot to me for that reason. And the E-town, Drain and Sanity are just fire.
Anyone you'd like to thank for their support?
Robert: Absolutely. Too many to thank, but some notables that helped us get our start include Jim Greer of the Cardboard People and Lauro Gonzalez of Artyhood who really gave us our first professional gigs doing street fairs in SF. Chris Nishimoto and CJ Carlson of Third Ear Sound. Cody Stein of Sound Image. Joe Santarpia, engineer for King Gizzard, who connected us with so many folks including Ultrasound. Danny Coggins of R'N'RG Presents and Josef Alfonso of Sunami who gave us our biggest shows to date at the San Jose Civic. Boog of Prop Shop Space and the band A Block who hired us to do sound for Waking the Cadaver and All Shall Perish. Eddie Hermida of All Shall Perish. The whole crew at Bleed Out Booking. Angel and Styrch at 924 Gilman. We could go on and on…
jim greer (@jim_____greer)
Lauro Gonzalez | ArtyHood Foundation | SF Arts (@artyhood_sf)
Chris Nishimoto | Sound Engineer (@motoaudiopro)
CJ Carlson (@hearitclear)
Cody Stein (@adict_drek)
Joe Santarpia (@big_nitty)
Danny Coggins (@tenyearwar)
R’N’RG Presents (@rnrgpresents)
Josef Alfonso (@josefalfonso)
Sunami from SJ (@sunami.408)
Prop Shop (@prop_shop_space)
Eddie Hermida (@yamanhernherm)
Bleed Out Booking (@bleedoutbookings)
AngelTortured Productions (@angeltortured_productions)
Strychnine Valentine (@piss.stains)