21 QUESTIONS: OAK & ASH

In our latest edition of our playful game, we asked up-and-coming band Oak & Ash to get a little bit intimate with us. Hailing from New York, the soulful band that falls in between rock and pop started back in 2014. Influenced by Kings of Leon, Maroon 5 and Coldplay, the band has amassed over 40 live performances in the past year. This past July, the four piece—Chris Tuorto, Rich Tuorto, Paul Gramigna and Andrew Marsh—released its debut EP Slightly Reckless. The band anticipates a full-length coming in 2016, but you can enjoy their anthemic EP in the meantime.

Stream the band’s EP below.

1. What gets you up in the morning? On a good day…my alarm clock. On a better day… last night’s date. (Chris Tuorto)

2. What’s your personal life philosophy? Think positive. Stay positive. Do positive. (Chris)

3. Your biggest virtue? My biggest virtue would be my ability to devote my time and energy towards the things that make me truly happy. Whether it is music, the gym, watching a movie, or seeing family and friends, I always make time to do the things that are most important to me and to do things for others that I know are important to them. (Rich Tuorto)

4. Your biggest vice? My biggest vice is that I can be very stubborn. I have a tendency to be passionate about doing things a certain way or for a certain reason and have trouble trusting in other people’s opinions. I’m working on it. (Rich)

5. Do you have a party trick? Well, let’s see. I can open a bottle with just about anything. I’ve also traveled nowhere but can name all of the countries in the world. The first one is way more useful at a party though. (Paul Gramigna)

6. How would you describe your style? Dark jeans, black or white tee shirt, and Converse: clean and simple, (Rich)

7. What would constitute a perfect day for you? Wake up at 10 AM, after getting a full night’s sleep, next to a beautiful woman. Roll out of bed with that perfect bed head hair and drink a cup of authentic Italian espresso that is just waiting for me on a golden tray next to my piano, with The New York Times under it. The headlines of The New York Times would read, “Oak & Ash – The Next Big Thing”. I would sit down at my white baby grand piano, write the most epic song of all time, and immediately invite my band and a few close friends to the recording studio to get all my ideas down. We would all meet at the studio (Chris would be 25 minutes late but we still love him), and I would show them the track. One by one everyone would start laying their ideas down while simultaneously taking shots of Jack Daniel’s. Three hours later, the song would be done and all of our family and friends would listen to it for the first time. As the last note would be played, we would all raise a glass and scream “SALUTE”. Then we’d call our private jet and have 10 of our closest friends fly with us that night to party somewhere awesome (we would put 10 countries in a hat and draw one to decide). We’d then end the day by adopting a Labrador puppy. BOOM! Perfect day. (Rich)

8. Knowing what you know today, what advice would you give your younger self? Learn Spanish. I spent a couple years surfing in Puerto Rico and I really wish I took my hot Spanish teacher more seriously in high school.(Chris)

9.What would your very last meal entail? Just a good home cooked meal with my friends and family. It would be really cool if it were in a tree house though (Paul)

10. Three people—dead or alive, real or fictional—that you’d like to invite to dinner? 2Pac, DJ Dirty D, and Pinky the porn star (Andrew Marsh)

11. If you were a song, which one would you be? I would be that song that makes your feet move around, your heartbeat pick up, and puts an uncontrollable smile on your face. It changes day to day, but today that song is “Friend of the Devil” by The Grateful Dead (Paul)

12. If a movie were made about you, who would play you? Mike Epps (Andrew Marsh)

13. Turn ons? Confident eyes, small wrists, black leather jackets, blonde hair, tattoos, and having necklace game. Oh yea…and accents, (Chris)

14, Turn offs? Girls who complain, lame stories, girls that say they’re a model five times (ones enough, I get it). (Chris)

15. Your spirit animal? My spirit animal would be a wolf because it shows leadership, strength, loyalty, and intelligence. It can be aggressive, protective, and assertive but is also calming and badass. (Rich)

16. Your favorite flower? There are different reasons to like different flowers. Angle Trumpets have one of my favorite smells, but when it comes to looks, I’m into lilies. (Paul)

17. Tell us a secret. I still think about my ex. Comparing just about every girl to her is not helping, (Chris)

18. Your favorite quote? “When Josie comes home, we’re going to park in the street,”- Steely Dan (Andrew)

19. What is your current state of mind? My current state of mind is “strike while the iron is hot.”  Being surrounded by so much creativity and so many talented people all of the time helps inspire and motivate me. It shows me the potential in myself and my peers, which feels pretty powerful and humbling at the same time. I am also feeling pretty hungry. (Paul)

20. An embarrassing moment? Passing out in a strip club. (Andrew)

21. Your proudest moment? Playing a sold out show at the Gramercy Theatre and hearing the entire room chant “one more song.” (Rich)