Meet Asher Witkin | Singer-Songwriter & Music Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Asher Witkin and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Asher, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
For a long time, what I wanted more than anything else was fame. I dreamed of being on talk shows, filling stadium tours with screaming fans, scrolling through hundreds of comments dissecting the lyrics to my songs. It was the single focus of my young life. When I had a show coming up, I was excited, buzzing, safe in the understanding that I was working towards my goal. When I didn’t, I felt adrift, unsettled, lazy.
The closer I got to the spotlight, the more intense that drive became. In high school, a choir I was a part of got the chance to sing backup for Coldplay at one of their stadium tours, and the thrill was phenomenal. There were sixty thousand people in that arena. Sixty thousand people screaming along, watching us perform. I was standing just feet away from the dream I’d been following for as long as I could remember. The allure of that stage was electric. It hung around me for days. But in the aftermath of that opportunity, a new fear crept in: what if the closest I ever got to my dream was something I did when I was in high school? What if I never got that close again?
For a long time, I viewed my goal as binary. Either I would achieve massive stardom, or I would be a failure. And I viewed my self worth as inherently connected to my ability to attain that goal. My entire identity was wrapped up in that belief system. Who was I? I was a singer, a songwriter, a performer. If I succeeded in those skills, I would succeed as a person. If I didn’t, I would be… nothing.
In many ways I feel like my life thus far has been a process of slowly unlearning that creed.
The summer of my sophomore year of college, I fell in love. It would be several years before we started dating, but in that friendship I experienced a kind of love I hadn’t quite felt before. I began to understand the value of knowing someone, and of being known, not by thousands of people, but by one. The comfort that comes from being seen up close. My partner doesn’t love me because I’m a singer. They roll their eyes when I bring up my brushes with fame. My partner loves me because I’m me.
Success as a musician is not binary. I’m immensely proud of the work I’ve done as a writer and as a performer, even though I know my biggest stage is likely behind me. But I’m more proud of the work I’ve done to become a better partner, a better friend.
That’s what matters most to me. Being here for the people I love, and accepting the love they share in return.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In the spring of 2022, I moved to Mannheim, Germany for my last semester of college. I was studying at a pop music school called Popakademie, nestled on the banks of a small river, just downwind from a chocolate factory that never smelled quite the way I wanted it to. It was an incredible experience. Every day, I worked on original music with my friends. Sometimes we worked in beautiful studios with huge consoles and perfect soundproofing. Sometimes we recorded in the cramped closets of shared bedrooms. I learned how to work with a producer, how to write for other artists, how to look at the pop market of today and figure out what it might sound like tomorrow.
Along the way, I met Graham Candy, a songwriter living in Berlin. He invited me to spend some time with him in the city, gave me a tour of his studio, and passed my name around to a few friends. I decided I couldn’t just move back to the States and let all that go. So a few months later I moved back to Berlin and began working as a songwriter, writing for other artists and completing a project of my own with a friend from Popakademie named Jonas Sercombe.
Where I tend towards relative sincerity in pop songwriting, Jonas’ antipathy towards safe or saccharine choices simply cannot be suppressed. I bring him ballads. He turns them into danceable anthems. Again and again, I slept on the floor of Jonas’ basement music studio, listening to the dulcet tones of Germans playing card games and drinking oh so many beers in the discount furniture store just above. And again and again, Jonas and I finished new songs.
Eventually, we decided it was time to reach out to labels. We sent exactly 47 emails to various labels in Berlin, the UK, and the U.S. explaining our project, and attached a few singles. A few weeks and several meetings later, we signed an EP deal with Duchess Box Records. And thus, bandcalledbeach was born.
bandcalledbeach is what happens when you were just a little too young to live through the 80s, but aren’t quite satisfied with leaving those sonic years behind. It’s what happens when you take a singer-songwriter and give him a glittering, purple stratocaster.
Our first EP, ‘just beach,’ was released last month, with more on the way soon. You can listen to bandcalledbeach anywhere you listen to music, and visit us at www.bandcalledbeach.com/
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m in Portland, Oregon at the moment so I’ll focus here.
Breakfast: The Sweet Bacon Cafe for bacon poutine I think about daily
Tea and Boba: Portal Tea Company for incredible drinks and a cute, cozy atmosphere
Lunch: TANAKA for the best Japanese sandwiches around
Dinner: Afuri Ramen for delicious ramen and dumplings
To hang out, we’d definitely go up to Washington Park and visit the rose garden, the Arboretum, and the Archery Range. Then we’d take the bus across the river and wander down Hawthorne and Division to window shop and explore.
We’d also hit up Paxton Gate, Tender Loving Empire, and Carter + Rose.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So, so, so many people! I’ve been lucky to have some phenomenal teachers including Cava Menzies, one of the most patient, poised teachers I’ve ever known, and an incredible musician in her own right. Nick Tremulis, who taught me more about songwriting than anyone else, and who’s honesty developed a deep trust and even deeper friendship, Laura Kakis Serper and everyone at Kairos Music Academy, who started me on this journey, and whose support has been a constant life line, among so, so, many more. I mean I could list names for days.
Website: www.asherwitkin.com and www.bandcalledbeach.com
Instagram: asherwitkin and bandalledbeach
Other: Spotify, Apple Music, etc: bandcalledbeach and Asher Witkin
Image Credits
Axel Javier Sulzbacher, Benedikt H. Mehr Sadeh, xtina