While it’s true that h… Read Full Bio ↴Ash Grunwald is an Australian blues musician.
While it’s true that his music is steeped in the Delta blues tradition of the legendary acoustic musicians who proliferated in pre-World War II America’s deep South and the giants of electric blues who shaped rock and roll, it’s the young Victorian’s willingness to combine these influences with grooves and sounds common in contemporary music that sets him apart.
A soulful singer and guitar player, Grunwald immediately drew attention with the release of 2002’s ‘Introducing … Ash Grunwald’ a collection of originals and blues standards that included ‘Smokestack Lightnin’ (Howlin’ Wolf) ‘The Sky Is Crying’ (Elmore James), and ‘Rolling and Tumbling’ (Robert Johnson) recorded live with only acoustic guitar and foot percussion consisting of a stomp box and tambourine.
The positive response to Grunwald’s debut resulted in two Victorian Blues awards for Emerging Talent and Album of the Year.
The following year he scored two Australian Blues awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and Best New Talent in addition to the MBAS’ Blues Performer of the Year. He also reached the final of the International Blues Performer of the Year in Memphis.
In 2004 Grunwald released his follow up album, I Don’t Believe, once again recorded solo and live.
Since his initial release he’d been made aware of two Tom Waits albums, Swordfishtrombones and Bone Machine. In a daring move he emulated Waits’ experimental bang and clang percussion using hammers, spanners, pots, etc, in addition to a boss loop station as a bed for his lap steel, dobro, and acoustic guitars.
The album included six originals, two of Waits’ compositions, "Going out West" and "Jesus Gonna Be Here" (a-cappella with handclaps) and blues standards "Walking Blues" and "Cross Roads" (Robert Johnson), "Empire State" (Son House), and "How Many More Years" (Howlin’ Wolf).
On the strength of this release Ash won an ARIA award nomination for Best Blues And Roots Album, and the Victorian Blues award for Male Vocalist Of The Year (equal with Lloyd Spiegel) and in 2005 the MBAS Vic / Tas award for Solo / Duo Of The Year (equal with Dave Hogan).
For the ‘Live At The Corner’ album (songs from his first two releases plus Willie Dixon’s ‘Spoonful’ featuring Ian Collard on harmonica) Ash won the 2005 MBAS Vic / Tas and Australian Blues award’s Album Of The Year in addition to being nominated once again for the Best Blues And Roots album at the ARIA’s.
Ash has built a substantial following performing at countless live venues around the country and at major festivals including Byron Bay, Port Fairy, Falls, Apollo Bay, Fremantle, Cockatoo Island and Margaret River.
In May 2005, Ash was invited to take over the reins as host of Triple J’s popular Thursday night show Roots ‘N All.
Ash Grunwald continues to forge his own identity with the release of twelve original songs on album number four, ‘Give Signs’ recorded on his own label Delta Groove Records. As usual it will be live and solo. And as usual, it is another terrific offering from this talented performer.
breakOUT
Ash Grunwald Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out on the ocean of curling, fetal smoke
The anti spirit of time just behind these eyes of mine
I can remember all that you've forgotten
Grave dirt in the eyes
The darkness there between your thighs
The incubus that sucks me dry
Beneath the sky
Bleeding black into the blue bayou
Seem like it was Friday high noon
I smoked and you bled thought that I was dead
I can't remember all that you've forgotten
Forsaken, there's grave dirt in my eyes
The darkness there between your thighs
The incubus that sucks me dry
Beneath the sky
Smile after smile
Chasing the last over the lips
Smile after smile
Chasing the last over the lips
The ash of my, the ash of my
The ash of my, the ash of my mind, my mind
There's grave dirt in the eyes
The darkness there between your thighs
The incubus that sucks me dry
(All night)
There's grave dirt in the eyes
The darkness there between your thighs
The incubus that sucks me dry
Beneath the sky
Touched but untouchable
The lyrics of Ash Grunwald's song "Breakout" describe a haunting and unsettling experience. The first stanza paints a picture of smoke and ash, which seems to represent the singer's mind in a state of confusion and disorder. The phrase "anti spirit of time" suggests that the singer feels disconnected from the present or from reality itself. The second stanza is even more disturbing, with references to graves, darkness, and incubi. The imagery of "bleeding black into the blue bayou" and "smile after smile chasing the last over the lips" suggests a cycle of decay and decadence. The final repetition of "the ash of my mind" reinforces the idea that the singer is trapped in a state of mental disorientation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Breakout" convey a sense of existential despair and spiritual emptiness. The use of vivid and unsettling imagery creates a feeling of unease that lingers long after the song has ended. The repetition of certain phrases and images suggests a cyclical pattern of decay and rebirth, as if the singer is caught in an endless loop of despair and disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
The ash of my mind in the back of my throat
My thoughts are smoky, thick and heavy as they weigh upon me.
Out on the ocean of curling, fetal smoke
My thoughts are like waves that are about to be born and their movement is unsettling.
The anti spirit of time just behind these eyes of mine
I feel like there's a force that's constantly fighting against me, trying to bring me down.
I can remember all that you've forgotten
Even though you've moved on and forgotten about certain things, I still remember them clearly.
Grave dirt in the eyes
I'm haunted by darkness and my eyes have been tainted by it.
The darkness there between your thighs
The negativity and burden in your life have caused a dark energy to accumulate between your legs.
The incubus that sucks me dry
The negativity in our lives is feeding off each other and draining us dry.
Beneath the sky
All of this is happening under the vastness of the sky, as if it's watching over us.
Touched but untouchable
We're both interacting with each other, but there's a level of detachment that we can't seem to overcome.
Bleeding black into the blue bayou
Our darkness is seeping into the beauty and serenity of the surrounding nature, turning everything grim.
Seem like it was Friday high noon
It feels like time has come to a halt, as if everything is eerily still and suspended in time.
I smoked and you bled thought that I was dead
You've caused me pain and suffering, to the point where I felt like I was no longer alive.
Forsaken, there's grave dirt in my eyes
I feel abandoned and forgotten, with darkness gripping my vision.
Smile after smile
We're both putting up happy faces, but it's only masking the true pain that we're experiencing.
Chasing the last over the lips
We're trying to hold on to the last vestiges of happiness and joy that we once experienced.
The ash of my, the ash of my
The smoky weight of my thoughts are overwhelming me.
The ash of my, the ash of my mind, my mind
The smoky weight of my thoughts are lodged deep within my mind, causing me distress.
There's grave dirt in the eyes
The darkness and negativity have blinded me, tainting my vision.
The incubus that sucks me dry (All night)
The negative energy is draining me all through the night, making it hard for me to rest.
Touched but untouchable
We're both struggling to connect with each other, even as we try to interact.
There's grave dirt in the eyes
The weight of the negativity I'm experiencing is weighing down on me too much.
The darkness there between your thighs
The negativity and burden in your life are affecting you at a very deep level.
The incubus that sucks me dry
The negativity we're both experiencing is slowly draining the life out of us, making us feel helpless.
Beneath the sky
Everything we're experiencing is happening under the watchful eye of the sky, adding to our distress.
Touched but untouchable
We continue to struggle to connect with each other, despite our best efforts.
Writer(s): Ashley Groenewald, Phillip Eric Norman Copyright: Mushroom Music Pty. Ltd.
Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marshall Hughes
These aren't the lyrics to "Breakout" from "Fish out of water".
@sunnydayz7232
Brilliant live !!
Blues n roots WA. COME BACK TO PERTH!!!
@malibumut
Saw him last week.. Superbness. This song was brilliant! Every song was.. X
@D21Offroad
Saw this guy live at the Song and Surf Festival Vancouver Island. Guy is awesome live, great vocalist and awesome on the guitar. Full of confidence, just knows he's good.
@jsaintr.i.r4018
Breaking Out ❤🎉😊
@travisutkin3728
WAT a track!!unreal good!!!
@mesijania
thinking of going to see him tonight in Bali. sounds great.
@PugLife357
Hooray for good music!
@Neptun4944
d'accord man! cheer up for ash's central message
@rafaelo.deaguiarrafaeldeag8133
Nice Music!!!