Aspera (initially Aspera Ad Astra) were an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

Aspera formed in 1996 under the name Aspera ad Astra in Philadelphia, and released a 7" split with Haelah before issuing their debut full-length in 1998. Following this the group underwent lineup changes before the release of their 1999 EP; several drummers would join and leave the group until late 2000, when A.J. Edmiston joined. Around this time the group shortened its name. They began releasing material on Jagjaguwar Records in 2002, including a re-release of their 2001 album ''Sugar & Feathered''. 2007 saw ''Back When Love'' issued on Philadelphia label

Burnt Toast Vinyl Burnt Toast Vinyl is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History Burnt Toast Vinyl was founded by Scott Hatch, a Drexel University student who had initially been involved with concert promotion at the school. The la ...

. Aspera were part of the so-called "Psychedelphia" scene, alongside bands such as Bardo Pond and

The Lilys Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tracks have been used in television advertisements, including the band' ...

. Aspera seems no longer to be a going concern. Tripp, Werth, and Edmiston, along with Carmine Degennaro, are now working with Ken Griffin, formerly of Irish band

Rollerskate Skinny Rollerskate Skinny were an Irish band formed in 1992 by singer and guitarist Ken Griffin, guitarist Ger Griffin and bassist Stephen Murray, and were later joined by Jimmy Shields. They released two critically acclaimed albums, ''Shoulder Voices' ...

, as Favourite Sons. Drew Mills has formed the band

Blood Feathers Blood Feathers are an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were formed in 2005 by Ben Dickey and Drew Mills. The current band consists of Dickey (vocals, guitar, piano) and Mills (vocals, guitar), Clay Simmons (bass guitar ...

with Ben Dickey of Amen Booze Rooster.

Members

;Initial lineup *Mike Robinson - vocals, keyboards *Justin Tripp - guitar, keyboards *Drew Worth - guitar *Matt Werth - bass *Drew Mills - drums, vocals, guitar ;Later members *Chris Powell - drums *A.J. Edmiston - drums

Discography

*''Split'' with Haelah (1997) *''Peace'' (Audio Information Phenomena, 1998) *''Winged by Rhymes'' EP ( Insound Records, 1999) *''Split'' with

(

Tigerstyle Records Tiger Style Records is an independent record label located in New York City, New York. It is owned and operated by Insound. As of 2004, it is on hiatus. Roster * 764-HERO *The Album Leaf *American Analog Set *The Appleseed Cast * Aspera Ad Astra ...

, 2000) *''Sugar & Feathered'' (

Big Wheel Recreation Big Wheel Recreation was an independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was formed in the fall of 1994 by Rama Mayo and Dickie Cummings. Started as a hobby, Big Wheel became a fully functioning record label in 199 ...

, 2001; reissued by Jagjaguwar Records, 2002) *''Birds Fly'' EP ( Suicide Squeeze Records, 2002) *''Oh Fantastica'' (Jagjaguwar, 2003) *''Back When Love'' (

, 2007)

Notes

References

* Asperaat AllMusic

External links

SuicideSqueeze.net
* * {{Authority control Suicide Squeeze Records artists Jagjaguwar artists Musical groups from Philadelphia Indie rock musical groups from Pennsylvania