Hailing from the gritty heart of the Industrial Revolution — Worcester, Massachusetts — the Ash & Eric (formerly ‘The Promise is Hope’) find consolation in discovering beauty from the challenges of being artists in the most stubbornly independent cities in the north east. Never shying away from life’s hard edges, their musings reflect the hope and pain we all experience sung in voices as vulnerable and honest as their lyrics. Their songs feel like a warm welcome, a shoulder to lean on and a hand to hold at the end of a long day. In addition to top tier writing that No Depression says will have you “…coming away from many of these [songs] cleansed,” their warm harmonies, swirling acoustic guitars, and easy stage presence have earned them a dedicated following in the folk scene.