Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (USS) rocked the stage at Edgefest on July 14 at Downsview Park.
Based out of Parkdale in Toronto, USS is composed of vocalist, guitarist and erhu player Ashley Buchholz (aka Ash Boo-Schultz) and turntablist/hype man Jason “Human Kebab” Parsons.
Their sound is described as “a campfire after-party with a jungle-rave vibe, progressively two-stepping their way to a dance folk cuddle.” A mix of rock with a hint of reggae, rap and turntable scratching makes this duo unique and a fabulous Canadian band.
Buchholz has much to celebrate after several years of struggle. At the age of nine, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and stopped playing rep hockey.
“I had three feet of my intestine taken out at age 16 years old. That experience in my life contributed to my feeling of helplessness.”
Buchholz, 34, struggled with himself, his career in music and finding his identity for many years after his surgery. But he finally reached a breaking point where everything started to change.
“I felt like I got struck by lightning and I felt the shift happen, I felt I turned from a barge into a sail boat. And now I’m the sailboat and the happy sailor. I’m tired to be lost at sea and now be the lighthouse. There’s hope.”
“I had to transcend and become empowered to be a man. For the first time in my life at 34, and I walk around feeling tall and feeling like a man and takes care of things and makes it work no matter what.”
