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Planeswalker is a band that has been on the metal circuit since 2019. Their work primarily focuses on key points in Magic: The Gathering's extensive storylines and lore. We interviewed Jason Ashcraft, songwriter and guitarist for the band, to get his perspective on music, Magic, and the overall state of the game!

Jason Ashcraft, on Planeswalker's Origins

Tell us about the origin of Planeswalker: How did the band begin, and how does Magic: The Gathering factor into the band’s origin story? 

Sozos Michael (the vocalist) and I played together in my band Helion Prime. He was the singer for our second album. Sozos is from Cyprus, and I live in the United States. For a band of our level, it got very complicated to do the things we wanted with his location being so far. Artist visas are no joke. They sucked back then and are horrible now. I always loved his voice and working with him, and I knew that someday I wanted to do something else together. Around this time, I got into Magic: The Gathering with some buddies at work, and I really got into the rich lore the game provided and all the different possibilities you could write about. So I wanted to start a new project that was focused on Magic: The Gathering lore. I asked Sozos if he would sing for it, and then our debut album, Tales of Magic, was born!

What is it about Magic that inspires you?

As I kind of touched on above, the rich floor in worldbuilding within Magic: The Gathering was something I found really inspiring. I loved how they intertwined all these different genres of fantasy. This made it feel like it worked together in a natural way. I wouldn’t say I feel that way lately, especially with how they’ve been treating the lore, but there's still 30 years of material to work with. It almost gives me Stephen King's The Dark Tower vibes. Bringing so many genres together under one roof was always fun for me.

What’s your musical background? How did you get into metal music?

I am mostly self-taught with everything, namely guitar playing and songwriting. I do continue to try and learn and improve myself along the way as much as I can, and when I can. Believe it or not, I grew up a country boy and really love Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire. Then one day, I was going through my father‘s cassette tapes and started listening to AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd. I feel like a lot of kids played Metallica’s Black Album, and once you hear "Enter Sandman" for the first time as an 11-year-old, that changes you. That started my journey, and then a friend of mine introduced me to bands like Blind Guardian, Iron MaidenIron Maiden, Ronnie James Dio, and Iced Earth, which really sent me on the path to the musician I wanted to become.

On Planeswalker's Engagement With the Hobby

What do interactions with fans look like? Do you find that many of your followers are Magic fans first, who found the band that way, or did they find the music first, then explore Magic that way?

It’s definitely a mixed bag, but I think the majority were music fans first. I’ve been doing music much longer than playing Magic, and of course, a lot already knew both of us from Helion Prime. Of course, with Sozos now in Gloryhammer, it has brought in a bigger audience. It’s been really cool, though. I’ll get a lot of the fans of the music in my Magic streams, and they’ll have no idea what’s going on, but still have a good time. It’s also cool to get to share my music with Magic fans as well. I like bringing the two worlds together.

What other artists do you recommend to fans of your work?

Gloryhammer for sure.

My other bands (who I've got to plug!) are Helion Prime and Of Romulus.

Some of the bands that have inspired me throughout my career and growing up were Blind Guardian, Trivium, and Symphony X. Overall, there are so many to name.

Have you ever signed any cards for fans? Any particular cards?

I have signed a couple of Nicol BolasNicol Bolas cards, as he is probably my favorite Magic character, so that’s been really cool to get to do.

What does your engagement with Magic look like right now? What formats do you play?

I stream every Wednesday and Sunday on my Twitch channel, where we play some chaotic Commander games, and it’s a lot of fun. This year, I have been putting myself out there a bit more within the Magic community, and it’s honestly been great to meet so many people. There are a lot of awesome human beings within the community. There are a lot of decisions that Hasbro and Wizards have been making that aren’t really my cup of tea, but I’ve definitely been staying for the gathering and the people I meet. Ultimately, it’s a game that got me through some hard times. Magic let me meet some wonderful people; if it can do that for others as well, then that’s really all that matters.

What are some of your favorite cards, decks, or strategies?

So, I’m definitely a Timmy player at heart. My favorite deck is my Dinosaur deck whose Commander is Wayta, Trainer ProdigyWayta, Trainer Prodigy. My favorite strategy is working out how I can cheat out the biggest spells and stomp some face before I get stomped!

And my favorite card is very much on theme for this, and it is Lurking PredatorsLurking Predators! Whenever an opponent casts a spell, I can look at the top part of my library. If it’s a creature, I can put it on the battlefield. Otherwise, I can choose to put it on the bottom. It really gets things out of hand.

On the Band's Future

What is next for Planeswalker? Do you have any concerts or events coming up?

Concerts and performing are very tough, given the logistics and location. But that’s okay; that was always sort of the idea from day one, and I would love to do performances and tours if the possibilities ever allowed it. But I think what’s next for us is a second album. I have definitely been the holdup on that, though. For the entire last year, music sort of took a backseat for me due to some personal things in my life, but I have been slowly getting myself back into it. The second album is definitely top priority for me right now.

Conclusion

A huge thank-you to Jason Ashcraft of Planeswalker for allowing us the opportunity to interview him! You can listen to the band's latest single, "Compleated", on Spotify, and can also watch the music video on YouTube below.

And now, I'd like to open the floor to you, dear readers! Are there any other musicians you know of who play Magic? Do any of them integrate the hobby into their work the way Planeswalker does? And are you a fan of that work? Sound off in the comments below!