Artist description Ask Wednesday had a somber but danceable British goth sound tempered by the baritone vocals of lead singer Richard Foster and the Cult- and Cure-like guitar and bass work of Scott Miller and Jeff Sorenson, along with the dance-club industrial drumbeats of Jeff Prosser. Mostly, they took themselves way too seriously, but it was fun while it lasted.

Music Style Gothic

Musical Influences '80s goth bands like Bauhaus and Siouxsie & The Banshees

Similar Artists Bauhaus, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, PiL

Artist History The greatest goth band that never was. Now defunct for nearly 12 years, Ask Wednesday was one of the seminal gothic bands in Richmond, Virginia's R-VA music scene in the late '80s. Founded by lead vocalist Richard Foster in 1986 at age 15, the band went through many incarnations with most of its key members coming from Hermitage High School and Virginia Commonwealth University. The band began in late 1986 with Foster, the multi-talented Scott Miller on guitar, local drummer Pat Hernandez (known locally at the time for his Cure-inspired band Three Imaginary Boys) and Chris Nickels on keyboards. The group then became a trio of Foster, Nickels and bassist Brian Ferreira. Drummer Sean Johnson was later added. (It was around this time that Nickels coined the name Ask Wednesday. Foster suggested "Ash Wednesday" after the T.S. Eliot poem, and Nickels, who was more than a little over the 0.0 legal intoxication limit for a minor, thought he said "Ask Wednesday." It stuck.)During the summer of 1988, Foster and Johnson were joined Brad Pearson (now a celebrated local glass sculptor) on guitar, and Brian Temple, a VCU student with an affinity for Iron Maiden covers, on bass. By fall 1988, the band had settled in its final incarnation with Foster, Miller returning on guitar, Jeff Sorenson on bass, and Jeff Prosser playing percussion with a modified oil barrel as his bass drum.Ask Wednesday's prodigious number of members was rivaled only by the thin and pallid Foster's different hairstyles – from short punk to tall brown and spiky to long and blue-black to black Indian braids and dreadlocks to a red bob and then a platinum white swoosh.The band played out only a few times, usually resulting in disasters such as getting caught in a riot between rednecks and skinheads at an outdoor festival in Hanover County, and having to kick some rowdy GWAR members out of a private party for Foster's 18th birthday. Ask Wednesday dissolved in spring 1989 on the cusp of a major show at Mary Washington College auditorium and talks with a local friend and filmmaker about a video that was never made. Now 30, Foster has been a journalist for 10 years and is married with two sons. He is the editor of richmond.com, the city's premiere portal for news and information, and his first book, "The Real Bettie Page," is in the progress of becoming a major motion picture from producer Christine ("Boys Don't Cry") Vachon and director Mary ("American Psycho," "I Shot Andy Warhol") Harron.

Group Members Richard Foster (vocals), Scott Miller (guitar, keyboards, mixing effects), Jeff Prosser (percussion), Jeff Sorenson (bass) and Brian Ferreira (bass - kings and equus).

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Drum, Keyboards, Drum Machine, Vocals plus pedals and effects

Location Richmond, Virginia - USA

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