In my ongoing series on starwars.com of interviews with bands and celebs who dig Star Wars, I was so thrilled to get a chance to interview one of the coolest musicians I know -- Mark Hamilton -- the bassist for Ash.

You might recall that Ash provided the threme song "Clones" for the LucasArts title Republic Commando -- which you can check out their video on the official site here.

But they also have a knack for playing the "Cantina Band" song and so when they came to Skywalker for an impromptu concert they treated us to a live performance of John Williams' little ditty. (We have that lovely tune on our AudioCast -- available to Hyperspace members -- if you'd like to take a listen, just click on the article link below.)

That being said, Mark is a HUGE Star Wars fan and it only made sense to profile him on the site. He's a big part of why I decided to start interviewing bands about their love for Jedi, Sith and droids on starwars.com. He's been crucial in personally introducing me to the likes of Kasabian, Snow Patrol, The Bravery, Kaiser Chiefs, Interpol and other bands that are big Star Wars fans as well.

He's also a serious Star Wars collector and I was always in awe of how many action figures and toys he could cram onto their tour bus every time they came through San Francisco.

You may have even spotted him lurking around Celebration III this year as he hung out in the Droid Builders room and the LucasArts folks, as he comments here:

"Ash was in the States on tour just before Celebration III, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to stay a few days extra and go as there is nothing like that in Europe," Hamilton explains. "I went with some friends from LucasArts (who we got to know through Republic Commando) and they got me an all-access pass which was sweet. It was an amazing time! The 501st's costumes were fantastic, the presentation of Revenge of the Sith footage whipped everyone into frenzy and George's announcement of the TV series was music to everyone's ears. I loved the Droid Builder's room and it was hard to curb the spending in the exhibition hall. My favorite moment was watching a toddler looking up at Red Royal Guard, awestruck, as her ice cream fell to the floor."

So please check out his interview here:
Artoo, AT-ATs, and Ash

And let me know what you think of it!