The Ashley Jo Farmer Band

Ashley Jo Farmer of Salisbury knew it was a big honor to be invited to sing at the White House as part of the Billy Jonas Band.

But the singer/songwriter had no idea of what Easter Monday would hold for her or her family. Husband Tommy and children Sarah, 11, and Benjamin, 5, accompanied Ashley to Washington, excited to be part of her moment in the sun.

She didn't imagine she'd get to pose for a picture with Michelle Obama's arm around her shoulder. Or that she would be asked by star Mariska Hargitay to take some photos of her son. Or get to pose with Reese Witherspoon and author J.K. Rowling — in the same photo.

And her daughter Sarah never dreamed she'd get a front row seat for a performance of the young Canadian singer who is smoking hot right now: Justin Bieber.

But all these things happened.

And, oh yes, the Billy Jonas Band performed as well.

The Farmers arrived Saturday evening and stayed in a hotel across from the Pentagon. The next morning, they moved into the W Hotel, where all the performers for the White House Easter Egg Roll were staying. Bieber — and the mobs of girls flocking around for a glimpse of him — kept the hotel interesting, Ashley says.

On Monday morning, the day of the event, Ashley awoke at 4:45 a.m. in time to meet the band at 5:30 a.m. so they could go through security.

To entertain those waiting in line, they performed two early shows on the stage at the Ellipse, a park area south of the White House. Later, they performed at the main stage area on the South Lawn.

That morning, Ashley discovered that Jonas wanted his band members to wear T-shirts — an unwelcome surprise for Ashley. She'd spent a long time deliberating on the perfect outfit, and meeting the first lady in a "bang a bucket" T-shirt was her "biggest, worst nightmare from hell," she says, laughing.

Other than that, and the fact that the hot sun made performing a bit uncomfortable, the experience was a thrill, she says. There was a live Internet feed of the main stage performances, so her parents and friends back home were able to watch.

When she wasn't performing, Ashley wasn't shy about taking pictures of the many luminaries who had been invited.

"Every celebrity I met was incredibly nice," she said.

Meeting Mariska Hargitay was a huge thrill, she said.

When Elmo from Sesame Street appeared, Hargitay mentioned that her son was a huge Elmo fan.

The star of "Law and Order" was without a camera, so Ashley agreed to take pictures and e-mail them later to Hargitay.

Then, Ashley says, "I turned around and found myself standing next to the first lady."

Ashley told her it was an honor to meet her and thanked her for the chance to perform. When Ashley then asked if she could get a picture of her, the first lady put her arm around Ashley — while Hargitay's husband took the photo.

Another great moment for Ashley was meeting Maria and Gordon from Sesame Street.

The cast of the hot TV show "Glee" was on hand, as well as Yo Gabba Gabba and Dylan and Cole Sprouse — the popular young stars of "The Suite Life with Zack and Cody," who were on hand to read a story.

"They were so great and so friendly, just like their TV personalities," Ashley said.

Sarah is also a big fan of the Disney series and was thrilled to pose for a photo with them.

"I was the only one who got my picture taken with them, so I felt kind of special," she said.

But the best part for Sarah was having a front-row seat for Bieber's concert. She had to sit through a Sesame Street performance in order to snag such a great seat, she said, but that was worth it.

Sarah says she didn't know who Bieber was until a few months ago, when one of her good friends introduced her to his music. She liked it. (Bieber performed on "Saturday Night Live" last week and was recently dubbed "the hottest 16-year-old in the world" by People magazine.)

When Bieber actually looked into her eyes for several long stretches while he was singing, she couldn't believe it.

"It was really awesome," she said.

After the song was over, she said, the girls sitting behind her said, "He was singing to you!"

Of course none of this would have been possible without Ashley being in the Billy Jonas Band. The band performs original music and is composed of Billy Jonas of Asheville; River Guerguerian, percussionist; Sherman Hoover, bassist and third harmony; and Ashley, who is the harmony singer and head cheerleader, she says.

Jonas is known for his family-friendly music and energetic live performances.

Their most well-known song, Ashley says, is "What Kind of Cat Are You?" — a call-and-response song that gets the audience participating — which is the goal of the show.

"Parents and kids have a great time," Ashley says. "It's a neat thing to be a part of."

Jonas is also known for playing recycled objects, including a big blue trashcan and giant paint buckets — hence the "bang a bucket" T-shirts.

The group's latest album is "Happy Accidents," which won a coveted Parents' Choice gold award.

Jonas, who has been a musician for more than 20 years, sometimes performs as a solo act, but he also performs frequently with his band. Farmer travels about 10 days a month with Jonas and the rest of the band — "all up and down the East Coast," she says.

Ashley met Jonas at Hit Music Studio in Spencer, where she sometimes works doing background vocals.

She happened to be there on a day that Jonas was there as well, and they ended up singing together.

"You've got to sing for me," he told her, and the very next day, she says, they did a show together.

That was five years ago, and she's been working with Jonas ever since.

Farmer grew up in Raleigh and wound up in Salisbury after high school when her parents moved here.

She met her future husband, Tommy Farmer, here, and for a while, they were both part of the band No9 Coal. Ashley left that band in order to work with Jonas.For more information about the Billy Jonas Band, go to billyjonas.com. You can also find the band on FaceBook and MySpace. - Salisbury Post