Jo Ayling
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Jo Ayling

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | SELF

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | SELF
Band Pop Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Jo Ayling @ The Betsey Trotwood"

With strong vocals and melodic tunes from her piano, Jo Ayling is a star in the making. Her musical influences range from the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Who to Tori Amos and Kate Bush. Soothing and haunting by turns, her music is full of wonderful depth and is put together with tender skill. - View London


"Artist of the Month"

Band/Artist name:

Jo Ayling

Where did your band name come from?

My given birth right!

What’s your musical background? When did you start playing?

As a kid I sat at a keyboard and copied the Camptown Races demo note for note. I thank my mother for seeing this and making a huge investment in my piano lessons and much loved upright that resided in our lounge for years. I used to memorise music then play it back in my own way, with my own amendments, much to my tutor’s amusement. I decided then I should probably write my own material and that a career in the concert hall wasn’t my path! Singing came naturally with playing; I find it unusual to do one without the other

How has your music evolved?

Collaborating with others has opened my eyes to the world of songwriting! My producer has an incredibly strong songwriting background and helped me understand why a good song is good, and how to implement this into my own songwriting. Music really is the shorthand of emotion so I’m learning how to tap into this and improve song structure and musicality without adhering to the ‘rules’ too much

What is your creative process?

This really does vary for me. Sometimes I grab a song out of the air in its entirety. Sometimes I work for days/weeks/months on one part. On occasion I use newspaper/magazine articles and create songs from headlines which I deem to be potential hooks! I’m very easily stimulated by people, places, caffeine(!) and like to write with others, it’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off. Generally everything starts with me sitting at the piano, and I carry a pen and paper around with me for those flashes of lyrical inspiration!

How would you describe your music to people?

Eclectic pop. It has an almost cabaret feel to it, particularly my new material. My Debut album, A Rabbit’s Tale, spans the genres somewhat due to the timeframe over which the songs were written

Who are your musical influences?

Growing up my dad was obsessed with 70’s rock bands, he played the same 10 or 20 tracks over and over… which is why I still recall the lyrics to Black Dog (Led Zep) More than a Feeling (Boston) Roxanne (The Police) and Changes (Bowie). Luckily one of the songs on loop was Wuthering Heights which of course lead me to Kate Bush. I love artists like Jeff Buckley whose lyrical content, melodies and harmonies are outside the box

What live performance experience have you had?

I play solo at present. I prefer quirky dingy ‘club basement’ vibe venues which suit the style of music and performance. I’ve played a few well- known London venues from The Betsey Trotwood, Oliviers Jazz Cellar, The Troubadour, The Social to a few Sydney-siders, The Roxbury and Bar Me (El Rocco Room). I do intend to recruit a band and rehearse the intricacies of the album for a show case and formal album release.

Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you have a set play list?

I always incorporate Something I Said, Wasted and Over-Rated into a set, they go down pretty well. I find it’s always a great idea to test new songs live to see how they resonate with people. My set list does vary completely depending on the crowd, the venue and my mood…!

Do you ever play covers?

Occasionally if I’m feeling the vibe, but generally a more obscure song and only if it fits the set

What has been your biggest achievement as a musician?

I lived in Ghana for a time and made a pact with myself, during a spiritual awakening of some kind(!), to make an album, purely for the love of it; to collate everything I’d written and make something of it. I moved back to the UK then onto Australia and did just that. I say a lot of things that I don’t follow up on so I’m pretty proud of that achievement.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

I put so much into making A Rabbit’s Tale and shooting the cover artwork that I lost sight of what I was going to do with it afterwards, how I was going to reach a wide audience! I find self- promotion a huge challenge so I’m currently looking to somebody to manage this in a more effective way. Never one to shy away from good guidance and a helping hand…

Where can we hear your tunes online?

JO AYLING : A RABBIT’S TALE
Myspace.com/joaylingmusic
Buy from CDBaby.com
Download from iTunes
The wonderful world of Facebook: Jo Ayling Music (musician/band page)
- Austep Music


"AMES Unsigned + Original Vol 5"

The “AMES Unsigned & Original” compilation CD is a seventeen-song collaboration between AMES (Australian Music & Entertainment Scene) and Austep Music.

Harnessing the power of working together, the compilation provides a wide range of variety for the listener, journeying through Pop, Country, Alt-Rock, and more.

Mastered by internationally renowned Daniel Fournier, highlights of the CD include Jo Ayling, Man From Atlanta, and consecutive winner of the Golden Fiddle Award Marcy Taylor.
- Rave Magazine


Discography

2010 Album - A Rabbit's Tale
2010 AMES unsigned and original Vol 5

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Bio


"Truly original in not only composition but over all sound...not even close to anything mainstream in this genre on the market today that I have heard!" (Anita Donlon, founder Independant Musos Network inc/National Chairman MMF Aus)

Hailing from London’s South East, Sydney based performing songwriter and recording artist Jo Ayling redefines quirky with her diverse compilation of melodic tunes, likened to a young Joni Mitchell, Amanda Palmer, Kate Bush, and Regina Spektor.

“Jo is a very emotive performer who demands audience attention” (Shane Rozario – Artist and performance photographer)

Using her beloved piano as the primary instrument for most of her tracks, Jo has combined years of original instrumental compositions with fresh melodies and enticing lyrics to create her debut Album 'A Rabbit’s Tale.' A delightful compilation of well-crafted songs which juxtapose profoundness with naivety, exuberance with sincerity and fantasy with pragmatism. Jo incorporates fun with brass and kitchen percussion, pots and pans, leg slapping and pennywhistles and a newfound love for the melodeon along with her dulcet piano tones which underline every track.

A completely independent labour of love, Jo’s inspiration comes from daily observation, religion, fairytales, bizaare magazine articles, old movies, lifes twists and turns, heartache and heartbreak; so not surprisingly as noted by Asher Christophers (Austep music) This talented songstress successfully covers a diverse range of musical styles within one album"

"Beautifully crafted, intriguing, intelligent, captivating tracks!" (Simon Forman; perfectpitch.com.au)

Jo Ayling is performing acoustic gigs around Sydney and will soon be launching 'A Rabbit’s Tale'. She continues to write daily and submit songs to other performing artists and music bodies.

Currently promoting herself Jo is seeking interested parties to help gain more recognition and exposure and take this eclectic mix to virgin ears in the hope of stumbling upon a few that fancy what they hear…