Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"Ashley is an inspiring musician with intelligent,
heart felt lyrics and great hooks” - Travis Storch PD Live365 Internet Radio Network
”Compelling songs that hit you just right. Ashley has what it takes, and his music is powerful, everlasting, melodic, compelling,& he rocks hard." - Harley Orion Writer/Art Director Surf City Times San Diego
Ashley’s new CD, Twelve Days In January, made me look stupid.
I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it, but anyway, here’s what I mean: I have a friend who has this habit of listening to the same CD over and over again, 50 times a day, until he knows the whole thing backwards and forwards. It drives me nuts, and I was just giving him hell for it the other day. So when he got into my car for the third time and I was still listening to the same CD, again, I had to eat some serious crow.
So maybe it is Ashley’s fault. Anyway, his first full-length record is a lot of fun, and very hard to take out of the CD player.
Twelve Days In January combines catchy, radio-ready choruses with enough Indie style to make it credible and take it out of the generic singer-songwriter mold. “Come Into Love” and are perfect Indie radio-rock tunes, with heavy guitars, cool-but-simple chord progressions, and totally memorable choruses (think Foo Fighters meets Bob Dylan).
I saw Ashley perform live at the Belly Up nearly a year ago, and hadn’t heard a single tune since then, but I remembered “Come Into Love” the second it came on to start the CD. Not something I could say about most up-and-coming artists.
But the guy has range, too. “Back To You” could be a Paul Simon song, complete with jangly guitars and a sentimental melody. Even the slow songs on this record are actually good.
Ashley was born in South Africa and raised in Canada. He taught himself to play guitar at 19. In ‘99 he moved to San Diego to make music full-time. This is his first full-length record, and it’s clear he’s put years of his life into the material. - By Harley Orion – Surf City Weekly Times
On Twelve Days in January, San Diego-based Ashley captures the essence of heartfelt pop-rock. Typically a cold month, Ashley creates warmer landscapes on January with 10 infectious pop tunes that you just can’t get out of your head. Listeners will be drawn into Twelve Days by Ashley’s heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics and sexy but sweet vocals along the lines of John Mayer, Jason Mraz or Ryan Cabrarra. Opening the album with an energizing splash is the fast-paced, light punk-pop laden Come Into Love. A slowed down Back To You follows with softer acoustics and a soothing vibe. The third track, 22, is one of my favorites with its breezy, upbeat feel and tongue-in-cheek take on getting "blown away" by love. Track 5, Jump Over The Moon, is infectious and sweet - like that bubble gum taste you can’t get out of your mouth, so you chew another piece. State of Mind is another standout track with its reflective nature. Twelve Days in January is modern pop rock with a melodic, inviting, sunny-day-at-the-beach feel. Remnants of 90’s pop rock are visible, but nothing at all from the grunge department. While his voice is pleasing, Ashley’s strongest talent lies in his ability to write very accessible alternative pop-rock songs, beautiful melodies and capturing raw emotion in his songs. - Kristi Singer Freelance music journalist and independent publicist
“This guy is on his way to the top,” beamed Backstage owner Ian Copeland after watching a five-song acoustic set by South African-born singer/songwriter Ashley at the Beverly Hills cafe bar last Tuesday night. Ashley's unforgettable voice and hook-laden songs were the stars of this scaled-down performance that had the entire club asking, ‘Who is that guy?'
Well, let me give you a little background: After leaving South Africa for Toronto, Canada, with his mother at the age of 11, Ashley didn't even pick up a guitar until the age of 19. “A friend of mine and I were sitting around one night, and I just picked up the guitar and learned a few chords--it was instantaneous. It was like something happened inside me as soon as I picked up that guitar,” says Ashley, who put himself through school playing his self-penned songs in the subways of Toronto before moving above ground to become a popular fixture of the city's music scene. A few years later, Ashley relocated to sunny San Diego where he was embraced by a new wave of local fans, appearing in local clubs and on local television and radio stations. Now, after performing his first two L.A. shows virtually back-to-back, Ashley is poised to build a new audience for his alternative pop/rock repertoire among L.A. music fans.
After finishing his intimate acoustic set at Backstage on Tuesday, Ashley's band joined him onstage for a plugged-in performance that had club goers dancing between the tables in the club's cozy loft. On Thursday night, it was off to the Roxy Theater, where Ashley and his entourage, hit the stage again, opening with the high-energy “Come Into Love” and continuing with a 30-minute set that ran the gamut from the rousing “Jump Over the Moon” to the melancholy and moving ballad, “State of Mind” before ending with the crowd pleasing and ultra-catchy “L.A.” With a sound that combines the energy and playfulness of artists like Jason Mraz and the Barenaked Ladies with the emotional vulnerability of contemporaries like Matchbox 20 and Maroon 5, Ashley's heartfelt lyrics, beautiful melodies and passionate vocals are sure to attract plenty of new fans even in the hard rock Mecca of Hollywood. You can learn more about Ashley and sample music from his debut CD, “Twelve Days in January” at www.themusicashley.com .
- All Access L.A. Weekly Magazine - by Inga Hansen Vol 2-21 Nov 4 - Nov 17, 2004
Discography
2003 - Bitter Sweet Single
2004 - Twelve Days In January Debut LP
Single Being Released: "Come Into Love"
Currently Being played FM94.9 & 91X in San Diego, CA
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
In 1999, Ashley ditched Corporate America for the romance of Southern Californias surf and sun. Ashley not only became entrenched in the surf culture but he also began an intense love affair with music. The South African-born artist, who first picked up a guitar at the age of 19, emerged from San Diegos music scene in January 2005 with his much-acclaimed debut album Twelve Days in January.
Ashley has been described by critics and the media as having an unforgettable voice and hook-laden songs, while his album has been called a deceptively ingenious melodic modern rock debut. Ashleys diverse musical influences include Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Neil Finn of Crowded House, Matthew Sweet, Smashing Pumpkins, Neil Young, Mozart, and British alternative pop band Travis.
Ashley, who has played in clubs throughout Southern California, has delighted his fans with his rich melodies, arresting vocals and genuine lyrics, with songs such as Come Into Love, Life So Ordinary, and LA.
In January 2005, Ashley over drafted his bank account to enter Come Into Love in a Best Rock Song contest sponsored by VH-1s Save the Music Foundation. Ashley, who only had $30 to his name at the time, scored the top slot and was entered into the Song of the Year contest.
Ashley has played with noted artists such as John Mayer, Jason Mraz, the Gin Blossoms, Etta James, Evan Dando of the Lemonheads, and Maria McKee. Ashley, who put himself through college by playing his guitar in the subways of Toronto, has been featured on numerous Southern California radio and TV shows.
Ashleys music will also hit the airwaves during a handful of MTV reality shows next season, including The O.C., Laguna Beach, and The Real World, as well as in a UPN series called Upscale TV, which will begin in January 2006. Ashleys much anticipated tour is expected to kick off in early 2006.
Links
