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Sean Ashby
Genres: Rock, Powerpop
Hometown: toronto
Country: Canada
Formed: 2008
Label: black sparrow/ bhurr
Featured: Apr 18, 2008
 
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| Sean Ashby |
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Bio
Sean Ashby :
release: April 29, 08 on Back Sparrow Records/
Bhurr Records/Fontana North
track listing:
1. dreamin'
2. this machine
3. miss it everytime
4. brass and gold
5. star 98
6. baby yes
7. nova girl
8. eyes are closed
9. all i need
10. gone
11. dance upon my grave
12. come to me
www.seanashby.com | www.myspace.com/seanashbymusic
Sean Ashby recorded a version of
the Beatles' ‘Blackbird' with Sarah
McLachlan for the major motion
picture ‘I Am Sam' starring Sean
Penn. It is currently getting heavy
rotation on radio stations all over
North America.
"On this, his solo debut, he emerges
as a rock singer-songwriter with a
knack for melody and infectious
riffs....Stylistic reference points here
range from the Foo Fighters to
Coldplay to Nick Drake and such
eclecticism is refreshing in this era
of one-dimensional artists."
- Kerry Doole, Exclaim
publiciity: Diane Foy | Skylar Entertainment | diane@skylarentertainment.ca | 416.413.9672
Sean Ashby - Chances are, if you've had a radio on today you've heard him. As
one of North America's go-to guitar players, Sean has played and recorded with
Sarah McLachlan, Delerium, Wild Strawberries, Ginger (former Grapes Of Wrath)
and many more. Ashby, formerly of Vancouver and Hamilton, and now based in
Toronto is a songwriter, producer, guitarist, singer, programmer and engineer
who will release his new album "Brass And Gold" on his imprint Black Sparrow
Records and a licensing deal with Bhurr Records with distribution through
Fontana North / Universal Music Canada on April 29.
Sarah McLachlan's guitarist since 1996, Ashby has appeared with her on "Just
Like You (Cats In The Cradle)" for D from Run DMC's solo CD. Also with Sarah, he
received two 4 x platinum US discs and one diamond Canadian disc for studio
and live cd's. He has recorded and/or toured with Delerium, Front Line Assembly,
Swollen Members, Conjure 1, Ginger (former Grapes of Wrath – 3 cd's, tours and
5 videos), Lava Hay, Lee Aaron, Holly McNarland, Sue Medley, Mike Trebilcock (of
the Killjoys), Todd Fancey (The New Pornographers) and Wild Strawberries.
Brass and Gold is a solo venture, however, and if you include his award winning
side project Jack Tripper, it is actually Ashby's third album. He is assisted on this
effort by Warne Livesy (Midnight Oil, Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla, Matthew
Good Band) who mixed the album, while Ashby did most everything else. The CD
focuses on his songwriting/ singing/ guitar/ producing and he also mixed one
song. Many of the songs are inspired by Ashby's battles with his own dark side
and his journey out. "Eyes are Closed" is a more uplifting song that came to him
in a beach hut in Costa Rica on a surf trip. "I am no Jack Johnson, but I have been
doing an impression of surfing for about ten years," jokes Ashby.
"Dance Upon My Grave" was inspired by a book on Gypsy singing, "it talked
about being a Gypsy singer and how a singer should be completely drained after
one song - wrenching out all their emotion into every line, left voiceless and
exhausted at the end of the "telling" of the song," Ashby explains. "I was also
thinking about a scene in Kill Bill Part 2 where the protagonist is buried alive and
trying to escape. The claustrophobia of that idea as an emotional metaphor was
the catalyst for this song. That, coupled with my own relationship destructions,
inevitably at my own hands. The songs on this record were all crafted with great
attention to the lyrics."
Ashby was able to recruit an impressive line up of musicians to perform on Brass
and Gold including Todd Fancey (The New Pornographers), Ray Garraway (K-OS)
and Sean Drabbit (Branford & Wynton Marsalis). Kevin Fox did two wonderful
string arrangements. "Recording the string section was a very emotional experi-
ence - so beautiful sounding I had a hard time keeping it together in order to
produce/direct the session," says Ashby.
As a musician, Ashby has appeared on the Grammy Awards twice, The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno five times, SNL and David Letterman three times, along with
other major TV shows and four motion pictures. Sean's guitar playing has
appeared on cd's with sales in excess of 10 million copies worldwide... so far. As a
solo Artist his goals are not quite so lofty.
When asked about his hopes for this album and his solo future Sean says " I am
working at building an audience for my music , playing shows and improving as
a songwriter and performer." |
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