TEA Volume 14 artist James Ashberry has been singing since the 2nd grade and playing guitar since the age of 10. He has involved himself in dramatic theatre, and it’s safe to say that between choir performances and school plays, the stage became comfortable for him at an early age. After experimenting in several high school bands, come graduation he had made up his mind to get serious. Already writing songs of his own, James had also begun to amass a plethora of cover material and he decided that he had the ammo to hit the circuit. There’s nothing like the trenches of the club scene to help you hone your skills and within a year or two, The Ashberry Jam was becoming quite a hot item. The years between 1990 & 2000 found James touring the GTA and southern Ontario circuit steadily. He has opened shows for the likes of Kim Mitchell and April Wine, performed in legendary clubs such as The Opera House, The Elmocombo, Lees Palace and The Horseshoe Tavern to name just a few. In 1994 James won the Best New Band title at the Rock n Roll Canada pageant. The band took the free studio time they won from this competition and recorded their first EP. With well over 4000 gigs under his belt and 3 independent CD’s to his credit, James has an incredible cover repertoire and prides himself on being able to cater to any room.
James’ own songs have been described as an intimate and thought provoking, eclectic mix of melodies and harmonies, spanning topics ranging from the state of environment, the pursuit of enlightenment and the complexities of love. A naturally gifted multi-instrumentalist with a unique intensity, James Ashberry gives 110% of himself to every note, of every song he plays. You can purchase James' music at Indiepool and keep up to date with his live shows on his myspace page.
Listen to James Ashberry
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She's a self described nomad who has incorporated elements of her travelling as well as other bits of life into a deep, exciting hodgepodge of songs. What is particularly homogeneous about this artist, which is quite rare for such a varied repetoire, is the fact that her music displays a unique voice that makes it enjoying to hear in many aspects.
PHIL: Some say that your music "does not require fast forwarding to get to the good stuff, and gets better with each listen". Would you say that your material ages like a wine vintage, and do you believe that your fans out there will still owns technology that features "fast forwarding"?
