Ashley Anderson

Ashley Anderson is a singer-songwriter with poetic lyrics, passionate chords, and a soulful voice. Ashley was born and raised in Texas, moving from Stamford at a young age and spending most of her life in Abilene. As soon as Ashley could raise a drumstick, she realized her love for music. My grandparents had ten children and many of them could play an instrument or sing. They would have family get togethers on the back porch of their house and would play music all night long with some of their friends. I would sit with a snare drum in my lap and drum along with the music. She had no idea that her future back porch would be a stage.As a young aspiring musician, Ashley moved on from the drumstick to the piano, but she never stuck with it. She went back to her original instrument, the drums, for fun in high school, but her primary instrument was the clarinet. Later, taking on the role as singer-songwriter, mixing her love for music and words came naturally. I have written poetry for as long as I can remember. When I began playing guitar, I started putting the two together. Having written and performed her own songs, audiences can sense the seamless flow of her words joining the music, and how the blending of the two create her perfectly fashioned message.She picked up the guitar as a way to ease her first broken heart. A self-taught guitarist of five years, Ashleys music takes poignant moments and reflects them in simple and universally relatable ways. It is extremely important to her that the audience sees the truths behind her music. I hope that others can learn a little about me and my lifes experiences, as well as relate to the things I write about. Music has always been a very therapeutic experience for me. I love being able to relate to other songwriters and I tend to cope with lifes issues through hearing others sing about their own experiences, she says. As both a singer and a songwriter, Ashleys primary musical influences are Sheryl Crow, Rachael Yamagata, and Jennifer Knapp. Id like for listeners to be able to relate to me in the same way, seeing the fun, carefree side of me, and through listening to my music, see that I am very compassionate about life and love.Ashley began her musical career by playing at local open-mic nights. While attending South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, she played guitar and sang vocals for Dangerous Whamo! When she moved back to Abilene, she joined Core 47 as a guitarist and vocalist. She also has a three-song demo that she recorded with a group of friends in Denton, TX; the demo, Broken Hearted, Empty Handed, was her debut as a singer-songwriter.In 2005, The Blues and Rock Gazette, a bi-weekly music guide, voted Ashley Female Vocalist of the Year, and her band, Core 47, was voted Rock Band of the Year. When asked about her passion for music, Ashley says, I dont know if I found music, or if music found me. Music is what I do, and Id like to think Im successful at it. Whether Im playing in my living room or on stage playing for friends, family, and strangers I am happy. My hope is that you will be able to relate to my lyrics and love me for me.