Gwyn Ashton's one-man-band solo show is a blend of alternative blues and swamp boogie, all played on his resonator, lap-slide, 12 & 6-string guitars, harmonica and a homemade foot stomp board.
For the band shows, he trades in his stomp board for a drummer and kicks his roots-rock power duo into overdrive making creative use of fuzzed-out bottleneck slide, octave dividers, delays and loops and bringing the blues into the 21st century. Like a band possessed, Ashton’s fiery 2-man combo pulls no punches and delivers the goods every time. These guys are Lo-Fi, analogue, wild and dangerous!
Ashton has delivered show-stopping performances at festivals such as Cognac Blues Passions (Fr), Great British R&B Festival (UK), Maryport (UK), Beauvais (Fr), Gympie Muster (Aus), Thredbo (Aus), Dobrofest (Slovakia) and Prague Blues Festival (Cz), co-headlined the Marseille Blues Festival with Robben Ford and has been highly acclaimed by such luminaries as Robert Plant, Johnny Winter and Eric Johnson.
Ashton has played onstage with the likes of Mick Fleetwood, Hubert Sumlin, Marc Ford, Jon Paris, Canned Heat and opened for BB King, Buddy Guy, Rory Gallagher, John Hammond, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Van Morrison, Pat Travers, Jeff Healey, Tony Joe White and many others.He also appears and gives tutorials in numerous guitar magazines, has two of his songs in movie soundtracks in France and Asia, conducts masterclasses in Australia and Europe (inc GIT and Guitar X, London) and performs live on radio and television worldwide.
From supercharged four-on-the-floor rockers to gritty blues, Ashton's playing, songwriting and singing are in top form. This is in full evidence on his latest release, Prohibition, whose guests include Chris Glen, Ted McKenna (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Michael Schenker Group, Ian Gillan rhythm section) and Deep Purple keys man, Don Airey.Welsh-born Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in the ‘60s, picked up a guitar at 12 and, from the age of 16, played every seedy bar, festival and biker show imaginable.He relocated to Sydney in the ‘80s, playing stints with Swanee and Stevie Wright. With his own band, he carved up stages nationwide - some in the middle of nowhere, fronted with chicken wire, sometimes driving for days through the outback to get to the next show.In the ‘90s he moved to Melbourne, played shows with Jim Keays and Mick Pealing, recorded his first two albums and opened for Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse and Albert Lee.Promoting his then current album Feel The Heat, Ashton’s band opened for UK rock icons Status Quo on their 15-date British arena tour in ‘99. This included dates at Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena.In 2000 Ashton recorded Fang It! with Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neil, former Rory Gallagher rhythm section now with Nine Below Zero. He then fronted Band of Friends, replacing ex Motörhead guitarist Brian Robertson.
This was a tribute to Rory, with Gerry, Brendan, Lou Martin, Mark Feltham and Ted McKenna who all played with Rory over the years.Gwyn Ashton is endorsed by: Fender (Australia), Vigier Guitars (France), Busker Guitars (UK), Fatboy Guitar Parts, Vintage Guitars, Jacques Stompboxes (France), National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Hiscox Cases, Koch Guitar Electronics, Graph-Tech Industries, Award-Session and Dunlop Strings.
Discography
*†Feel The Heat - ‘93
Beg, Borrow & Steel - ’96
* ** Fang It! - 2000
††Prohibition -’07
†Album of the Month Oct ‘98 Guitar & Bass, FR
*Amazon France Top 100 albums, 2000
**Album of the Month Sept 2000 Guitar, FR
††Album of the Year 2007 Guitar & Bass, UK
Pressure Makes Diamonds - Jim Keays ‘93
Real Australian Blues Vol. 2 - ‘94
Classic Rock coverdisc - Dec. 2000
Blues Guitar Heroes -’03
Resonator - Jim Keays ‘07
Bone Rattlin’ Blues - ‘07
Hollywood Rocks - ’07
She's So Shy - Peter Parker ’07
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