Gwyn Ashton Group
Pre-Order 'Grease Bucket' now!
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*MR Records are extremely excited to have Gwyn Ashton on the label and to be involved in this brand new album*
Locked down in Australia for two years during Covid, South Australian Music Hall of Fame inductee singer, guitarist, songwriter Gwyn Ashton has collaborated with Paul Wheeler, the drummer from one of Australia's most iconic bands - Icehouse, along with Screaming Believers bassist Chris Lambden and singer Andrea Dawson on backing vocals to record a KILLER new contemporary rock, funk and blues album, full of hooks and modern vibe with a retro guitar sound and great songs, the most important factor.
Titled 'Grease Bucket', this 10 track swampy, greasy, sleazy slide guitar album redefines the 'blues rock' genre and brings a more up-to-date mainstream approach to it and MR Records has gotten behind it.
Ashton has actually recorded 10 new albums in the two years that he was locked down in Australia, all ready to be mixed. Four of them with this same band. Three solo acoustic albums, a country, gospel, soul blues album with female vocalist Andrea Dawson, a songwriter collab rock blues album with Dave Gleeson and a new single ready to release featuring Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses), David Blight (Cold Chisel) and The Superjesus rhythm section Stu Rudd and Travis Dragani.
Ashton’s latest one-man band album Mojosoul has six albums of the week in six countries.
Here's a nice post from Gyn posted on Facebook on Sunday 23/06/24
Wow. I woke up to this lovely email from a former booking agent who came to a Melbourne show during the pandemic!
Hey Gwyn, nice to come to your show back in 2021 and connect with you. I was recently watching the new Chris Whitley movie and it kinda brought back the memory of when I caught your show in Melbourne so I’ve written a review of your live performance and you can publicise it if you like. I’m no longer in the industry and I don’t have any contacts as most of the venues have closed due to the pandemic. Hope ya dig. Keep rockin’! Half a lifetime ago I was a promotor and booking agent at a number of clubs and bars in Seattle, Washington and New York. I’ve seen many acts rise, fall and some unfortunately never make a dent in the industry for many reasons, some due to bad management, contractual problems and some just suffering bad timing. However some went on to greatness and still perform to this day.
I was standing outside a bar in Melbourne, Australia one night during Covid, debating whether to go inside as it was my last night in the country and I finally had an early morning flight booked to go home then I heard the band strike up sounding like the Black Keys playing the greasiest shit I’d heard in my time down under. They sounded so good and tight I HAD to go inside to check them out.
To my surprise there onstage was this one guy playing all the instruments together, by himself. I really thought it was a trio as the sound was HUGE. I watched intently for a few songs, the energy levels getting higher with him tearing up the fretboard on old Fender Stratocaster, in full control of his massive guitar tone! I couldn’t believe it. He was accompanying himself with impeccable timing on a simple drum kit he operated with his feet, not missing a beat and I still don’t know where he got that bass guitar tone from! All I could think of is he must have dealt with the devil down at the crossroads! Now, I grew up on Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan and even saw Rory Gallagher when Rush opened the show for him many moons ago and this guy reminded me so much of all of them and more as the night went on.
When I thought I’d seen it all, he swapped out guitars and fingerpicked the most delicate atmospheric instrumental song on a Weissenborn lap guitar that almost brought tears to my eyes. I heard elements of David Lindley and Ben Harper in there, then out comes this old rusty Dobro guitar and we’re suddenly taken to the Mississippi delta for a few songs. I couldn’t believe how the tones of all of his instruments were so traditional yet he sounded so hip at the same time.
I was mesmerised for the rest of the night, guitar after guitar; 12-string, weird shaped old axes, wailing on a dirty blues harmonica and what a voice, completely convincing of a real blues guy and before I knew it the three hour show was over.
Not one time did I feel that his show lost impact or got boring, I’d lost all sense of time. His stories were entertaining and funny. I was watching a true journeyman as I heard of his life touring the world, dedicating himself to his music, bringing happiness to people in song. I had just witnessed one of the best solo artists I’ve ever seen in all my years in the music industry. Hell, he even slayed some of the full bands I’ve booked!
If I’d had the pleasure to host Gwyn Ashton back in my venue days he would have been a household name by now along with Jack White and Bonamassa, at least in the areas that I booked.
Thanks for making my journey to your fair land a memorable one and I wish you all the luck in your future.
Track Listing
1. Something The Cat Dragged In
2. Green Light Blues
3. Evil Child
4. Howlin At The Moon
5. When The Well Runs Dry
6. Little Bit Of Crazy
7. Somebody
8. Self-Isolation Blues
9. Down & Dirty
10. Blues For The Tortured Soul
Here's some of his top tracks on Spotify, enjoy
