Thursday, November 19, 2015
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Nature's House: The Story Behind the Song
I'm intermittently posting the individual tracks from my "Greatest Misses: A-Sides" this summer coupled with a story behind each song. Nature's House is the 2nd single off the album(!)...
I'm pretty sure I came up with the riff for this song while I was over at (lead guitarist) Brendan's for a jam & he had to step out for a bit. Gatineau Park (in Quebec) is a great inspiration, & that's where the lyrics came from. Drums for this & several others on our Light The Lamp EP (2011) recorded by Adam Fogo @ Jack's old place on Lake MacGregor, also in Quebec.
I'm pretty sure I came up with the riff for this song while I was over at (lead guitarist) Brendan's for a jam & he had to step out for a bit. Gatineau Park (in Quebec) is a great inspiration, & that's where the lyrics came from. Drums for this & several others on our Light The Lamp EP (2011) recorded by Adam Fogo @ Jack's old place on Lake MacGregor, also in Quebec.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
"Greatest Misses" CasSeD™ Now Available To Order Online
The double-album "Ashley Newall: Greatest Misses" has been released on a
brand new physical format, which I myself designed &
then filed my patent on. The packaging is a standard cassette-case, but
the delivery-system is completely digital. The CasSed contains both WAV
+ mp3 formats, music videos, pictures from 1995-2015, chord & lyric
sheets, & more!
(Only $12!) Order here: ashleynewall.bandcamp.com/merch/greatest-misses-cassed
(Only $12!) Order here: ashleynewall.bandcamp.com/merch/greatest-misses-cassed
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Waste The Night (Save the Day): The Story Behind The Song
I'm intermittently posting the individual tracks from my "Greatest Misses: A-Sides" this summer coupled with a story behind each song, & "Waste The Night (Save The Day)" is the 2nd of these...
This track contains a great mish-mash of the players I jammed with prior to the Ashley Newall Band forming in 1998. Rod Christie & Lou DiFlorio -on lead guitars- I jammed with in Toronto before I moved to Ottawa, as well as Mick Cooper on bass (Mick also played on the “Three Paper Thin” cassette). Then there's Darin Edwards on drums with whom I'd been playing in Ottawa since shortly after arriving in '95 (starting together in Burti Lasky in '96 w/ Sean Stephens & Paul Sadlon). With two, two, two songs in one (the 2nd of which being my one & only 'thrash' turn), chalk one up for 'adventures in songwriting.'
This track contains a great mish-mash of the players I jammed with prior to the Ashley Newall Band forming in 1998. Rod Christie & Lou DiFlorio -on lead guitars- I jammed with in Toronto before I moved to Ottawa, as well as Mick Cooper on bass (Mick also played on the “Three Paper Thin” cassette). Then there's Darin Edwards on drums with whom I'd been playing in Ottawa since shortly after arriving in '95 (starting together in Burti Lasky in '96 w/ Sean Stephens & Paul Sadlon). With two, two, two songs in one (the 2nd of which being my one & only 'thrash' turn), chalk one up for 'adventures in songwriting.'
Monday, June 22, 2015
Pics: Danielle Allard "Chameleon" CD Release, May 9 @ Bourbon Room (Ottawa)
Right when we started our set @ Danielle Allard's CD release @ Bourbon Room, May 9th, the camera flashes started going off like some kinda paparazzi thing. (I even had to put my shades on at one point.) Great show, great band, & great album, "Chameleon".
We play Ottawa Jazzfest Fri., June 26th!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Hey Earthling: The Story Behind the Song
I'll be intermittently posting the individual tracks from my "Greatest Misses: A-Sides" this summer, coupled with a story behind each song. The 1st of these is the single, "Hey Earthling"...
A long-lost friend from the late 90's, Keri Davey, was trying to get back into poetry-writing, & wanted
to send me lyrics to put music to. She gave me a much-needed deadline (ie. for the requisite drive to complete it) as it was for a songwriting competition. I wrote some music, and then a couple months later -with the deadline mere days away- I sat down to marry her lyrics to it. Her words/poem totally lead the way, dictating the slightly unusual yet organic musical arrangement perfectly.
A long-lost friend from the late 90's, Keri Davey, was trying to get back into poetry-writing, & wanted
to send me lyrics to put music to. She gave me a much-needed deadline (ie. for the requisite drive to complete it) as it was for a songwriting competition. I wrote some music, and then a couple months later -with the deadline mere days away- I sat down to marry her lyrics to it. Her words/poem totally lead the way, dictating the slightly unusual yet organic musical arrangement perfectly.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Less is More | Spread the Love: By Ashley Newall
My latest article for Couch Assassin: Less is More | Spread the Love
Sample/Intro: "The local music scene has exploded! Now what do we do? We expand and spread it out, that's what!
Local venues are embracing live local music en masse which is resulting in a momentary glut of shows. How do bands rise above the fray? Two words: supply & demand. If the frequency of shows you play in Ottawa proper surpasses the demand, then you will notice your audiences starting to fall-off. How to address this issue:..." [read more]
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Hosting: Open Mic TUNESday Nights @ LIVE on Elgin!
I'll be hosting Open Mic TUNESday Nights @ Live on Elgin starting June 9th!
FIVE BUCK BEAU'S pints, + newbies get a $15 gift certificate from St. John's Music for playin'!
Every Tuesday night at LIVE on Elgin! (220 Elgin St., Ottawa - 2nd Floor.)
Doors @ 9pm; sign up starts @ 8:30pm.
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1408550262780894/
Thursday, June 4, 2015
"Greatest Misses: A-Sides" Now Available Digitally Online!
The "A-Sides" constitute 1/2 of the double-album. The 2nd 1/2, or "B-Sides", will also be available only via online ordering of the CasSed itself (coming soon to a computer screen near you!) which also includes vids, pics, stories-behind-the-songs, chords & lyrics, WAV + mp3 formats, & more!
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Bio: Newall & the Gang™
2021 Update: Greatest Misses redux, the best of the best of, coming out soon!
We have 4 CD's to our credit (plus the aforementioned "Greatest Misses" double-album, which came out on CasSed™); 2000's Shakespeare In the Park, 2008's In Between, 2010's Ashley Newall LIVE, & 2011's Light the Lamp.
Newall & the Gang™ are a trio formation, featuring myself -Ashley Newall- on acoustic guitar, Jack MacGregor on drums, & Adam Fogo on "lead bass"(!) & electric viola da gamba. Previous concert venues played include Zaphod Beeblebrox, Irene's Pub, & Bluesfest (in Ottawa), and Clinton's, The Rivoli, & C'est What (in Toronto). Our sound is best described as eclectic, straddling everything from pop-rock to folk to reggae to latin & beyond.
Contact: ashnewall at gmail dot com
[Photos by Remi Theriault for Trackster]
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Hey Earthling: The Story Behind the Music Video
Hey Earthling, the video, was filmed by a creative partner in crime, Sylvain Morin. Sylvain & I play his songs ensemble (gigging very occasionally), & he's has helped edit & produce a couple of my previous music videos (Enough's Enough & Nature's House). We started the shoot with a vague idea of what we were going to do, & Sylvain added aspects as we went along to tell a story. He wanted to do more filming, to add an urban aspect to juxtapose against the Nature one, which I didn't think was necessary & couldn't be bothered with. (That yin-yang effect came together elsewise later, in editing.) Hence, the footage sat on two SD cards (from the 2 cams we used) untouched for 8 months. Finally I reviewed the footage, & at long last saved it to my computer; there was clearly enough to make a solid video already existing, & when Sylvain saw it he heartily agreed. We booked time at SAW Video, and the 1st night Ottawa Explosion fest was also taking place at the neighbouring SAW Gallery & in the shared courtyard. Hence there was beer for sale, tons of excitement around, plus several of my concert-going friends stumbling about in various states of intoxication. Technical difficulties ensued at a couple sessions after, for instance with us finalizing the video with no proper speakers (with just 1 set of headphones between us, or perhaps the built-in computer speaker), but we prevailed & are quite happy with our home-made video, which is firmly in our style.
Click here to see the Hey Earthling video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY3k0SWDNSA
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Hey Earthling : Ashley Newall
Video by Sylvain Morin
Double-album release of "Ashley Newall: Greatest Misses" Fri., May 29 @ Mavericks! FB event pg: https://www.facebook.com/events/1060423590637887/
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Ashley Newall & The Raging Suburbanites: "Greatest Misses" Double-Album Release | Feat. The Owl Eyes Project, Braden Folks, & Prett Melberts
On the 20th anniversary of my first official EP (a cassette!) I'm releasing the very best tracks of the last 2 decades! Along for practically the whole ride have been Brendan Allistone, Jack MacGregor & Adam Fogo, and -the 'newest' band member- Neil Gerster joined us in time for our latest EP, 2011's Light The Lamp. It's a (best-of/best-yet, greatest-hits-style) double-album, with album 1 being the actual "Greatest Misses", & album 2 being top notch (& produced) live, demo, & b-side tracks. Two tracks on the release are never-before-heard mixes, three tracks have been re-mastered (or rather, mastered for the 1st time), & one track has never been heard before. (Many, MANY others have never been posted online & hence will be completely new to most.) Then there's the new single, Hey Earthling, for which I'm releasing a music video on Tues., May 12th!
This release show is also planned as a (music-related) product launch, so stay tooned for deets on THAT!
We are absolutely THRILLED to share the bill with our good friends The Owl Eyes Project, Braden Folks, & Prett Melberts (the latter who, coincidentally, just released their own album)!
$10 at-the-door ($9 for students), & pre-show tickets $5 (available @ Vertigo Records -193 Rideau St.- & also directly from the bands).
8pm doors, 19+
FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: www.facebook.com/events/1060423590637887/
Danielle Allard: Chameleon CD Release Sat., May 9
I, er, I mean Zee Bongo King, will be playing this show on percush in Danielle's band.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Ashley Newall & The Raging Suburbanites Fri., April 10 @ Zaphod Beeblebrox (Ottawa)
Also feat. the Mark Nyvlt Band + Matt Powell!
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1098275110200256/
(Zaphod's located @ 27 York St.)
Friday, March 20, 2015
Local Musicians Need Managers - by Ashley Newall for Couch Assassin
Read article here: Local Musicians Need Managers - Couch Assassin
Matt Noyes pic'd from earlier this month playing (& winning!) the Play for the Pot Champion's League @ Zaphod Beeblebrox (Ottawa, ON). *Photo by Brendan Mariani.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Play for the Pot Champion's League - Fri., March 6th @ Zaphod's
I'm hosting the Play for the Pot Champion's League/final Fri., March 6 @ Zaphod Beeblebrox (Ottawa)! The winning acts gets a day @ Gallery Recording Studio!
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