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Local Musical Artist Headlines A Taste of Colorado

Contributed by: Artopia Arts Activist on 8/4/2008

Ash Ganley and A Taste of Colorado: Natural Allies


by Linda Bolander

Denver is becoming a hotbed of sounds from all over the world. Some of those sounds are an union of other sounds, or have flavor packets added that bring zest to a familiar style or genre. But what happens when you fuse styles and add flavor on top of a foundation of originality?

You get Ash Ganley.

Ganley started performing as a youngster and has not stopped. "When I was a kid my mom played 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' by the Rolling Stones. It made me dance on the dinner table," he says. "This behavior was encouraged, so in fifth grade when I picked up the guitar, appeared in musicals, and took every chance I could get to perform for crowds, no one was surprised."

Ganley's musical interests are so diverse--from Broadway musicals to the Sex Pistols--that his fusion of sounds is also no surprise. He credits not only his training, but his 15 years as a "road dog apprentice" to many different flavors of music as well as his tours with bands of every stripe, from Reggae and blues to funk and bluegrass. He has also played in many different venues, from The Fox and The Boulder Theatre to Red Rocks, and toured Canada as well as the United States.

Having recorded three albums to date, Ganley considers his music true Americana because it takes the best from various musical genres and fuses them. This gives his songs an unmatched power and musicality. Mike Casey, Program Director at 99.5 FM (KQMT, "The Mountain) agrees. "The songs are strong lyrically and musically, the production and arrangement are solid, and you've clearly identified 'your' sound...which is key," Casey recently said of Ganley's album "Cruel Waters."

Carmen Allgood, producer of The Colorado Wave, says the album is "simply smashing from beginning to end.... This is the best album of the year 2008, in my opinion. I've put the entire disc into my music library, so no doubt every song will get played, and starting next week on Wednesday, April 30th, you'll be on the waves on all stations, terrestrial, streaming, podcasts, on demand, mobile phone networks." In a rare move, she put the whole disc into her library of music.

His high acclaim is not limited to the Denver scene. The Los Angles-based music website and blog RARWRITER.COM (www.rarwriter.com) writes, "Ash has that assured virility in his sound that you hear in guys who have achieved a certain level of professionalism. There is a quality in his sound that says he has arrived at his musical destination, which is powerful stuff.... Ash can do anything, from Delta blues Robert Johnson style, to blistering blues-rock ala Kenny Wayne Shepherd, to heartbreak country that could land him comfortably on stage at the Grand Ole Opry."

So where can you catch this up-and-coming new star of the American stage locally and live? At a place where you find many other kinds of flavors, too--A Taste of Colorado. Look for Ash Ganley on August 29th when he performs as the headliner on the KBCO World Class Rock Stage from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Also, if you are an aspiring musician who would like to follow in Ash Ganley's footsteps, he has some advice for you. "Forget about the television, the radio, the clubs, and the way our culture perceives music. Tune it all out. Find your voice. If you are in it because you love it and would keep on playing no matter what happens with money, fame or cultural success, keep going and never give up. The rewards start from within."


If you would like to hear a sample of Ash Ganley's music, please see his Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/ashganley



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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Artopia Arts Activist

Littleton , CO

Artopia Arts Activist has posted 52 stories and 0 comments since joining on 5/27/2008. Artopia Arts Activist 's average story rating is 5.
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