David Ashley

Leave the Genre Alone

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In my last post I talked about trying to wrap my head around the fact that recently I have been writing songs that don’t necessarily fit together on the same album. This leaves me in a place to make one of two choices. I can either sample a little bit of everything on my next album or I can choose one style and stick with it. There is, however, a third possibility when it comes to this dilemma. It is possible to produce each song in a way that gives them enough similarity to coexist on one album. If I lost you with the statement above, consider this example: over the past several years there continues to be a trend on YouTube of taking popular songs (regardless of the genre) and turning them into acoustic performances. Take for example this video: Here you have a rock song (sung by Pixie Lott) turned into a soft and sweet coffee shop style performance. It works here because this is not her original song. But what if Kings of Leon had never released the rock version that brought them so much fame? What if they had decided just to release it as an acoustic song because it was a better fit to their album? We would all have missed out on a spectacular song. And that’s exactly what I’m talking about for option number 3 in the search for what to do with all this variety in my songwriting. When I take an idea and formulate it into a song, whatever comes out of me first will be the truest form of creativity. If it comes out sounding like a country song with country lyrics, then its country, and if it comes out sounding like a bluesy soulful song with soulful lyrics then it’s supposed to be that way. If I take something I’ve written and form it and shape it to match a different genre, it loses some of its original character, and what you’re left with is something less inspiring – at least to me. Michael Gungor of the band Gungor does a brilliant job of going into more detail about this very same idea along with some other heated opinions in a post he wrote called “Zombies, Wine, and Christian Music” As a music listener, what do you think? Do you think it matters what style music is played regardless of the lyrics or message of the song? Or do some lyrics deserve a specific genre? Leave a comment on this blog, Facebook, or Twitter and tell me what you think?

Too Much Variety?!

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500

One of the common complaints you hear people give when talking about a band or musical act is that all of their songs sound the same. From track to track you hear the same guitar piece or the same drum beat or the same production qualities. I will give one example of a band that I think has a very similar sounding track time and time again: The Strokes. Now, I like The Strokes, so to me, this is not a problem, but I do see where some might view it in a negative light. I have not written this post to talk about bands with similar sounding records, but instead I want to write about an opposite issue – an issue in which I would say that I am currently experiencing. As I continue to write with greater frequency, the songs that I am writing are lacking a common ground as far as style goes. Instead, they are actually grouping themselves into 3 very different, yet distinct categories: 1. Adult Contemporary 2. Americana3. Alt-Rock I am excited about the variety in my writing lately, but my gut tells me that many of the songs I am writing are simply too far apart to exist on one cohesive project. Obviously variety is a good thing. But my question to you music lovers is this: Can there be too much variety in an album? And how do you know when enough is enough? Leave a comment on this blog, Facebook, or Twitter and tell me what you think.

Studio Talk - A New Music Update

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500

While recording in the studio the last couple afternoons, I have had a break through of sorts. In January of this year, I started recording some new music with the idea that I wanted to let each song be a project by itself. I was not interested in creating music for the purpose of making an album, or fitting a mold (a songwriting strategy I discussed in an earlier blog) because by doing that, I knew I would subliminally try and make every song sound similar. So each time I brought in a new song, I started from scratch. Sometimes a song idea would remind me of another song and I would begin with borrowed ideas, and then other times I would simply build tracks one instrument at a time and see what it sounded like. 5 months later, I have recorded 9 songs with the goal of recording 5 to 10 more before I begin deciding what stays and what gets thrown out. The interesting thing is that I am finally beginning to see a common thread that wasn't there a couple months ago. Instead of forcing my music in a certain direction, I am simply observing where it leads me. As a result, the music feels much more authentic which is exciting.In a recent interview featured in American Songwriter Magazine, John Paul White of The Civil Wars said "Let's just make music as selfishly as we can - music that pleases us - and don't worry about how it affects other people, because that's something that we cannot control or predict" This is the exact mentality that I am trying to have right now. And it seems to be working based on what's happening in the studio so far. What do you think? Do you think it's a problem to have a selfish attitude when creating music? Can you forsee any possible negative effects? Leave a comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Do You Practice The Truth

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So, we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 1 John 5-7Do you practice the truth? I’m not asking if you’re a Christian or if you go to church sometimes. I’m asking do you practice the truth: Do you consider God when you make daily decisions? Do you take time to pray for yourself and for others? Do you spend time on a regular basis reading (and studying) the Bible? Do you give a portion of your money back to Him through charities and tithes and offerings? None of these are mandatory activities…they are simply a list of very common practices shared by true followers of Christ. The definition of practice is, “to perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency. “ A healthy relationship with God is not something that just washes over you one day after you’ve prayed a prayer. A healthy relationship with God takes practice.

There is No Middle Ground

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In politics, there exists a middle ground: You can choose to be left, right, or somewhere in between. In sports, there exists a middle ground: You can say “Roll Tide” during football season, and “Go Duke” during basketball season. In Economics, there exists a middle ground: (see spouse for explanation) In music, there exists a middle ground: You can like Carrie Underwood and Bon Jovi at the same time (not to say that I like either). In almost every topic of life, you’re entitled to take a less than extreme point of view. ALMOST every topic of life: Then Jesus said, “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16 Jesus was an extremist, and so must you be also if you want to find out what it truly means to be one of His followers. Either your world revolves around Him, or you’re just playing games. Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37 There is no middle ground.

To The Youth Who Stand Strong:

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

When I'm Old

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

Why Do I Write Songs?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

Chapter 1: The Beginning I didn’t start writing and creating music until college. At this point I had been a guitar player for 5-6 years. But it was during my late teens/early 20s that I got tired of playing other people’s music. I wanted to create something for myself. In the beginning, I seemed to have a fairly constant inflow of ideas. Like any other creative venture, I found myself throwing out the majority, but this still left me with plenty of material from which to work with. My first songs were certainly influenced by the type of music I was listening to at the time: DMB, Jack Johnson, and a long list of classic rock songs were at the top of the list. But as I look back on the music I made initially, I can say with a certain objectivity that the ideas were certainly original. They were a good representation of me, and making music was fun. Chapter 2: Where It All Started Going Wrong Nashville, TN: I was at an open mic at the Bluebird Café one Monday night in 2007 playing a couple songs that I had recently written. After I finished a man (whose name I cannot remember) came up to me and introduced himself as a producer from California who had just moved to Nashville. He said to me, “I really liked your songs tonight. I would love for you to send me a demo of those songs so I could share it with some people I know.” This is where I started getting a little confused. Up until this point I was happiest making music that inspired me. I was focused on making music that I liked listening to. But with one comment from one innocent person, my focus began to shift: All of a sudden I wanted to make music that inspired this person. I wanted to make music that he liked listening to. As time went on, I would meet other people that I wanted to impress with my music, and I would want to inspire them. And so began the unwanted process of creating music to “fit the mold.” Chapter 3: Fitting The Mold Before I define the mold, let me first say that it is neither bad nor good. You can be perfectly happy creating for the purpose of fitting a mold. For example there are hundreds of songwriters in Nashville (and all over the world for that matter) who create music on a daily basis in hopes of fitting a mold. Fitting the mold is this: making music for any purpose other than the purpose of expressing your creative self in its truest form. Fitting the mold includes but is not limited to the following reasons for making music: The pursuit of radio airplayThe pursuit of a recording contractApproval (from family, friends, coworkers, church etc.) MoneyFameAny combination of the above mentioned Anyone wishing to fit the mold should use this 2-step process of creating music: Who is your audience? (Choose your mold)Write songs that will inspire/entertain them Again, I stress that there is nothing wrong with this formula, as long as you know what’s going on. It is a very noble thing to be a songwriter in Nashville who writes songs for other people in hopes that their songs will be picked up and recorded by other artists, earn a profit and therefore provide their family with income. You can fit the mold and be happy at the same time. Chapter 4: Motives vs. Content The interesting thing I am finding out in my own career is how important motives are. Am I writing a song in hopes of fitting a mold? Am I writing in hopes of being played on the radio? Am I hoping to appeal to a certain audience? Am I writing in hopes of becoming famous or scoring a big hit and making lots of money? OR Do I write songs because I have a message that needs to be shared with others? It sounds simple, but this last reason for writing is the one I really want to focus on from here on out. For me, it is MORE important to know WHY I am writing a song, than it is to know WHAT I am writing. In other words, MOTIVES are more important than CONTENT. This is a new realization for me, and I am so excited to finally see clearly on the subject. I need to tell my story through music because it is the story of “me,” that I think people will have the greatest response to. The story of “me,” is my best chance to communicate a message effectively, because it is the only story I know. Chapter 5: The Future In light of this revelation, I am having to go back to the drawing board. More than likely my style won’t be changing a great deal. In addition, you aren’t going to see a drastic change in the theme of my writings either. But what I will be adding to all of my future projects is a heightenend level of passion and sincerity. And hopefully that passion will jump through your speakers and headphones. This is what gives me peace now, and this is what fuels my desire to continue creating music far into the future. --David

Raking Leaves

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0600

The other day my wife and I spent an hour or so raking leaves in our front yard. The yard had become completely covered thanks to a giant oak tree nearby. After we finished with the leaves, we decided to continue in our spirit of yard work by cleaning out a small flower bed that had a few weeds in it, so we worked on that for another hour or so (I know… cool points are being lost at an alarming rate). Nevertheless, while we were outside, a neighbor drove past and saw what we were doing. She stopped to tell us how good the front yard was looking. But then she added something more. She felt the need to confess to us that she was sorry for letting her yard get so out of hand - as if we were the yard police or something. She went even further by promising us that she would find time early next week to do her own share of raking, even though I assure you that neither me nor my wife are the least bit concerned about the appearance of this lady’s yard. Sometimes this happens when you’re a follower of Jesus too. If you and Him are out there spending time together working in the “yard,” – or you might call it the garden of your heart – then people will start to notice when your appearance changes and they will be persuaded to take a closer look at their own “yards.”

The New Sound!

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0500

No Fools in April

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0500

This April has been THE busiest month I have had since I started doing music full time. When the clock strikes 12:00am on May 1, I will have made 18 appearances in the last 30 days!!! To put that in perspective that is about 30% of the total number of shows I did in 2010. So if you have a hard time finding me this May, it might be because I’m in the bed asleep. I’m joking…but also kinda serious. Anyways, it has been such a blessing to get so many opportunities to share with so many different groups. I feel privileged and unworthy all at the same time to be doing what I’m doing as my full time job. Here are some shots from along the way. See ya soon!

Florida, You Never Disappoint

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

This past weekend I had a Saturday night show at Niceville United Methodist in Niceville, FL; a Sunday morning show at Central Baptist in Crestview, FL; and a Sunday evening show at First Baptist in Florala, AL!! Getting the opportunity to meet 3 different churches in one weekend was such a blessing! And all 3 were places I hadn’t worked with previously, so needless to say I made a bunch of new friends! What is so cool about it, is that I had this one show on my calendar in Florala, AL for the longest time with nothing else in conjunction with that. So basically I was looking at traveling a fairly long distance for one show and then turning right back around to go home. Now I am not against doing that every now and then. Logistically speaking, however, it’s not the best idea to do things like that on a normal basis. So then, 2 weeks before I left I figured I would try and contact a few more churches in the area to see if I could find a last second gig. And just like He always does, God provided not only one but two more amazing opportunities for me in the area that weekend. And yes, booking 2 shows with only a 2 week notice does constitute as a miracle (most days I’m lucky if churches aren’t booked up 6 months in advance). On a crazy side note, while on my way south on I-65 I drove through a tornado warning and this happened!!!! But once I got to Florida, there was nothing but sunny skies for the rest of the weekend, which was nice because my wife kept telling me how cold it was in Oxford while I was gone. It’s actually still cold in Oxford today as I write this. Florida people are lucky!! I leave you with some pictures from this past weekend:

Spring Break, St. Patty, and San Antonio

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Recently, Colene and I took a trip out to San Antonio, TX for a few days for a school conference that she was attending. We treated it as a mini vacation, with the benefit that I had also scheduled several appearances along the way to share music with different churches. We left on a Wednesday and arrived in Jennings, LA that evening. That is where we made our first stop: at Bethel Baptist Church. The youth minister, Blaine was nice enough to invite me to play a mini-concert for the guys and girls that night. Even though it was spring break, there was an awesome turnout of +100 people! And these LA kids sure no how to rock it out! If they have this much energy with a chilled-out acoustic singer/songwriter, dare I ask what would happen if we got a high energy rock band in here?! I always wanted to be in a high energy rock band (sigh), but that’s another story…Here’s some pics from the show! After staying the night just outside of Lake Charles, LA, we woke up the next morning and crossed into Texas. We drove through Houston and arrived in San Antonio later that same day. I know Texans love to talk about Texas, and with this being our second trip out here, I’ve gotta say there’s something contagious about this place. You can literally feel the pride oozing out of everything and everyone. Next on the agenda was a 3 hour Thursday night set at a very, very cool coffee shop located in downtown San Antonio called The Foundry. If coffee shops are all about atmosphere, then this one takes the cake. Oh and the best Costa Rican drip in the state. The funniest part about it was that 15 minutes after I started my set, I noticed all of these kids (6-12 yrs old) started piling in each with a guitar in hand. And then the place really began to get packed out with more kids and parents. So eventually, I decided to ask from stage, “Hey what’s with all the kids and guitars?” A very panic stricken woman looked at me and said, “We’re having a guitar recital! How much longer are you going to be?!” Suddenly it all made sense. I had driven almost 1000 miles to play a gig that I had been double booked in conjunction with a guitar recital for kids! Now, who do you guess backed down first in this predicament: the lone ranger singer/songwriter or the room full of parents eager to hear their son or daughters failed attempt at Moon River? You guessed it – I handed over the stage and for the next 45 min or so, Susie or Timmy or whoever took turns wowing an audience full of proud parents holding camcorders. It was all very humorous at the time, and still gets funnier every time I think about it. Check out the video below:J The next couple days were very relaxing. During the day, Colene had seminars to go to and then during the evenings we went out on the River Walk (which they had dyed green for St. Patty's Day) in downtown San Antonio which was walking distance from our hotel (The St. Anthony). Joe’s crab shack’s Crab Nachos stole the show on 2 separate occasions during our stay. A new favorite in the Trent household (in case you didn’t know at this point, my last name is actually Trent – David Ashley Trent). Our final stop before heading back East was at an amazing church in the Alamo Heights district of San Antonio, fittingly called Alamo Heights United Methodist. They had invited me to lead the Sunday morning worship for two of their contemporary services, and so we had a great time fellowshipping with them and they were such a hospitable group of brothers and sisters in Christ! Michael, one of the lead pastors was a very cool, hilariously funny guy, and I hope we can come back out and be a part of their church in the near future. I leave you with some pics of our time with them. Thanks and hope to see ya soon.

Turkey and Dressing

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0600

October and November were full of concerts this year and I got to visit some towns and cities that I have never been to before as well as return to some familiar places including a stop at my most favorite church in the whole world (FBC Meridianville). Here are a few snapshots from the past couple months.

Blogging About Blogs

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Hey everyone who reads my blog! I wanted to tell you about another blog that I just started. I just started a weekly blog with random thoughts from my daily bible studies. That's three sentences in a row with the word blog -- now four. I wanted to keep it seperate from my tour stories and such so you can find the new blog at this address:http://dvdashly.tumblr.com/ Don't worry, though; I'll still continue to blog on both. Congrats to me for using the word, blog 9 times in 7 sentences. Blog, blog, blog....Here are some random pics to finish this awful blog.