We recently connected with Ashley Best and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
I consider myself to be a melting pot when it comes to writing songs. When putting together my album, “Something”, I put together a collection of all the different flavors of my musical tastes. When most folks look at me or a photo of myself, they see a cowboy hat, with a long beard and long hair and the instantly think “Outlaw Country Music”. Though I do consider myself an outlaw, not by sound, but, by the way I write and record my music. For those that don’t know what Outlaw Country music is, it’s the genre that was created from the sound that Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson created. They didn’t do what their record labels asked them to do, they created their own style of music, their own sound. Far from what mainstream music sounded like, at that time, labeling them “Outlaws”. In reality, its not the sound that was Outlaw, it’s just simply the fact that they said we’re making music our way, on our own terms. Today most, if not all, Independent artists are essentially Outlaw, but somewhere along the way society would prefer that sound that Waylon and Willie created be called Outlaw Country music. When you hear my music, it doesn’t sound Outlaw at all. My sound is a little bit of Traditional Country music, mixed with some soulful Rhythm & Blues, a dash of Blue Grass, a hint of Rock n Roll and a pinch of West Coast Cow Punk. Stir it all together and now you’ve got Ashley Best, the Appalachian Melting Pot. So I look one way and sound another. I’ve encountered folks that say, “We don’t even like Country music, but we love what you do.” What is it that I do…I just be myself,…in writing, recording, on stage, off stage….I’m myself…unapologetically.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was interested in recording music at a young age. I was 4yrs old when my Grandad passed away, leaving his voice from songs he had practiced for a show on my Mom’s reel-to-reel recorder he had borrowed. I would listen to those songs over and over well into my teen years, wearing the tape out eventually. Having known the man that left those recordings made it more personal versus hearing your favorite artist on the radio. The emotions that would stir up inside of me is what drove the desire to record. At about age 10, I seen Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens singing “Streets Of Bakersfield” on an Award show. I remember saying, “Who is that!”. By age 16, I was full blown hooked on Dwight Yoakam. I couldn’t help but notice, he wrote or co-wrote most of his songs, which led to the desire of pursuing songwriting. I believed that Dwight was such a unique artist, going far beyond fitting into any certain box. and that has led me into a similar path. In my hometown region, where most bands are either cover bands or tribute bands, that has made me such an outsider. Never giving in to the norm. Insisting on being an original artist, has pushed me away from performing local, almost at times being shunned because I insist on creating my music…my way. It’s been often said locally, that I’m on the outside trying to work my way in. For this reason, I believe, its what has forced me to be a better writer and performer, to almost force people to pay attention to me. I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve never given in to those who have said, “This is how you do it.” I’m me and I’ve never backed down from being myself. I continue to write and record music, my way!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Probably the questions I get asked the most from audiences that come to my shows or find my music online is: “How are you not more famous? How are you not on every radio station around the country?” They don’t understand that there’s a lot more to the music business than having the ability to sing or write a song. There is a lot of politics involved from the local level, to the tri-state area, and going from coast to coast performing. In todays world, record labels, booking agents, and even venues don’t want to have to put the work into building a star. They don’t search for talent, they search for talent that already has the following, the fan base if you will. It’s easy right!?…you have the world at your finger tips with the use of the internet. Wrong, the problem is, there are so many people doing it. No matter the quality of the work, it’s out there among those that have good quality songs, with good voices. In other words, it’s easy to get buried among the masses. In order to get a venue, say a 2500 seated theater, to book you, you have to go through a promoter. The promoter goes through the booking agents, neither of which want to take a chance on somebody that nobody knows, not even as an opening act or if the feel you don’t have a large enough fan base. That’s the Live music end of things. So how do you create a large fan base? Radio stations rarely have an actual DJ sitting in the booth, music is all syndicated in and is provided by the few major labels that are left which push only the top artists with the biggest wallets. Then there are the Spotify playlisters, who decide who their audience gets to listen to and if you’re an artist who doesn’t fit into any certain box they don’t want to put you on their list, potentially keeping you from being heard by hundreds of thousands of listeners. Bottom line is, from my experience, the music business is less about the music and more about politics and of course $$.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, it’s when someone comes up to me and tells me how much my music means to them. Whether its a love song or a ballad that touches them, they’ll tell me the story on why it affected them. Sometimes its an up tempo driving song that just puts them in a good mood every time they hear it. It’s those moments as a songwriter and a performer that makes all the struggle worth while. Believe it or not, I question the path I’m on probably 5 out of 7 days a week. I’ll question….Is it worth it? Is it worth all the sacrifices? Do I really stand a chance at “making” it? I ask myself those questions everyday, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, then the moment it touches someone happens and the question is then answered, “YES!”. YES it is all worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ashleybestcountrymusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleybestmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashbestmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ashleybest1796
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleybestmusic https://open.spotify.com/album/61ED29HiqrbzFuCHArncfs https://www.facebook.com/ashleybestcountrymusic https://www.hipvideopromo.com/clients/ashley_best/