"South Australia's greatest contribution to blues-rock" - Billboard Magazine
"Ashton doesn't just sing and play, he grabs his music by the throat and squeezes every ounce of life out of it." - Maverick
" ...unlike many of his contemporaries Ashton does not resort to cliché, pomp and bluster, but lays down terrific riffs and inserts just enough light and shade to make him a leader in this genre...this is top drawer stuff." - Blues Matters
Influences
Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, R.L. Burnside, Beatles, Stones, Ben Harper, Easybeats, Hendrix, Cream, Yardbirds, Hank Williams, Johnny Winter, Chris Finnen, Kevin Borich, CCR, Tony Joe White, AC/DC, Dick Dale, Elmore James, Son House, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, Free, Led Zep, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, SRV, Buddy Holly, Les Paul, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Skip James.
Sounds Like
BUY NOW!
Prohibition - ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2007 - Guitar and Bass magazine (UK)
Gwyn Ashton's one-man-band solo show is a blend of alternative blues and swamp boogie, all played on his resonator, lap-slide, 12 & 6-string guitars, harmonica and a homemade foot stomp board.
For the band shows, he trades in his stomp board for Dave Small on drums and kicks his roots-rock power duo into overdrive making creative use of fuzzed-out bottleneck slide, octave dividers, delays and loops and bringing the blues into the 21st century. Like a band possessed, Ashton’s fiery 2-man combo pulls no punches and delivers the goods every time. These guys are Lo-Fi, analogue, wild and dangerous!
Ashton has delivered show-stopping performances at festivals such as Cognac Blues Passions (Fr), Great British R&B Festival (UK), Maryport (UK), Beauvais (Fr), Gympie Muster (Aus), Thredbo (Aus), Dobrofest (Slovakia) and Prague Blues Festival (Cz), co-headlined the Marseille Blues Festival with Robben Ford and has been highly acclaimed by such luminaries as Robert Plant, Johnny Winter and Eric Johnson.
Ashton has played onstage with the likes of Mick Fleetwood, Hubert Sumlin, Marc Ford, Jon Paris, Canned Heat and opened for BB King, Buddy Guy, Rory Gallagher, John Hammond, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Van Morrison, Pat Travers, Jeff Healey, Tony Joe White and many others.
He also appears and gives tutorials in numerous guitar magazines, has two of his songs in movie soundtracks in France and Asia, conducts masterclasses in Australia and Europe (inc GIT and Guitar X, London) and performs live on radio and television worldwide.
From supercharged four-on-the-floor rockers to gritty blues, Ashton's playing, songwriting and singing are in top form. This is in full evidence on his latest release, Prohibition, whose guests include Chris Glen, Ted McKenna (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Michael Schenker Group, Ian Gillan rhythm section) and Deep Purple keys man, Don Airey.
Welsh-born Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in the ‘60s, picked up a guitar at 12 and, from the age of 16, played every seedy bar, festival and biker show imaginable.
He relocated to Sydney in the ‘80s, playing stints with Swanee and Stevie Wright. With his own band, he carved up stages nationwide - some in the middle of nowhere, fronted with chicken wire, sometimes driving for days through the outback to get to the next show.
In the ‘90s he moved to Melbourne, played shows with Jim Keays and Mick Pealing, recorded his first two albums and opened for Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse and Albert Lee.
Promoting his then current album Feel The Heat, Ashton’s band opened for UK rock icons Status Quo on their 15-date British arena tour in ‘99. This included dates at Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena.
In 2000 Ashton recorded Fang It! with Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neil, former Rory Gallagher rhythm section now with Nine Below Zero. He then fronted Band of Friends, replacing ex Motörhead guitarist Brian Robertson.
This was a tribute to Rory, with Gerry, Brendan, Lou Martin, Mark Feltham and Ted McKenna who all played with Rory over the years.
Gwyn Ashton is endorsed by: Fender (Australia), Vigier Guitars (France), Busker Guitars (UK), Fatboy Guitar Parts, Vintage Guitars, Jacques Stompboxes (France), National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Hiscox Cases, Koch Guitar Electronics, Graph-Tech Industries, Award-Session and Dunlop Strings.
†Album of the Month Oct ‘98 Guitar & Bass, FR
*Amazon France Top 100 albums, 2000
**Album of the Month Sept 2000 Guitar, FR
††Album of the Year 2007 Guitar & Bass, UK
Pressure Makes Diamonds - Jim Keays ‘93
Real Australian Blues Vol. 2 - ‘94
Classic Rock coverdisc - Dec. 2000
Blues Guitar Heroes -’03
Resonator - Jim Keays ‘07
Bone Rattlin’ Blues - ‘07
Hollywood Rocks - ’07
She's So Shy - Peter Parker ’07
At my gig Wednesday night, people were still talking about your smokin the crowd at the 'Blue Dog' with that awesome performance. Looks like you got new fans in the States.
Cheers for the add Gwyn, it was great chatting to you saturday night, but as we discussed, if you fancy a trip to Nottinghamshire, look me up and I will do you some promo/interview. TTFN - Red Em X
Like I wrote you in a message, I'm most impressed with your playing and songs. I think once you research John Campbell through my Space you'll be listing him in you influences column. -Darrell
Gwyn.. Please accept my sincerest condolences on the passing of your dear mother. I am so sorry about your loss. She was a fine woman and I'm sure her absence will be met with sadness by many people. I will be thinking of you and your family. With deep sympathy.. Rob Englander
