Ashleigh Stone

See link, pg. 59 - SMTX Magazine

Opener Ashleigh Stone took the stage first, a single spotlight on her and a piano. Stone, a singer/songwriter out of San Marcos, Texas, was mesmerizing with her stark vocals and a talent on the keys reminiscent of Tori Amos or Fiona Apple. Her music was rather somber in tone but Stone was all smiles, joking with the audience between songs. - Atlanta Music Guide

See link - The Charbor Chronicles

Opening singer, Ashleigh Stone, dazzled the crowd with her sincerity, passion and melodic vocals. Her jazz-influenced rhythms on the keyboard and heartfelt lyrics propelled listeners to sail with her on waves of emotion. It was an enjoyable set by the Texas native, full of original music and personal anecdotes, and her performance of If I Recall was a highlight for me. - Examiner.com

Ashleigh Stone got her start playing the piano at age five, in Lubbock, Texas. As a young girl, Stone gained much of her influence from classical piano literature and composition as well as the grunge music of the nineties and the record collection of her parents which was "full of anything from Iron Butterfly to early James Taylor and Quincy Jones".
Heavily active in theatre in high school as well as college, Stone has been formally trained in the arts of perfomance. She studied composition, dance, jazz and vocal performance at Texas Tech University and then went on to Texas State University to work on a Bachelor's of Science in audio engineering. As a pianist and vocalist for 21 years, and a song writer for 15, Stone continues to write creatively and actively both freely as well as for specific collaborative projects.

The Divine Anthology is a name coined by lead clarinet player Ricardo Martinez to describe the many different artists that have played with Ashleigh Stone. Currently Martinez, drummer Jah Sun Wilkinson, and bassist, Andrew Maley. are the permanent members of the Divine Anthology.

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Ricardo Martinez is actively involved in all facets of the music industry to include roles as a multi-instrumentalist, a music producer, an artist manager, and a music educator. He has worked in close association with Carlos Sosa of The Grooveline Horns, Sir Earl Toon of Kool and the Gang, and the Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy. Ricardo has international experience performing with symphony orchestras, mixing records in the studio, and studying abroad in the U.K. Ricardo earned his Bachelors Degree in Music Studies from the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin.

Jah Sun Wilkinson is a master percussionist and performs throughout the hill country. He also serves as drummer for San Marcos band, Olive Street.

Previous members of the Anthology include: Colin Colby, Pete Martin, Felipe Portela, David Beck, Junior Scott, Kevin Colis, Greg Matthews, Scott Morgan, Chris Burchard, Cutter Forman, Jimmy McNeal, Carl Meineke. Ashleigh and I talked at Tantra Coffeehouse the other day, and she answered 10 questions.

Who are your songwriting influences?

Claude Debussy, because of the way he messes with melodies, and a lot of classical composers. Of current songwirters. I love Tori Amos.

When and where was your first public performance?

When I was 12 years old I played at the J and B Coffeehouse in Lubbock. I played 2 hours of original music, and the crowd consisted of my mom and dad.

What was the first record or cd you purchased with your own money?

Ace of Base- "The Sign" and New Kids on the Block.
What was the first live concert you attended?

It was an MTV Tour of Moby and Bush.

Which venue would you most like to play that you haven't yet/ and which is
your favorite venue to play?

The roundhouse in London or Madison Square Garden are the two places I'd love to play. Some of my favorite places to play includes Momo's for their sound, Tantra for the people, Backwoods Bash in Prue (near Tulsa) for the view of the lake, and the street.
What is the best career advice you've been given, and by whom?

My old boss at The Way Studios in London told me "Keep your mystery."

Who are you listening to now?

Crosby,Stills,Nash, and Young, Gypsy Kings, MC Yogi, and listen to Pandora (www.pandora.com) a lot to find new music.

What is your best story about life on the road?

I was going to London, flying through Iceland, when I fell asleep. I woke up, and was locked in the terminal for 8 hours by myself. I played my guitar for those 8 hours, and ended up writing 4 new songs.

What recordings are available to the public and where can they be purchased?

I have one cd available now, you can buy it on my website www.ashleighstonemusic.com, or online at Itunes. It's title is "Phoenix". In the fall we are releasing a double disc, "Ashleigh Stone Live in San Marocs".

When and where are you playing next?

I'm playing a solo show at Triple Crown in san Marcos on July 12. The show we're really looking forward to is our video release show at the Texas Music Theater (www.tmtsm.com) in San Marcos on August 20.



Continue reading on Examiner.com 10 Questions- Ashleigh Stone - Austin Local Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-austin/10-questions-ashleigh-stone#ixzz1qHo9D3GU - Examiner.com

with the Divine Anthology - Fox News Lubbock

Usually when a group sounds as polished and professional as Our Favorite Colors did last weekend at Jack’s Roadhouse, they are a nationally acclaimed act requiring a $30 ticket and hours of fighting through crowds to be able to witness live.

But San Marcos is lucky enough to claim these musicians as its own.

Ashleigh Stone is the lead vocalist and songwriter, and she also plays all of the accompanying piano and keyboard music that makes up the backbone of so many of the band’s songs. Her voice calls to mind contemporary and classical female vocalists like Sarah McLachlan and Beth Gibbons, whose soaring and expressive vocals make up as much of the song as any of the instruments do. In the words of drummer Jason Wilkinson, she’s “the secret love child of James Brown and Bjork.”

Sunday afternoon would seem like an awkward time slot for a band that usually appears on the night-time lineups at the venues around town, but it wasn’t just an excuse to play their music.

“This is the Jack’s Roadhouse Kids Foundation,” explained Wilkinson. “I booked this gig – my friends Erin and Sammy, the Henry Sisters, they played earlier. One of them works here and through the grapevine I heard that they’ve [Jack's Roadhouse] been doing benefits for four different abused children centers, or shelters, around San Marcos. They usually have a group called the Good Vibes Country Brunch Bunch that plays on Sunday afternoons to help raise money for this. Today, they had three hours to fill so they needed some more bands.”

Everyone has their favorite places around town for live music, and Jack’s Roadhouse is often one of them. The band’s David Whitbeck mentioned another of the standards that inevitably comes up in those conversations.

“I really like the Triple Crown,” he said. “The vibe there is really cool and it’s now the primary venue in San Marcos, and the owners are very cool.”

Our Favorite Colors has been performing, as such, for about a year.

“I moved to San Marcos, and hooked up with Felipe [Portela], and we had a little ’seasonal’ band,” said Stone. “We didn’t really pursue it. I met a friend, named Greg, and he was our guitarist for a little while. I knew Jason through Tantra. We all knew each other through Tantra. I knew David [Whitbeck] through school. We just added Felipe officially about a week and a half ago. Basically there are just a bunch of musicians in San Marcos that are linked to varying degrees.”

Added Portela, “Every once in a while a small group of them will play a few times, and all of a sudden they’re a band.”

Stone said her influences stared in classical music before she realized she didn’t want to be a classical pianist. But she still enjoys all kinds of music, and especially likes the collaborative aspects of a band.

Each band member brings a distinctive personal style to the group, that, when put together, creates an elegant and lyrical sound. Whitbeck listed some of his musical influences as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Glassjaw.

“I don’t feel like I’m completely set in stone as a musician,” said Portela. “Someday, probably after I’m dead, other people will be able to look at what I’ve done with music and they’ll be able to tell what influenced me.”

One of the group’s favorite songs to perform is Palaces, according to Whitbeck.

“That’s the one that’s about aliens,” said Stone. “The lyrics are, ‘looking up; a palace of pearls,’ which is referencing the stars. It basically just talks about how I believe in extraterrestrials.”

Ashleigh Stone gets a lot of positive reactions to her music from people who would, at first glance, not seem like the kind of people who would enjoy Our Favorite Colors. Some songs stand out more than others.

“‘Lovely’, people love that song,” Stone said. “It’s just easy to identify with. It’s for the British people because I was working with a lot of British people at South by Southwest and they kept saying ‘lovely.’ By the end of the week, I couldn’t hear that word any more times, so I wrote a song that says that word 16 times.”

As to how the group took on its particular moniker, Stone said, “I was talking with my friend about how I hate having to pick a favorite color. I don’t hate it, I just don’t like being forced to pick. I love them all. Favorite Colors was good but we had to have something to go in front of it and we didn’t want to put ‘my’ or ‘his’, we put ‘our’ because it encompasses the people that you’re talking to and yourself, and that’s what it’s all about; being inclusive.”

Said Whitbeck, “Once we get some really good recordings, there is no telling what we could do. I have a studio at my house called ‘The Green Room,’ and it’s really big. We just try to make records as good as possible regardless of what music it is. We want to help out the San Marcos scene by supplying everyone with really good-sounding recordings.” - Newstreamz

Ashleigh Stone is a San Marcos singer/songwriter who is starting to make waves in the local music scene and beyond. Her collaborative project known as Ashleigh Stone and The Divine Anthology is an experimental force reaching into styles varying from pop, jazz, blues and classical masterpieces. Stone released her first EP with The Divine Anthology, Phoenix, in June.



JH: You released your EP at Tantra Coffeehouse June 26. Having already established your name locally, how was the turnout and the response?

AS: It was a phenomenal night. So many people came out and enjoyed themselves. It was probably the first time I saw the message that I was trying to instill into people truly being received. That’s why I do this. I know what music has done for my life and I want people to see and know what it can do for theirs.



JH: What’s the message that you want conveyed to your audience?

AS: (Laughs) I pretty much want to start a revolution. People are so afraid of connecting with one another. Little things like not smiling at a stranger or not holding the door open for someone. It’s just no good. We feed ourselves on what TV and Hollywood and magazines tell us. My message is basically that we have the power to change it. It’s an attitude. We’re not a victim of our circumstance, we’re a victim of our perspective.



JH: How successful have you been at spreading your idea?

AS: I was surprised at how fast things went. We have the EP on iTunes and we’ve seen people buying the record from countries across the world. International sales. It’s a big world and I’m happy I can reach those farthest from me.

JH: What are some of the highlights of your musical career to date?

AS: To be able to play with so many talented musicians and perform material of my own creation has been an amazing experience. But there are some things in the future I’m looking forward to that were made possible through what I have and the Divine Anthology have accomplished.



JH: What does the future hold for you and the band?

AS: Well, I cannot really go into much detail about it but, basically, I will be doing some collaborations with a few very well known artists. And in October I will be performing at a showcase in Los Angeles for Atlantic Records.



JH: Atlantic Records is big company. A label like Atlantic could vastly help you spread your ideals as well as tarnish them. How do you feel about corporate sponsorship?

AS: You have to be smart. Record labels are out to make money. They don’t care what you’re selling as long as it sells. - Josh Harlan

Local musician Ashleigh Stone graced the town with her late-night, jazzy performance Tuesday at Triple Crown.

Stone and her band, Our Favorite Colors, successfully filled the venue with deep soul and rich energy.

The band consists of Stone on keys and vocals, Jason Wilkinson on drums, Kevin Colis on guitar and Ricardo Martinez on a variety on

instruments including additional keys, clarinet and saxophone.

I would describe the sound as this decade’s Fiona Apple, without the edgy teen angst factor. Stone’s vocals were low and subdued like those of Dawn Landes.

She had a vibrant disposition as she bee-bopped around and tapped her feet while playing the keyboard.

The band began the set with a poppy, energetic tune and made a smooth transition to a slow, melancholic song called “Amen.”

The crowd swayed and danced the entire set, regardless of the tempos played.

The song, “Lovely” seemed to be one of the more upbeat and popular songs.

Stone’s Web site biography describes her music as “a virtual playground. (It combines) traditional pop form with non-traditional expressions and new perspectives that create something uniquely modern, but always familiar.”

Stone is looking for new musicians to accompany her in a possible spring tour, according to her Facebook. As for now, she plans to stay in the area. Her next show is scheduled for New Year’s Eve at First Night Austin. - Kassie Kitchen

Austin, TX - Ashleigh Stone combines traditional pop music with non-traditional expressions and a new perspective that creates something uniquely modern but always familiar.

Stone's voice takes listeners on a journey through some of life's most personal elements.

Her lyrics cover a wide range of topics, never forgetting the mundane, but always seeking the deeper honesty in a world of extreme compassion and great challenges.

As a songwriter, Stone explores new harmonic capabilities and creative progressions that verge on experimental with the intention of making music that people of all ages can find solitude in.

Stone takes the traditional Texas folk and Americana elements and fuses them with electronic beats, rock, pop, jazz and innovative approaches to make music that crosses the barriers of culture and genre that finds a place in all of our hearts.
- Fox News Austin