Now See This...or hear this...This is an important announcement for all local musicians. You have got to see this young woman before you sell your guitar, take a freight train to nowhere, climb a mountain and jump off, and before you crawl into a hole in the wall and die. This 13 year old musician is going somewhere! Ashleigh is a guitar player, a vocalist, a songwriter, and...well...just go listen to her play live!...and then start wishing for a time machine.
Chris and Rob Live
Five outdoor concerts this week in the Huntsville area
Five outdoor concerts this week in the Huntsville area
Posted by Jon Busdeker June 11, 2009 6:29 AM
Here's a list of the free outdoor concerts in and around Huntsville this week:
Tonight
Gazebo Concerts, 6 p.m., free
Village Green Gazebo, downtown Madison
Madison Community Band (family favorites)
Bob Baccus & Olde Towne Brass (Civil War brass)
Friday
City Lights and Stars, 7:30 p.m., $12
Burritt on the Mountain
Marshall Chapman (singer/songwriter)
Monday
Concerts in the Park, 6:30 p.m., free
Joe Davis Stadium
Juice (funk) and the 129th Military Band
Tuesday
Concerts in the Courtyard, 6 p.m., free
Bridge Street Town Centre, near the Westin
Ashleigh Marie (country)
Wednesday
Patio Party, 6 p.m., free
Scene Lounge, near the Monaco Pictures at Bridge Street Town Centre
The Jason Albert Band (party band)
Concerts in the Park
Party band Hot Soup and the '70s-inspired funk outfit DiscOasis are tapped to rock the first Concerts in the Park event on Monday starting at 6:30 p.m.
The popular outdoor concert series, sponsored the Arts Council, is held every Monday at Big Spring International Park (except the June 15 concert at Joe Davis Stadium). The series features an mix of bands ranging from jazz to rock to classical. The concerts run through Sept. 7. All concerts, free and open to the public, run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Look for details on each show weekly in Go: Your good Times magazine.
Here's the schedule:
Monday - Hot Soup, DiscOasis
June 8- Reunion, Cristina Lynn & Chuck
June 15 - Juice, TBA at Joe Davis Stadium
June 22 - Mike Cole and the Convinced, Wing and a Prayer
June 29 - Trio El Camino, Coolbone Brass Band
July 6 - Ashleigh Marie, Rocket City Chorus
Big Spring Park packed on Friday as Panoply Arts Festival opens, arts extravaganza continues today
Big Spring Park packed on Friday as Panoply Arts Festival opens, arts extravaganza continues today
Posted by Jon Busdeker April 25, 2009 7:00 AM
Bob Gathany
Steve Trash performs eco-friendly illusions for the crowd. Panoply Arts Festival, Big Springs International Park Friday evening.HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The 28th Annual Panoply Arts Festival, North Alabama's biggest arts festival, opened on Friday night in Big Spring International Park.
Thousands of people packed the park to experience the annual spring event - which continues today and Sunday. Panoply is an arts extravaganza that features entertainment from dance groups and rock bands to jugglers and fiddlers.
On Friday night, festivalgoers watched performances by such local talents as 13-year-old country singer Ashleigh Marie, family Celtic band Mohr 4 and a 15-piece hip-hop group called The Renaissance Project.
Panoply continues today with performances by such acts as the Cajun-Zydeco Connection, the Rocket City Jazz Orchestra and the Alabama A&M University Jazz Band. Gates open at 10 a.m. Tickets are $5. Children 12 and under are free.
For more stories, photos and videos on Panoply, click here
Panoply Arts Festival presented by Boeing
When: Friday 5-9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday noon-8 p.m. (fireworks conclude each day)
Where: Big Spring International Park
How much: $5 a day or $10 for weekend pass; children under 12 free
Information: www.panoply.org, 519-2787
Tags: Panoply Arts Festival
Teen singer Ashleigh Miller prefers old-school country
Posted by Chris Welch, Huntsville Times April 23, 2009 8:11 AM
Catch her act
Ashleigh Miller
5:15 p.m. Friday
DRS Showcase Stage at Panoply
Ashleigh Miller
5:15 p.m. Friday
DRS Showcase Stage at Panoply
The moment won't soon be forgotten by Ashleigh Miller - a rising 13-year-old country singer performing Friday at Panoply - or her parents.
The seventh-grader at Riverton Middle had performed at one of the songwriter showcases at the Von Braun Center when one of the songwriters, Jill Colucci, made a beeline to Miller after it was over.
Colucci has written hits by Travis Tritt and Wynonna Judd and a lot of promo music for ABC, including the theme song for "America's Funniest Home Videos."
We'll let Ashleigh's proud dad, Dennis, take it from here.
"Immediately after the songwriters showcase, Jill was sidestepping people to find Ashleigh," her father said. "She said, 'I tell you something, young lady -- you have everything it takes. I've never seen another kid do what you did.' She told Ashleigh if she was ever up in Nashville to let her know."
Actually, Ashleigh is heading to Nashville soon to tape "Nashville Spotlight" on a cable station. The show spotlights young country talent; it'll be the second time Ashleigh has appeared on the show.
Still, Mom, Dad and even Ashleigh know there's lots of work ahead.
"I'd really love a (music) career," Ashleigh said. "I'm just waiting for it to kick off and doing some work with my band."
Ashleigh performs Friday at 5:15 with her five-piece group.
"We understand she's only 13 and needs a lot of work to get to the next step," her father said, "but everyone I've talked to says she has what it takes."
Ashleigh picked up a guitar at 9 when she was bored, starting playing, and things "immediately just clicked." She's been working with a stable of talented people, including Mike McAllister of Madison, who has helped her learn guitar.
There are lots of young singers who could influence Ashleigh, but she's discriminating. Taylor Swift? OK. Miley Cyrus? No way.
Instead, her influences are old school: Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette, musicians whom her dad introduced to.
"I just like the classic country," Ashleigh said. "I like the more country kind of country music."
She has performed at Bridge Street Town Centre as a street-type performer, and the response there made her parents realize that she might have a career in music.
"That's when it really clicked," Dad said. "There was just an outpouring of people who wanted to see it. I knew she was good for what she did for her age, but that's when I felt this is a little more special than I'd imagined."
