Welcome To Ashley

"Of course the "sounds-like" folks have been busy drawing comparisons to Echo & the Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, The Clash, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Star, The Faces, etc. It's all in there, for sure, but Welcome To Ashley is much more than the sum of its acknowleged influences. Frontman Coley Kennedy combines smart, uniquely personalized songwriting with some of the meatiest power-pop hooks and edge-of-the-razor production this side of "London Calling."... "Kennedy’s vocal style recalls, by turns, Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie and Ian McCulloch of 1980s post-punk icons Echo & the Bunnymen."... "guitar parts that are lush and nearly orchestral, yet retain an unmistakable pop hook."... "Jeffrey Jones, a Park Theater volunteer event coordinator who booked Welcome To Ashley for the May 31 concert, describes Bailey as “a great, in-the-pocket drummer, powerfully propulsive, yet tasteful ... no gratuitous showboating. It’s a similar spirit and talent that Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Max Weinberg of the E Street Band or Topper Headon of The Clash, three of the greatest rock drummers, bring to their roles behind the drum kit."... "Jones added that Barrett “evokes the spirit of Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, or Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett of Bob Marley and the Wailers, or maybe even Reginald Workman of the John Coltrane Quartet."... "Adds Jones, “From my vantage point as a music lover, or rather a music-obsessive, their approach to the music they create seems to be informed by both disciplined study and by what they love about music. They’re just a great band, period." - Sawyer County Record, Hayward WI, May 28 2008