Frank Foster embodies musical independence at it’s highest level. He not only has taken the road less traveled, but the road almost never traveled. Acting as his own record label, management, booking agency and publishing company, he has managed to find success that some major label artist may never find. This rural Louisiana native and former oilfield man has taken his songs from the campfire to the coliseum seemingly overnight, all the while gaining a following of fans whose loyalty is unmatched.
His musical journey started in 2011 with the release of his first album “Rowdy Reputation”. To follow that up, in the late summer of 2012, he released his second album “Red Wings and Six Strings”. Each and every song from both of those albums have become nightly sing-a-longs at his shows. Foster’s third album, “Southern Soul”, was released in 2013 and debuted at #11 on the Billboard Country Charts confirming that his popularity was continuing to soar to new heights. His fourth album, “Rhythm and Whiskey”, was released in 2014 and debuted at #4 on the Billboard Country Charts solidifying him as a true power house in the industry. He followed that up with his fifth album, 2016’s “Boots On the Ground”, which gave him his second top 10 debuting album in as many years. It entered the Billboard Country Charts at #7, further proving that Foster and his brand of country aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’s a singer, a songwriter and his own boss. He refuses to let anyone water down his kind of country music. If he lives it, he writes it; if he writes it, he sings it; if he sings it, he believes it. Frank Foster…. a true original.
Raw talent combined with a whiskey washed sense of humor has been used to describe singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde. Mentor and famed co-writer, Lisa Carver (Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson), described her as a “writer’s writer.” Put her on a stage and you will see and hear that she is the nicest bad girl you’ve ever met.
Released in June 2011, Ashley’s latest album, ‘Elsebound’, was recorded in Nashville at Hot Haus Studio with producer Mike Holmes. As the writer or co-writer of every song on the album, this work shows you the lyrical narrative Ashley is able to weave together that can make you wish longingly for an old flame or stomp your boot on the barroom floor. The 11-song Americana -Country album was performed by seasoned veterans such as drummer Ed Greene (The Temptations, B.B. King), bassist Bob Marinelli (Larry Gatlin), and guitarist Lauren Ellis (Rita Coolidge, Nell Carter). Tracks like “Marlboro Man” and “Little Tragedy” guide you through heartache and loss, while “Holy Water” and “Break It Fast” show you her naughty, playful side.
Ashley says, “This CD is a collection of loose ends and lullabies. Each tune is a tiny little confession. Call it an occupational hazard…My dirty laundry is sometimes your entertainment and sometimes yours is mine.”
Ashley released her self-titled debut album in January 2006. This heart-wrenching album displays simple and honest lyrics that run the gamut of emotions. Ashley describes her album as “one of the ones you can turn to when you’re hurting. Use the songs to get through a rough patch, to face one ahead, or celebrate one you’ve just come through.” Her CD features her playing the acoustic guitar and lyrics that paint a picture way beyond her years.
As the reigning Tennessee state champion of the Colgate Country Showdown for 2009 and 2010, Ashley’s list of accomplishments speaks for itself. In 2010, her band was named the best band in Southern Tennessee at the Battle of the Bands in Lewisburg, TN. She has opened for acts such as Chris Cagle, Beth Hart, Johnny Lee and the Urban Cowboys, and Point of Grace. She has hosted her own round at the prestigious Bluebird Cafe, and can be seen playing around Nashville at The Commodore Grille and Cadillac Ranch. Ashley is currently playing regular shows in Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee to promote the release of her upcoming album.
Johnny Lee once told her, “Honey, I can tell you’re gonna do this the rest of your life. Now if you never make it big…That doesn’t matter. But if you quit before you die…It’ll matter the rest of your life. It’s in your blood.”
One of Ashley’s biggest influences, Carl Jackson, gave her some advice regarding her songwriting that she carries with her. He said, “You’re not the one writing the songs, the songs are writing you. You have no idea that you are writing the soundtrack to your life.”