Catch Up With Modern Rocker Conrad Ashton
Following the release of his 4-track EP, ‘No Post on Sundays’, I catch up with Conrad Ashton
to discuss the thoughts behind this record, as well as how it came into fruition. His staple
Rock sound is exemplified in this record, with an acoustic charm flooding through to
exemplify a rugged lure found in Rock tracks we all love. Listening to an EP, it is always interesting to gain an insight into an artists' early work, exemplify a rugged lure found in rock tracks we all love. Listening to an EP, it is always interesting to gain an insight into an artist early work, evident, complemented by a laidback charm that provides an endearing edge to the interview.
Your new EP 'No Post on Sundays' has just been released. How does it feel to have these tracks out, and what does this mean for you as an artist?
It’s always nice and exciting to get new music out there, and see what people think; to bare
your soul in your work and hope someone out there likes it! In terms of what it means,
there’s nothing specific. It’s just another release of many to come in a long career, I hope.
This was a new avenue for me, in terms of going acoustic, but something I have wanted to
do for a while, and I think we got it right in the studio.
What kickstarted the creative process for this EP?
Nothing in particular; I'm always writing and drawing inspiration from things in my life. I
picked 4 tracks I thought would work really well as stripped-back, acoustic tracks. I always
wanted to do something acoustic and it seems to have gone well for sure. These songs had
course, it didn’t see the light of day until last week. I remain as honest and as true to myself
Napa; I wrote it on our hotel balcony, after being written off from the night before. But of
course it didn’t see the light of day until last week. I remain as honest and as true to myself
as possible to make my material relatable for others; that track and the others on the EP
capture a moment or feeling that people may resonate with.
Thinking of stripped-back tracks, what made you decide to add an acoustic version of your previous single 'Time'?
I wanted to do that with 'Time' as there is a lot of deep lyrical content that people can enjoy;
it isn’t just a straight-up rock song. If people have heard the original, then an acoustic
version can give them a new dimension both lyrically and musically to a song; they may pick
up on different lyrical content or melodies they may not have discovered before. They could
have been listening to the drums or bass more so in the original track, two things which are
absent from this ep.
How would you say you’ve shaped your influences to create, what is now, your own sound?
I’ve no idea really, I listen to an awful lot of music! What comes out is just me and what I
sound like. For example, when I sing I just open my gob and that's how I sound, whether people like it or not. I suppose somewhere in my subconscious I would have interpreted all my influences in some way. At the end of the day, I make the music I want and what I'd
listen to personally, and I believe it does resonate with others. I have never tried to copy
anyone, I’ve just tried to be the best version of myself and, musically, deliver a product that
is hopefully marketable and relatable.
Do you think there is something that is missing from the rock genre at the moment and are you hoping to provoke something within it?
Nah, everyone is just doing their own thing really. There's a lot of artists out there, and
making music is so easy now; it’s kind of hard to cut through the noise I guess. I'm just being
myself, man. I'll see how far it gets me, it isn’t going too bad so far! There is no real message
I promote except try and evoke positivity, hope, and even give a kick inside the listener that
they might need. 'Time', for example, contains a message which is ‘don’t waste your life
don’t be boring or lazy, make the most of every opportunity and live for the moment’.
As an artist, what do you think is most important to prioritise when working creatively?
Your producer; it all starts and ends with the music. If the music is shite, nothing is going to
happen, unless by some miracle it does! Your producer has to see your vision and bring out
the best in you – they can make the studio time as valuable as possible! Make the music
brilliant and the rest will take care of itself. To release music in the modern age is mainly
money driven; you have to back yourself financially to get to where you want to be. That
involves PR, photos, videos, Facebook ads, graphic design; sometimes even people are
sneaky and may charge you to get on a Spotify playlist! You have to sacrifice so much stuff
you might want to fund all of those things; nights out, dates, new cars, jewellery etc. I would
say these are pretty much the essentials you need to back yourself, to get as far as you can!
Looking into the future, what should we expect from yourself?
More music! There’s a new single due out next month, which will easily surpass this; I'm so excited about getting it out there. There will definitely be another acoustic EP. I have several
tracks in mind that I feel will work well on it. I have plans to work with Sam Bloor in Stoke,
who is someone I have wanted to work with for a long time. I also have a Christmas song in
the pipeline and, depending on budget, that will be out this December. I’ll go full cheese on
jingle bells, the lot! That'll be a lot of fun to make.
Conrad Ashton’s EP ‘No Post On Sundays’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, following the release of single ‘Time’ and is set to act as a platform and taster for further material.
Check Out 'No Post On Sundays' on Spotify HERE
Find Conrad Ashton on Facebook HERE
Check Out Conrad Asthon's Website HERE