Dear Gwyn,
thanks for last night. That's the third time i have seen you in Bewdley and you just get better each time.
Where did you get that version of Black Night from? It was so good so different.
Hayden, England
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Hi Gwyn.
Just a quick note(A MAJOR).Oops sorry,i couldn't resist. Anyway,when are you back in Yorkshire England? It would be good to see and
hear you play again. When you were last in leeds i dont think we realised how fortunate we were to have you there.
Regards,
Ray, England
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Hi there!
Thanks for playing such a fantastic gig on 25th March in Lohr/Germany!
It was really awesome!
Very tight Rythm Section!
And of course thanks for your autograph on my cd!
I´m very impressed of your style of playing the blues and hope to see you again soon in germany!
BTW:Sorry for my bad english.
Best wishes
Markus, Germany
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Must contact you to tell you how much I enjoyed your gig when you played before Tony Joe White in the Mean Fiddler.
I purchased Beg, Borrow and Steel that night and must say the album is absolutely brillant. I will be buying the other cds that you
have out. Keep up the brillant work, I'm looking forward to seen you play again sometime. Regards,
Christy, London, England
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Just like to thank you for a great gig on Saturday up in Ballyshannon. Definitely one of the best gigs I've been
to. My girlfriend (Mary-Ellen) and two other friends of mine went on to Dorians and had a great night there as well. I don't want
to sound like I'm kissin' your arse but the album hasn't been off the stereo! Unbelievable playing and unbelievable guitar tones.
Thanks for including the gear you use on each song. It's a great idea and more people should do it. Brian Meakin band on Sunday
night were good and then we went straight to Dublin to see Carvin Jones on Tuesday night. Have to find a job now but worth it for
the week we had. Again thanks for a great gig and for hangin around with us after it. Hope to see you back in Ireland again before
next years Ballyshannon.
Dave, Ireland
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Hi Gwyn!
First I like to apoligize for my bad english, hope you can read it anyway...My name is Andreas, I'm 20 years old and from
Switzerland. I play Guitar since 3 years and really like your way of playing! I've saw you once live in Switzerland, in the
Andy's Pub...maybe you remember? It really was a great show!!
So why do I write this mail? Recently I bought your album "Beg, Borrow & Steel" and was really impressed by the acustic song
"Uluru Sunset"! I really would like to play it by myself, but I couldn't figure our much!
I don't know, is it possible to tell me how you tuned your Duolion/acustic Guitar on this song, or if possible to send my a
tab of it? That would be awesome!
All right, don't wanna waste your time any longer...thanks very much in advance!
It would be great to see you again once at a show in Switzerland! Best wishes
Andreas, Switzerland
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hi
i've been to the concert you gave in erfurt and standing right in front of you i could see this crazy little thing you seem to
have build which you used during your acoustic for creating the beat. and i just wanted to ask, if this little wire under the shells
(?) is a piezo-pickup? is there anything more about it I should know? i want to build one for myself.
thx
by the way, great concert
Robert, Germany
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Hello Gwyn,
I just returned home from your gig at the Albion Hotel Parramatta (NSW), 22/5/05. I had my 15 yr old son with me (Alex).
We really enjoyed the gig, you are a great talent. We heard about you from an ad a Sydney Music Mag (Drum Media) and did some
research on the net. I am a big Rory fan and my son is following in my footsteps. So we thought we'd check you out...........
sensational.......!!!!!!!!!! At the gig I heard you mention that you were doing some gigs with some of Rory's old band.......
will there be some in Australia (Sydney)? If not will some of it be recorded....?????
Thanks again.....especially enjoyed your version of "Out on the Western Plain"......... Please send some info about your CD's
and where we can check them out......(We tried to talk to you at the Albion but you seemed to be busy)
Looking forward to seeing you again
Cheers
Marc & Alex, Australia
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Just like to thank you for a great gig on saturday up in Ballyshannon.
Definitly one of the best gigs I've been to.
My girlfriend (Mary-Ellen) and two other friends of mine went on to Dorians and had a great night there as well. I don't want to sound
like I'm kissin your arse but the album hasn't been off the stereo! Unbelievable playing and unbelievable guitar tones. Thanks for
including the gear you use on each song. It's a great idea and more people should do it. Brian Meakin band on Sunday night were good
and then we went straight to Dublin to see Carvin Jones on Tuesday night. Have to find a job now but worth it for the week we had.
Again thanks for a great gig and for hangin around with us after it. Hope to see you back in Ireland again before next years
Ballyshannon.
Dave, Ireland
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GWYN. JUST WANTED TO DROP A QUICK NOTE TO SAY HOW MUCH I ENJOY YOUR MUSIC,AND YOUR E-MAIL UPDATES.
I FIRST READ ABOUT YOU IN "GUITAR TECHNIQUES" MAGAZINE,AND YOU SOUNDED INTERESTING.(I'M ALSO A SUCKER FOR STRATS).
I LIVE ON THE EAST COAST OF CANADA,AND YOUR C.D.'S ARE NOT AVAILABLE HERE...
SO THANKS TO A FEW TRAVELING FRIENDS WHO DON'T MIND SHOPPING FOR C.D.'S WHEN IN THE U.K. I EVENTUALLY GOT ALL THREE OF YOUR C.D'S.
I'D LOVE TO SEE A DVD SOME TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE(SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE COMPATABLE FOR NORTH AMERICAN VIEWING OF COURSE).
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.KEEP THE E-MAILS COMING,AND TRY GETTING SOME MORE PHOTOS ON YOUR WEB SITE.
THANKS AGAIN
Shawn, Canada
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Hello Gwyn,
Was visiting Ballyshannon during the Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival and saw you and the Band of Friends doing this fantastic gig
on Saturday evening. Thank you for that. You and the rest of the band did a great job. You made this trip so special. Hope you
enjoyed it,too.
Bye, bye,
Dorien Schlief, The Netherlands
Dear Gwyn,
went to see Vanilla Fudge together with ten friends most of whom remembering them from long time ago. Had no
idea about a special guest. Well, to be honest, the first one or two songs left us sceptical of what to come,
but what came then really rendered us speechless. Wow, what a concert in that hot and sweltering place, the
Downtown Blues Club. Finally giving the alarm of a three piece rock outfit just in one person. Really tremendous.
I'm a bit familiar with Australian Blues (Pete Wells, Matt Taylor, Dave Hole, Backsliders, Black Sorrows, Chain)
but I'm sorry to admit I had never heard of you till then. Quite a gap in my knowledge, which has been filled by
the best way possible thanks to your Hamburg Concert. The CD I purchased there is gorgeous, too, though it doesn't
capture the surprising and thrilling impact of your music on that very special evening.
Thanks a lot
Hajo Benjamin, Hamburg, Germany
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Although I am a huge Rory fan I have to confess to being a little ignorant of the current blues scene and
consequently I have never heard of Gwyn Ashton. Very much my loss. Saw him at the above Rory tribute gig.
What a guitarist!!! What a show!!! This years tribute was far superior to last years and that was mostly down
to Gwyn. A must see in the future in his own right. Thanks Gwyn.
Frank Carroll. Newarthill. Lanarkshire
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Just back from seeing Gwyn playing at the Rory Gallagher tribute night in Glasgow 28/8/04.Just wanted to
say that I have seen a lot of great guitarists (Blackmore, Page, Moore, Morse to name a few) and I have to
say this guy is a genius of the fretboard and a great personality in to the bargain.A thoroughly enjoyable
night. Haste ye back. Gwyn
Trevor Fotheringham, Ayrshire, Scotland
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Hello Ashton. well i send this mail to u on behalf of me and some other guys to say that u were unbelievable
at the Volos Greece show the other day. We were unaware of u but now we are big fans. Also FANG IT is great!!!
Keep up the great job and we hope to see u again soon someday!!!!!
Kostas, Greece
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Well, for the first time I saw Gwyn at MARYPORT BLUES FESTIVAL, just totally blown away
what an absolute joy. Needless to say i will be purchasing some cds, met the guy after the gig
what a nice bloke.
Dave, Cumbria, UK
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It was about 11 days ago that you came over to Cowtown (that's Ft. Worth) to play for us happy
few over at the 6th Street Grill. I don't know exactly how you got talked into that, but I just wanted to follow
up and tell you how thrilled I was that you were there. I was the guy who played after you and I was there with a
friend who was also paying attention to your technique. As far as we could tell, you used most every known
technique-- and even if there was one or two you didn't employ, we felt sure that you had those mastered too.
You are the best slide player I have ever seen and/or heard.
Thanks again and best wishes!
P.S. Oh how I wish I could be in Prague!
Ben Benson, Texas, USA
Hi Gwyn,
Saw you 2 times in Dunkerque sept 2001, and sept 2002 with the band of friends.
Magic nights, at the first row , closely from your picks up.
When you come down in the crowd performing a wild slide solo everyone could feel the power, the energy of your
playing.After your last gig with rory's musicians in dunkerque you have the kindness to exchange a few moments
with some of us, signing autographs. I will never forget those moments.
Thanks a lot for all of this. Hope to see you again in our 4 ecluses club but when? have you some futures dates
for?
We wait for you with impatience.
Last question what is you current tunning for slide reso?
See ya
A local fan
Gilles, Dunkerque, France
Dear Gwyn,
I saw you live performing with the Band of Friends, in a pub in Eindhoven (Holland) on the 30th march. As a Rory
Gallagher fan for over 30 years it was a phantastic experience for me. Of course it was great to see Gerry,
Brendan, Marc and Lou so close, I even could talk to them.
But what struck me the most is, that the performance itself was so warm, pure and honest. It moved me. At some
moments I felt tears in my eyes, especially during the tunes Rory wrote himself. It seemed that Rory's spirit
was present on that stage.
It's a great accomplishment if someone can call up such strong feelings. You did, and I want to thank you for that.
With kind regards,
Hans van Kronenberg, The Netherlands
| Hi there, Being in possession of the "Feel the heat" CD, and having spent 3 weeks on a
course in Stevenage which was due to come to an end on Friday 6th, I was delighted when I discovered you were
playing at a pub in the town on my last night there. I persuaded 5 of my colleagues on the same course
(40+ music freaks like myself) that we should spend our last night getting a good dose of blues rock, and so we
witnessed what can only be described as a fantastic gig. The band were red hot, and Gwyn's playing was top
drawer. In fact, the final number, "Knocking on heaven's door" made one of my colleagues cry, it moved him so much.
As a long time fan of Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, Duane Allman etc, all I can say is that Gwyn deserves to
be hailed in the same way as these other guys. Keep on giving us the great live music, and try to get to the
Midlands some time, preferably Warwick / Leamington Spa, where I live !
Cheers
Steve Thorne, UK
AmCham 10-th anniversary of July 4-th: Extra fun, fire works, music and beer.
This year the traditional Independence Day Party organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria gathered
1,700 guests in the Lozenetz residence, Sofia. Except for the extra fun, extra music and raffle prizes, the guests
were pleased with the attractiveness of Lozenets residence. Members and families, U.S. embassy employees and
families, US citizens in Bulgaria and guests enjoyed one of the biggest festivities in the AmCham history. The
celebration would not have been possible without the kind support of AmCham diamond sponsor Orbit Ltd. and other
sponsors Motorola, Microsoft, 3M, AT Engineering, Fender, Allied Domecq, Address.
The opening ceremony included live music from the popular Bulgarian band D2 and legendary Gwyn Ashton Band from
the UK. Rising Force Co. brought a wonderful music program and extraordinary atmosphere during the special guitar
Fender contest. Mr. Christopher Thomson from Bearing Point won the contest and a professional guitar. Six awards
were given at the Jack Daniel’s BBQ party.
Food was provided by Hilton BBQ, McDonald’s cheesburgers, french fries and Mcpies. The guests kept cool with lots
of beer from Kamenitza, Stella Artois, Shumensko, Tuborg, Zagorka. The admirers of wine enjoyed Domaine Boyar
tastes; drinks were provided also by Allied Domecq, Coca-Cola supplied with soft drinks, Pain D'or brought in
croissants & muffins.
American Chamber Of Commerce, Bulgaria
Hubert Sumlin, who fell through a window onto a stage at the age of 9 and played for
23 years as Howlin' Wolf's guitarist, is the man whom Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan,
Jimi Hendrix and countless others list as one of their greatest influences. We last saw
him a year ago at The Old Vic in Nottingham when we were treated to a night of Howlin'
Wolf classics. In contrast this time, with the exception of "Sitting on Top of The World"
and "Little Red Rooster" complete with howling hounds from the audience, he stuck mainly
to post Wolf compositions. Arriving on stage wearing a grey suit, white fedora, Gwyn
Ashton tee shirt and an enormous guitar-shaped tie, Hubert looked every inch the epitome
of an old time Bluesman. He was later joined on stage by Gwyn Ashton who visibly enjoyed
every minute of trading licks with the maestro, it seemed as if they could have played
all night and we could have happily watched.
A great weekend was had by all and we hope to see you at next year's Bury Blues festival.
www.bluesfreepress.org.uk
Australian Gwyn Ashton has guitar hero stuff and taste, too. His electric numbers run at
about Rick Derringer intensity (hear "Trouble’s Knockin'"); the acoustic cuts ("Leaving"
for example) have snap and delicacy. Comparisons to Rory Gallagher are not unwarranted."
Tom Hyslop, 'Blues Bites'. Blues Revue, US
"The latest edition of living blues mag has a review of Gwyn Ashton's CD. The review
compares him favourably with Rory Gallagher. He is doing well in Europe, playing many
festivals and has received an endorsement from Fender Guitars. It is always great to hear
of another local bluesman making good on the world stage"
DAVE RAY- Beat Magazine, Melbourne, Australia
Have you seen this guy play? He's currently playing the London/Bedfordshire/Milton Keynes
area in England. One of the best blues players I've seen.
Gwyn is one of the most amazing guitarists I have seen. It is a real loss for us that he
could not find a way to continue playing over here, but definitely a gain for the UK. He has
a couple of CDs out, at least one of, which should still be available (probably as an import
for you), or maybe Gwyn has some himself. Pass on the regards of the Melbourne Blues
Appreciation Society if you get the chance to talk to Gwyn, and wish him the best for us)
Craig Smith, Australia
| Armed with a National steel guitar and an arsenal of blues originals
written in convincingly authentic style, yet another product of Melbourne's fertile blues
scene marches forth. In fact, this is Gwyn Ashton's second CD. "Beg, Borrow and Steel" also
launches him on a journey across the continents, via New Zealand, the USA (where he has a gig
at Martha's Vineyard) and on to Europe.
On this CD he is ably supported by other Melbournians, including Ken Farmer on drums and the
amazing Anthony Harkin on harp, plus Chris Farmer on double bass and the Reverend Mick O'Connor
on Hammond, to retain the acoustic ambience.
Gwyn plays and even sings a little like Johnny Winter on the National- and that's definitely a
compliment. The arrangements are simple and uncluttewhite, yet they groove. The only cover on
the album, Muddy's "I Can't Be Satisfied" is played with panache and I venture to say that Muddy
would have liked it. There are occasional forays into ordinary acoustic territory, including the
pretty, non-blues instrumental "Uluru Sunset" but it is Gwyn's slide on the National steel which
is exceptional. Sometimes these things all sound the same, but Gwyn makes it sweet or pensive or
rocks it up - and the outcome is a fine acoustic album.
Mike Garner-New Zealand Blues Society
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