Ash Breeze Band at WTA’s Gateway

What: Ash Breeze Band
When: Friday, April 11 at 8:00pm
Where: 329 W. Main St., Waynesboro, Va
Admission: $10 (in advance)  |  $12 (at the door)

Formerly known as the Smith Family Band, the Ash Breeze Band is led by father Allen and consists of daughter and powerhouse singer Nellie, 15, and three sons, Corey, 17, Luke, 13, and Eli, 11. Ash Breeze blends folk, jazz, bluegrass, classical, blues and gospel influences to make a distinctive sound, strong on instrumentation and intertwined with tight, melodic family harmonies.  The Friday, April 11 performance is at 8:00 pm at WTA’s Gateway, 329 West Main in downtown Waynesboro.

Ash Breeze is making a big splash in the Americana/Bluegrass World.  Classically trained, the group switched to Bluegrass in 2010, and created their own sound that defies labels.  Nellie is quickly establishing a name for herself with her strong, distinctive, beautiful and soulful singing and smooth melodic award winning fiddle playing that has been greatly influenced by greats like Stuart Duncan and Andy Leftwich.  Corey plays the guitar and sings and has a great style of his own that finds its way into the original music he writes. Corey is also the producer of Generation Bluegrass, a video bluegrass project that is drawing a lot of attention.  Luke plays banjo and the Cajon, and plays with a steady and polished style.  Eli plays mandolin with speed and finesse that is beyond his years and he also sings harmony vocals.  Finally, Allen (Dad) tries to keep it all together on bass. Don’t judge Ash Breeze by their age, but by their creative and distinctive sound that is fresh, creative, and mature.

In 2013, they played bluegrass festivals in Vermont, Canada, and South Carolina. They also performed at the Barbeque and Bluegrass Festivals at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri and Dollywood, TN. In addition, they played at Houstonfest in Galax the last 2 years, as well as many other venues. They were also featured WUNC’s nationally syndicated show Song of the Mountains on the same show as Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.  That show will air in the spring of 2014.  Ash Breeze’s CD release with Mountain Fever Records in February of 2014 was produced by Aaron Ramsey and Mark Hodges, and is marked mainly by original material written by the band members.

Advance tickets for the Ash Breeze performance are $10 and are available online at www.wtagateway.com or by calling the box office (540-943-9999).  Remaining tickets will be available at the door on the evening of the performances for $12. WTA’s Gateway box office opens thirty minutes prior to the performance start time.  Seating is limited so advanced reservations are suggested.  The April 11 performance will start at 8:00 pm at WTA’s Gateway at 329 W. Main St. downtown Waynesboro, Va.

Be sure to visit (www.wtagateway.com) or like the Wayne Theatre Alliance on Facebook. (www.facebook.com/WayneTheatreAlliance) for a preview of other upcoming events. WTA’s Gateway January – June 2014 Show Season includes a wide range of performances from jazz and history lectures to variety shows.  Many of the artists call Virginia their home and some internationally known talents grace the stage through the help of sponsors and grants.