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GUITARIST OF THE YEAR 2001
Guitar Parts Magazine (France)
1: JEFF BECK
2: GARY MOORE
3: GWYN ASHTON
"South Australia's greatest contribution to
blues-rock" - billboard.com
"This is blues/rock guitar assault of the highest
order and I fu*king love it! The album roars into life with 'Meltdown At
The Hoo' - an instrumental name-check of every blues/rock style you've
ever heard - and is followed by ten blistering tracks that every fan of
the genre will gorge on like a hyena at a lion-kill. Nine of the eleven
tracks here are self-penned; the exceptions being incredible versions of
Robert Johnson's 'Crossroad Blues' and Blind Willie Reynolds' 'Outside
Woman Blues', both made famous by Cream, both blowing Cream's efforts
clean o ut
of the water."
- Get Ready To Rock
"A two-piece blues avalanche for fans of records
how they used to make 'em. There are plenty of sonic and tonal
highlights for blues-rockers to get their teeth into. From the
high-octane Texas-style blues of Meltdown At The Hoo to the slow menace
of One-Way Ticket to The Blues, The standout moment being Cross Road
Blues, where a hypnotic tremolo riff builds to a haunting harmonica-led
breakdown. This raw showcase of a telepathic
duo exploring their blues is well worth cranking up." - Guitarist
The album (Two-Man Blues Army) roars into life
with a raucous onslaught of soupy, swampy, scruff-of-the-neck revved up
Hendrix-y electric guitar, as the appropriately-titled "Meltdown At The
Hoo" hits top gear and hammers away at your senses! The whole album of
killer tunes represents a definite melding of traditional
blues-meets-the-21st century.
- Gear
"Two-Man Blues Army is a masterclass in rocking
garage blues, a feast of big riffs, killer guitar tones and searing
vocals. More importantly, the record crackles with the raw, spontaneous
energy of a live show, something often absent from many modern blues
albums."
- Guitar Buyer
“Equipped with just guitar, vocals and drums, this
duo march into battle taking on every blues-rock trick in the book,
successfully blasting them to a new level. The duo format leaves plenty
of room for Gwyn's muscular licks that induce the 'wow' factor time and
time again. No-nonsense, brutal and
invigorating.”
- Guitar & Bass
Forging its own unique, unparalleled style: an
explosive mixture of alternative blues, turbo- charged 50s-70s garage
rock, 60s psychedelia and swamp delta blues, Gwyn Ashton’s Two-Man Blues
Army goes into battle head-on, with a cutting-edge sound unlike anything
out there today. The combo features
award-winning Aussie guitarist Gwyn Ashton and Brit powerhouse drummer
'Killer' Kev Hickman.
With an ambitious contemporary approach to the
blues, plus experimental, riff-laden, edgy, high-octane songs they crash
their way into the alt. music scene and blast down the boundaries
between the blues and indie rock. Drawing inspiration from the great
rock and blues acts from the past, the duo has firmly established its
own distinctive identity, bringing the blues into the 21st century.
Classic Rock magazine has hailed their latest
release as “An audacious new album. It’s tough to imagine any genuine
fan of the blues, or of wider taste, failing to be bowled over by its
immediacy and power.”
Ashton leads the band with his soul-infused swampy
songs, searing vocals and trademark fiery axemanship. He's in his
element with a wealth of vintage guitars, amps and analog effects that
get wheeled into the gigs - the only way to achieve the 'real' sound.
Fellow blues soldier Hickman is a young impassioned, maniacal drummer
who provides the perfect counterpoint to Ashton's guitar wizardry.
Together they serve up a demonic brand of blues, carving a notch in a
world full of predictable, homogenized music.
Ashton is no stranger to the world stage as he has
spent more than 15 years touring the globe, opening for artists as
diverse as BB King, Buddy Guy, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher,
Robin Trower, Vanilla Fudge, Wishbone Ash, Van Morrison, Jeff Healey,
Tony Joe White, Johnny Winter, Ray Charles, Pat Travers and John
Hammond. He has also been invited onstage with Mick Fleetwood, Hubert
Sumlin, Marc Ford, Jon Paris, Canned Heat, Robbie Blunt and Mark Stanway.
Ashton has been praised by such luminaries as Robert Plant, Johnny
Winter and Eric Johnson and regularly conducts blues guitar workshops in
schools.
Ashton has not only produced his last album,
"Two-Man Blues Army", but was also MD, producer, arranger and played all
the bass and guitars and did all the backing vocals on Peter Parker's
"She's So Shy" and "There Goes Love", although Parker has removed all
information about everyone who was involved and taken credit for the
entire project.
Welsh-born Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South
Australia in the ‘60s, picked up a guitar at 12 and from the age of 16,
played every bar, festival and seedy biker show imaginable. Aussie
audiences are tough and like their rock & roll loud, hard and fast. This
is where Ashton learned how to play his ass off. Entertain or be beer
bottled!
In the ‘90s he moved to Melbourne, played shows
with Jim Keays and Mick Pealing, recorded his first two albums and
opened for Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse and Albert Lee.
He relocated to Sydney in the ‘80s, playing stints
with Swanee and Stevie Wright. With his own band, he carved up stages
nationwide – some in the middle of nowhere, fronted with chicken wire,
sometimes driving for days through the outback to get to the next show.
In the 90s he moved to Melbourne, played with Jim
Keays and Mick Pealing, recorded his first 2 albums and opened for
Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse and Albert Lee. Following
record company advice to base himself where the best record sales were
happening for him, in ‘96 Ashton was UK bound to have a crack at the
European market. Promoting his album Feel The Heat, Ashton’s band opened
for UK rock icons Status Quo on their 15-date British arena tour in ‘99.
This included dates at Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena.
In 2000 Ashton recorded Fang It! with Gerry McAvoy
and Brendan O’Neil, former Rory Gallagher rhythm section now with Nine
Below Zero. He then fronted Band of Friends, replacing ex Motörhead and
Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson. This was a tribute to Rory, with
Gerry, Brendan, Lou Martin, Mark Feltham and Ted McKenna who all played
with Rory over the years.
Gwyn Ashton is endorsed by: Fender (Australia),
Vigier Guitars (France), Busker Guitars (UK), Fatboy Guitar Parts,
Vintage Guitars, Jacques Stompboxes (France), National Reso-Phonic
Guitars, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Hiscox Cases, Koch Guitar Electronics,
Graph-Tech Industries, Award-Session and Dunlop Strings.
Discography
*† Feel The Heat - 1993
Beg, Borrow & Steel - 1996
* ** Fang It! - 2000
†† Prohibition -2007
Two-Man Blues Army '09
†Album of the Month Oct ‘98 Guitar & Bass, FR
*Amazon France Top 100 albums, 2000
**Album of the Month Sept 2000 Guitar, FR
††Album of the Year 2007 Guitar & Bass, UK
Appearances on
Pressure Makes Diamonds - Jim Keays, '93
Real Australian Blues Vol. 2, '94
Classic Rock coverdisc, 2000
Blues Guitar Heroes, '03
Resonator - Jim Keays, '07
Bone Rattlin' Blues, '07
Hollywood Rocks, '07
She's So Shy - Peter Parker, '07 (guitar, bass,
backing vocals, arranging, production)
There Goes Love -Peter Parker, '07 (guitar, bass,
backing vocals) |
