Pick me up & get down rock 'n roll with a jazz retro flair.

6 MP3 Songs
ROCK: 60's Rock, JAZZ: Jazz Vocals



Details:
âEverybodyâs felt like shouting after a first kiss, or groaning after a break up- and with me those emotions are always accompanied by a song. I write songs as they happen to me, or as life hands them to me." Ashley 1st writes songs that express what weâve all felt at one point or another because "love is the great equalizer." Lovinâ Every Minute covers all those emotions and more.

The influences for Ashleyâs album come from a myriad of artists: "My sister got a record player to take advantage of all dadâs vinyls, and thatâs where the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Bowie came into play- and driving with Mom entailed whatever Eydie Gorme, Linda Ronstadt, or oldies she cranked up in the car." Piano and voice lessons followed soon after. Some staples in Ashleyâs cd collection include brit pop, motown, salsa, merengue and hip-hop. Yet Ashley has managed to create a sound hard to slap with a one word label. "I think my album is a cocktail of pop rock songs infused with jazz over a retro vibe."

So how did this Harvard graduate wind up behind the keys of a piano instead of some corporate computer? "I tried the desk job interviews- I did! When I didnât fit into any openings, my frustrated parents asked, "Well, kid what do you want to do?!" and I hesitated, "Honestly? I just love to sing and perform." So I immersed myself in it- pounding the pavement of a different road, and song writing followed."

When asked about the "1-s-t" moniker, the former "Ashley Furst" replies, "My mom would always write "A.1st" on my lunch bags growing up. Pretty soon I realized signing that was faster than writing my real name...that, and it felt a little cooler I admit."

Summing it up, A. 1st adds "I just write about everyday emotions that anybody feels, but the goal is to do it well. A teacher once told me, "Anybody can string a bunch of words together to make a sentence. But we write music to put words together in a way no one else has ever done, and once heard they canât imagine having it any other way." "

"That is the ultimate goal one day," confides Ashley, "for any songwriter really. And I may die trying...but my hope is that my songs allow people to either relish or cry in the glory that is love.â