Les — et les autres (both, in French)

PHOTO BY ALEX CARDONA

Explore the World of Music with Ashley Virginia

BY JORDYN WHITTED DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ARTSGREENSBORO

Local musician, Ashley Virginia, is a Singer-Songwriter, Vocalist, Multi-Instrumentalist, Event and Content Producer, and in the most general sense, an Artist. She started playing and performing music at age fi ve, and songwriting at age 13. She’s lived in Greensboro since 2014, and the community here has played a huge role in shaping her as a person and an artist.

Ashley Virginia got her start performing in Greensboro at the underground college house shows scene and the local open mic scene. “My first gig playing my original music was in 2018 at Ben & Jerry’s in Friendly Center, and I was paid in ice cream,” she remembers. “It’s really cool to reflect on the artistic growth I have made and the communities I have found solace with since then.”

“Writing music and being creative is therapeutic for me,” says Ashley Virginia when asked about her love for music. “It helps me process living in a society that supports profit and individuality over collective wellness and healing. Creativity is why I get out of bed everyday and what gives my existence meaning.”

Ashley Virginia is currently in postproduction for my second album, “The Colors in My Dreams”. The creation of the album was supported by grant funding from Arts Greensboro. At the beginning of April, she was to record the album at a farmhouse in Glendon, North Carolina. During production, various collaborators dropped in and out to contribute to the recording process (Kevin Beardsley, Jacob Bruner, Evan Campfield, Julian CreechPritchett, Justin “Demeanor” Harrington, Alex Hornaday, Alexei Mejouev, Ricky Perez, Cameron Rabb, Liam Trawick, Savannah Thorne, Tom Troyer/Black Rabbit Audio, Laura Jane Vincent, Savannah Thorne, and Alexis Ward).

“This recording process was spectacular because we were completely immersed in the creative process, free from distractions of daily life,” says Ashley Virginia. “Other than one quick run-through rehearsal with the rhythm section, we did not do any rehearsing beforehand - I picked out the players, sent them lead sheets with the form for the songs, and the arrangements are what we came up with organically on the spot.” The whole week was documented by a videography team (Alexei Mejouev and Maggie McCullough) in hopes to release a short film along with the album. Ashley Virginia projects the album release later this year.

In the meantime, you can catch Ashley Virginia weekly from 3-5 pm at Oden Brewery as the host of “What the Folk - Songwriter Sessions”, or visit her website to see the full calendar: www.ashleyvirginiamusic.com/shows !

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH THORNE