Every Wednesday the leadership team at The Fountaingrove Club meets with our COO to discuss what is going on in each department. Every week Adina Flores, director of communications, adds a fun icebreaker to the agenda to kick off the meeting. In today’s meeting, she asked, “What kind of music do you like listening to and why?” If you read my blog, safe to say I used EDM… I went on to explain the different genres and could have spent an hour talking about why I enjoy this style. I easily could have said pop, alternative, rap… Even country music. But EDM is where I am focused.
Growing up in the Midwest, with a corn field in my backyard, I didn’t have a choice but to enjoy country music. Over time, country music has changed and is now basically considered pop music. When Michel over at MTS Management Group introduced me to Ashley Puckett, I was pleasantly surprised. Ashley lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, writes her own lyrics, and recently released her debut single, “Medicine,” out now. She has a contagious smile and has worked with some legendary musicians. I was so impressed with her story, I reached out to Michael for an interview. This was a fun interview and I enjoyed learning more about her. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ashley Puckett.
You are originally from North Huntingdon, just east of Pittsburgh. What is the music scene like there and what are some of your favorite places to see a show?
There is such a diversity in music here and I’m very fortunate for that. I enjoy more intimate settings for shows at a few theaters around and also Jergel’s Rhythm Grille is a lot of fun, too.
Who are some of your biggest influences?
Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Carole King, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes… So many more.
What is your songwriting process like? Do you sit down to write a new single or do they just come to you?
This all depends on the song, the inspiration, and where I am when the ideas hit me.
Tell me more about your debut single “Medicine.”
“Medicine” is a very sweet, romantic, straight forward song. It’s very raw, and doesn’t need much as far as instruments to portray it’s emotion. This song represents the one person that you can run to or just be in that someone’s presence no matter what to make you feel “okay again.”
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Well, CMA Fest was a blast and that was a ton of concerts at once in Nashville. I did really enjoy a recent show in a smaller, more intimate setting when I saw LeAnn Rimes.
How many different guitars do you own?
I have one acoustic/electric at the moment. I used to own a Schecter Diamond Series with a beautiful mother of pearl vine up its neck… And it was a dark teal blue. I’ll get one just like it again some day. My current one though has a mother of pearl vine too… It’s an Alvarez.
Do you ever make a mistake while performing?
(Laughs.) Yes. My weakness is memory. I have been known to mess up my own lyrics and cover songs before. People laugh, but I’m one of those people who can’t remember what I ate for breakfast so when it comes to lyrics, I sometimes let my mind get ahead of me.
Tell me more about your relationship with Michael Stover and MTS Management Group.
I’m still new to the MTS family but i’ve been very happy so far. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and I look forward to all that the relationship brings in the future.
Looks like you’ve been skydiving. What was that experience like? I mean… You jumped out of a plane!!!
Yes! Honestly, most think it’s a thrilling pit of the stomach feeling that excites skydivers, but for me it’s just the beauty of everything up there. I still get nervous up there, after all, I’m the one in control if something were to go wrong. For me, it’s both fun and stress relief. It gives you this sort of “high” just like bungee jumping.
I don’t see any tour dates on your website. Are you planning to go on the road when the new album comes out later this year?
Yes, I’m planning to set some dates after the release.
What is your favorite cover song? There are a lot of great country music songs to choose from!
I have a few favorites. “Because You Love Me” from Jo Dee Messina, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by Carole King, “Tyrone” from Erykah Badu, and “Tin Man” from Miranda Lambert to just name a few.
How do you know Bryan Cole?
I met him through a friend and from there, we became friends through our relationship as he was my producer on this debut album.
Songwriters are usually good storytellers. Tell me a story.
Hmm… The last “story” I have been writing was actually about a song that is on this upcoming album. A song about a song. I don’t want to spoil the future here, but there’s a song on the album called “Weightless” and the song I’ve been writing was actually inspired by this one as odd and interesting as that sounds. When I heard the song for the first time in the studio, I immediately went into this deep thought – more of a fairy tale playing in my head. To be quite honest, I didn’t even realize it was happening until the song was half over. These scenes that play out in my head during the songs thanks to the beautiful melody, and lyrics are what inspired the song i’m still currently writing to portray that “experience” just like a fairytale. Stay tuned.
Do you get nervous when you are on stage?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
What’s next for Ashley Puckett?
I look forward to the album release, as well as hopefully some forthcoming writing sessions with some of the writers involved on this album. I ultimately just want to take every opportunity I have to share my music and take it as far as I can.
Thank you for doing this. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
To all of you reading this, thank you for having an interest, and following my journey with me, it means so much! Follow me on Facebook and my website and keep me on your playlists for Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon.
Connect with Ashley Puckett:
Website: http://ashleypuckett.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleypuckettmusic
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ashleypuckettmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/ashleypuckettmusic
