coley kennedy+ pete javier+ jeremy barrett+ sherrlia bailey
Influences
The Smiths, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Rolling Stones, Marc Bolan & T-REX, JohnPaulGeorgeRingo, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Bennies, Liam & Noel, sundresses, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Jesus and Mary Chain, the Clash, The Undertones, Blur, Generation X, Spacehog, Magnetic Fields, Psychedelic Furs, Mekons, Gene, motorcycles, Rod Stewart & The Faces, Big Star, Elvis Presley, Thin Lizzy, The Cure, The Jam, Graham Coxon, Mick Ronson, cocktails & hangovers, The Replacements, The Tears, autumn, Bernard Butler, Suede, The Who, Material Issue, Cheap Trick, The Housemartins, The Kinks, Shane MacGowan, The Pogues
Sounds Like
EPONYMOUS LP
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THE CATBIRD SEAT EP
"Among the years Best Bands of 2008!" - Q101 FM, Chicago IL
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"...Great sound, look, attitude, stage presence. {WTA} definitely have that something that made so many of the bands that straddled post-punk and Brit-pop great."
- August Forte, JMA (April, 2009)
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****"NOTHING BUT GREY SKIES AHEAD" SINGLE****
"The local combo's forecast may be gloomy, but it eases its way out of seasonal affective disorder with the ultimate cure-all: breezy, evergreen power-pop."
- TimeOut, Chicago
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..."Relatively straightforward pop rock gives way to Clash-like guitar creations, but a significant vocal hook seems to always be on the band’s mind. You can’t fault the band for wanting to firmly plant its choruses in your head, and to Welcome to Ashley’s credit, it doesn’t get too annoying after hours and hours of “Wild Blue Yonder” giddily hopping up and down like a kid in a Jumpin’ Jack inside your brain."..."Welcome to Ashley’s endearing deliveries make the band better than the average four-piece-that-wishes-it-were-The-Smiths, and that keeps the material afloat. Also, it helps that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be The Smiths.
- Tom Lynch (New City Chicago) Feb. 2009
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"Of course the "sounds-like" folks have been busy drawing comparisons to Echo & the Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, The Clash, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Star, The Faces, etc. It's all in there, for sure, but Welcome To Ashley is much more than the sum of its acknowleged influences. Frontman Coley Kennedy combines smart, uniquely personalized songwriting with some of the meatiest power-pop hooks and edge-of-the-razor production this side of "London Calling."...
"Kennedy’s vocal style recalls, by turns, Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie and Ian McCulloch of 1980s post-punk icons Echo & the Bunnymen."...
"guitar parts that are lush and nearly orchestral, yet retain an unmistakable pop hook."...
"Jeffrey Jones, a Park Theater volunteer event coordinator who booked Welcome To Ashley for the May 31 concert, describes Bailey as “a great, in-the-pocket drummer, powerfully propulsive, yet tasteful ... no gratuitous showboating. It’s a similar spirit and talent that Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Max Weinberg of the E Street Band or Topper Headon of The Clash, three of the greatest rock drummers, bring to their roles behind the drum kit."...
"Jones added that Barrett “evokes the spirit of Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, or Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett of Bob Marley and the Wailers, or maybe even Reginald Workman of the John Coltrane Quartet."...
"Adds Jones, “From my vantage point as a music lover, or rather a music-obsessive, their approach to the music they create seems to be informed by both disciplined study and by what they love about music. They’re just a great band, period."
- Sawyer County Record, Hayward WI, May 28 2008
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****THE CATBIRD SEAT EP REVIEW, 2008****
"a nice mix of Smiths-esque pop and a boozy, dirty swagger. The songwriting’s strong—any time you say to yourself "Smiths" or "Clash" while listening to something new, it can’t be all that bad—and while the band keeps it relatively simple, it’s remarkably infectious work. "Madame O’Leary" has Strummer all over it, but my favorite is the sprawling, woozy "Heaven & High Time," which moves like the wind in a wicked, thrilling way, weaving guitars and stretched vocals flowing freely. Pop-rock-giddy "Good Star" gels too. We’ll see where this goes, of course, but it seems like Welcome to Ashley might be on to something."
- Tom Lynch (New City Chicago)
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"Welcome To Ashley dives into its perfect record collection, zipping between British and American power-pop like some magic, transatlantic van your cooler older brother built."
- Time Out, Chicago
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"...For a band so quick to list their influences - The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Faces, Big Star, The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Clash - when whatzup [magazine] begged for some insight, Chicago's Welcome to Ashley sure do sound unique. Curious? Try to imagine The Killers in an indie club - but much less glamorous and produced, and, frankly, quite a bit smarter (or so their lyrics would imply) - and you'll have a good idea of what to expect...Viva la lo-fi!"
- Greg Locke, Whatzup, Fort Wayne IN, November 2007
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****THE CATBIRD SEAT EP REVIEW, 2007****
Regular WXRT listeners may have caught Welcome To Ashley’s 2006 single “Thursday Afternoon,” though the band’s hoping to prove it wasn’t a fluke on "The Catbird Seat" EP. The title cut could easily chart a similar course, once again merging flavors of The Jesus And Mary Chain with Echo And The Bunnymen. “Wild Blue Yonder” dips back even deeper in the rock annals to recall vintage Clash with alien-era Bowie vocals, adding intrigue to an already appealing retro rock offering.
– Andy Argyrakis, Illinois Entertainer, October 2007 ___________________________________________________________________________
****EPONYMOUS LP REVIEW, 2007****
"Welcome To Ashley singer Coley Kennedy has clearly studied Echo & The Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch, while his bandmates also appear to be fans of that band, The Replacements, and Jesus and Mary Chain."... "its self-titled eight-song album combine the best of all worlds, plus a little attitude of its own."
- Illinois Entertainer, Sept. 2006
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****Welcome to Ashley;s "Welcome to Ashley"
Release date: 2006
4 (out of 4) Flames****
It's almost scary how similar the latest from Welcome to Ashley sounds like so many other bands. There is something about the singer, Coley Kennedy, which leads the band to be compared to the likes of The Clash and also The Smiths. It can be hard to make a name for yourself when others simply see you as a mix between other bands. However, Welcome to Ashley, regardless of their comparisons and similarities, is truly one of a kind. The song "Thursday Afternoon" speaks for itself and the band with its smooth sound and heartfelt lyrics. The album stays strong throughout the tracks which includes "Cheap Champagne" and "Adeline." The chemistry in the band can truly been seen in their music. Welcome to Ashley is certain to keep fans happy with their music and keep rock music true to its alternative roots.
-Eli Ortiz, Chicago Flame
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"Coley Kennedy sounds like David Bowie with a soul. And even if Bowie hadn't sold his soul to Beelzebub, he couldn't sound as worthy as Kennedy's band, Welcome to Ashley"
-Time Out, Chicago
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"Great tunes and the perfect dose of self-assured swagger."
-Cyrus, Astral Planes
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"WTA have a glam-rock swagger that you haven't heard in most pop bands since Jim Ellison's day".
-Time Out, Chicago
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"A terriffic tune (Thursday Afternoon)... One of the finest I've heard this year... Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, The Cure... any of those bands would be proud to call this song their own."
-Richard Milne, 93 WXRT
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****WE WILL FIND THE SUN EP REVIEW, 2005****
"Incredibly organic and fearless pop. WTA's driving drums and walkabout bass lines are topped with jangly guitar riffs, borrowing some high end sheen from brit-pop guitar heroes, and vocals that roam between Morrissey and Michael Stipe."
-City Beat, Cincinnati 2005
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"Welcome To Ashley idle steadily at an intersection between The Stones and The Smiths."
-The Onion
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"A tough live act to follow."
-The City Paper, Nashville 2004
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****WE WILL FIND THE SUN EP REVIEW, 2005****
Yes, Welcome to Ashley knows music and knows it well. One has to wonder if Casablanca –n- co. would have been able to rap endlessly on all things Roxy Music. Well, not for long, because, unless they were spoon-fed it by that zany, old “Master Splinter” character—you know, the one who taught them how to hold their guitars--they most likely wouldn’t know it from regenerated pabulum.
Welcome to Ashley knows it. And they know Nick Lowe. And the Jam. No, they probably have few feelings for Nirvana, Oasis, or The Libertines. But they love the Damned, Buzzcocks, and the Real Kids. They know the source, not its recycled, watered-down imitation so many bands are stealing their riffs from nowadays.
One small EP has just been released as testament to the band’s chops. We Will Find the Sun kicks off with superb jagged guitar hooks that shift and squirm through Coley’s intriguing vocals. An Ian McCulloch presence distorts through a Jim Reid delivery, lending gravity to poignantly contrasting lines about sun, waves, summer, and rain.
Cheap Champagne follows with not only a superb guitar lines, but an ultra-sensitive rhythm section solidly amplifies the whole affair. Barret’s bass is beyond punchy and Bailey’s drums keep time in a solid, confident manner that requires no flash to impress.
Adeline rounds out the EP with Coley’s best Richard Butler homage on vocals—Adeline is lies, but he loves loving her. What could make someone more cynical, more world-weary? What better way to express it than: “it’s gonna tear me apart!” and then cue economical half-chorus of expressive guitar solo. A few moments later, the EP ends, but this kind of thing, thank goodness, goes on and on.
You see, for all of us fans of pop, power, punk, and the punchy—that genuine expression amid an irresistible presentation we’ve come to expect from the best of rock ‘n’ roll…well, it’s all emotion. We feel certain things about it that will never truly die. Long live modern rock with verve and shattering emotion. Long live John Peel. Long live Welcome to Ashley.
-Alan Jacobson, Third Coast Press, Chicago 2005
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"Oasis meets The Smiths ... definitely worth seeing."
-Centerstage Chicago
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"WTA have a natural talent of weaving sincere, self-reflective lyrics into the motion of tension and release. No doubt that when you leave the house you will be taking their hooks with you."
-Rich Seng, Cherry Bomb
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