Ashbury

In the song "New York, New York" there is a line that says, "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere." Those words could also apply to the city in the desert - Las Vegas. Visitors and residents to this city of giant signs and even bigger names in entertainment have the choice of any number of international stars to see perform; as a result, local bands have the near impossible task of creating a fan base. One such local band has solved this dilemma by winning a big contest and opening for a major rock band in front of 50,000 people. The members of Ashbury entered the Have a Nice Gig contest that was sponsored by Bon Jovi and winning first the local contest and then the national contest. The prize for winning the local contest was a performance with the famous rockers at the MGM Grand. After being chosen as the winners in the national contest Ashbury opened for Nickelback and Bon Jovi at Giants Stadium.

Brian, Jeremy, Patrick, Joey, and Lenny - better known as Ashbury - have shown what hard work can do. Besides playing with the likes of Bon Jovi, Nickelback, The Cab, Panic at the Disco, Jewel, Live, and Paramore; band members have seen a number of their songs featured on MTV Network programs like "The Hills", "Laguna Beach", and "Pimp My Ride". For the past two years Ashbury has been a part of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon and performing on national television. Next up for the hard working rockers is an appearance at the SXSW Festival and the release of a new EP "Let's Make a Scene". The band is working on a summer tour and plans to release a new full length album some time next year.

The secret to their success? Ashbury presents music that crosses the generation gap - kid's like the rock while the parents like the pop. Oh, and although they work hard at making good music, band members still know how to have fun. And just to make sure about the fun; Ashbury's guitarist Joey Resly provides plenty of comic relief including the odd practical joke.

Band and room mate Patrick became the target of one such joke when Joey offered Patrick some sushi - Patrick's favourite food - but the sushi was not quite what Patrick expected. Joey had crafted the perfect sushi roll...out of play dough! Patrick said that he wished someone had taped the event, especially the "witnesses" that were rolling on the floor laughing as Patrick attempted to eat the "sushi".

Las Vegas is a tough place for local bands to get good gigs, but it hasn't deterred the members of Ashbury; who one day plan on headlining a show like the Bon Jovi gig in Giants Stadium.