He’s been heard on countless tours and albums with Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan, and now guitarist Sean Ashby is returning to the North Okanagan with his latest solo tour.
Ashby will perform on six different guitars for a show at Lorenzo’s Café in Ashton Creek, Friday, July 3.
“My show is vocal-song-guitar driven. It’s a one-man band show with beats and bass. I play lap steel/ Weissenborn guitar (like a dobro) and twangy electric guitars,” he said. “It’s a fun show. I joke with the audience and keep the night lighthearted.”
Ashby is touring on his two brand, new albums – one (Surf Guitar Smash Hits) features instrumental surf guitar music, and the other (Lodestone and Iron) is his most recent solo album featuring guitar and vocals in the Americana-roots genre.
Ashby is probably best known for his playing on McLachlan’s hit records Mirrorball and Afterglow, which sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone.
“I was with Sarah through her commercial/artistic peak,” said Ashby, adding he joined the singer at all three of her Lillth Fair festivals.
Ashby also appeared on the Grammys twice with McLachlan and another time with McLachlan and Alison Krauss of Union Station fame.
He has also appeared with McLachlan on talk shows hosted by Conan O’Brien, Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman and Jay Leno when he hosted The Tonight Show as well as on Saturday Night Live and at the 2008 Christmas tree lighting at New York’s Rockefeller Centre.
He and McLachlan also saw many of their songs appear on TV shows as well as on the feature film, I am Sam, which featured their cover of The Beatles’ Blackbird.
Ashby has also played with Vancouver electronic musical duo Delerium and with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, of Run DMC fame, on the song Cats in the Cradle (Just Like Me) with McLachlan.
With five solo albums out and two others with the band he fronts, Jack Tripper (nominated in 2002 for Best Rock Record at the Western Canadian Music Awards), Ashby now tours full time across Canada and the U.S.
Ashby will take the stage at around 8 p.m. at Lorenzo’s, located at 901 Mabel Lake Rd. east of Enderby. Cover is $10. Call 250-838-6700 to reserve a seat.
