Corin Ashley

Corin Ashley is a singer/songwriter from Boston who, for the last 10 years, has been the driving force behind the hyper mod pop band, The Pills. Over the course of three albums, and extensive touring in the U.S., Canada, Spain and the U.K, the Pills have garnered rave reviews and appeared with The B- 52s, The Smithereens, Supergrass, Juliana Hatfield, Robyn Hitchcock, Ian Hunter, Edwin McCain, Sloan, Jimmy Cliff and others. The band has had their music featured on several TV shows (including Dawson’s Creek) and recently taped a video for MTV’s Laguna Beach.

With the Pills on break, Corin is currently recording his first solo album- a stripped down acoustic pop album “halfway between Neil Finn and Neil Young”. His approach is organic and homegrown. “I got so sick of technology getting in the way of music”, he says, “It’s gotten to the point where making music is exactly the same as working in an office: staring a at computer screen all day, just waiting for the bastard to crash and lose all your work. I’m not a complete luddite, but I went and got an old 1⁄2” 8 track machine and moved it into my kitchen -- next to the electric harpsichord -- and got back to the idea of recording for fun. I was greatly inspired by the first few McCartney albums, Harry Nilsson and some of the stuff the Pernice Brothers have done on 8 tracks.” The basic formula is good song, sung well, acoustic guitar, Hofner bass, off you go…

Corin appears as a solo acoustic act or with his band of musical sympathizers, the Dirty Ticket (MattB on drums and former Shods/Bosstones member Dave Aaronoff on guitar and keys). He also writes a regular column for The Big Takeover magazine and has been featured as a pop music commentator on NPR. Corin has worked with famed Dylan cohorts and producers T-Bone Burnett, Al Kooper, as well as Jimi Hendrix/Rolling Stones producer Eddie Kramer.