City To Country Magazine Sept/Oct 2016 Sept/Oct 2016 Digital | Page 6

COVER STORY

Ashley grew up listening to Country music legends such
as Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, and Martina
McBride, and she idolizes Carrie Underwood. In fact,
a couple of her songs resemble a Ms. Underwood and
Miranda Lambert combination. One of the first tunes
Ashley learned to play was “American Honey” by Lady
Antebellum. While she may be catapulting to stardom,
she relays a lot of credit to her supporting band. She
considers Ty Thompson (lead guitar), Jacob Johnston
(bass), Whitney Mead (fiddle), and Nick Sanderson
(drums) to all be a big part of her success story.
I attempted to probe for more personal information
regarding Ms. Wineland’s long history on this Earth,
so that I could gauge where she gets her soulful sound
and storytelling prowess. I didn’t uncover much of the
heartbreak or sorrow that contributes to what we hear in
typical music. Instead, I found that Ashley is your ideal,
all-American daughter, who made a poor attempt at
being rebellious, but that she does have a slight stubborn
streak. No gut-wrenching love loss, treacherous childhood
upbringing, or extraterrestrial experiences to speak of.
Interesting, as this is very telling of her talent and a
testament to her musical creativity. She tells me of her
adoration for storytelling, though, and refers to personal
experiences and current events that inspire her. So, it’s not
surprising that Ashley writes her own music and songs,
which is true of her Family Business album’s title track, a
piece that tells the story of her father’s side of the family,
who ran moonshine from Missouri to Arkansas during
the prohibition.
With talent like this, you would think that Ashley comes
from a long line of musical ancestors, but that’s not the
case. Her family is not musical at all. Ashley simply
realized her passion, worked diligently at her craft, and
stayed focused, and she hasn’t let up since. Being an indie
artist takes up a lot of her time. When asked how she
balances her heavy schedule, Ashley replies, “Slots in my
planner for family and friends are mandatory. I cannot
live without them.” This helps her push through the rest of
the controlled chaos that allows her to come out polished.
That old cliché, “When the going gets tough, the tough
get going,” is Ashley Wineland through and through. As
a matter of fact, it is one of her mottos. It’s obvious that
she was raised with strong work ethics. Ashley also finds
solace in music (Brooks and Dunn, Carrie Underwood,
Chris Stapleton, and Nick Jonas), crafting, and the fitness
lifestyle.

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CITY TO COUNTRY MAGAZINE LLC

Slots in my
planner for family
and friends
are mandatory.
I cannot live
without them.

1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY

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