“Growing up my parents had a beautiful vinyl record player that was so fascinating to me. How did a needle placed on a revolving black disk emit such an overwhelming sensation of sounds and emotions? It was the beginning of my love for music.”
“I can still hear the sound of The Stones, The Beatles, Eric Clapton and Neil Young playing in my memory from my parents’ turntable. I was always drawn to the female voice though. As a kid, I loved to imitate every single nuance of Patsy Cline and Celine Dion’s voice…I know, not the most original artists known to mankind, but damn can they sing!
The first time I held out a note of Celine Dion’s version of “All By Myself,” it was so long that I nearly passed out from lack of oxygen—haha! I wanted to make my voice as beautiful as theirs no matter what. I was also attracted to the more indie, dark moody artists like The Cranberries, Fionna Apple and Alanis Morissette, which are still to this day my all-time favorite artists who have influenced my eclectic songwriting styles.
Music is very different than it used to be. Everything is digital and perfect, right down to every single guitar strum being synced into place. Every vocal note is auto-tuned, and while at times it’s a life saver for singers, it also takes away a lot of that raw emotion we once had years ago.
I believe people are yearning for that authenticity again. I do enjoy certain modern effects and synths and the world is a better place with them in my opinion, but a lot of my music is very organic. I am mesmerized by the sound of a guitar plucking away, or a deep bass vibrating through my entire body, or the heart and soul I hear in a technically imperfect voice. To me, those sounds make up some of the best music, and it all started on vinyl.
A very close friend of mine has the same obsession with vinyl and just opened a gorgeous vintage record store in Hollywood, California called The Record Parlour with refurbished jukeboxes, classic record machines, thousands of vinyl records and even a stage for me to sing on.
I love all kinds of music but when I hear the distinct sound of the crackle of vinyl, it immediately makes me feel at home.”
—Ashlee Williss
