Ash Koley
Encyclopedia
Ash Koley is a Canadian
New Wave
/alternative pop band from Winnipeg
, Manitoba
. The band consists of Ashley Michelle Koley (lead singer), after whom the band is named, and Phil Deschambault (guitar, keyboard).
, Manitoba
. She graduated from Miles MacDonell Collegiate and graduated with her Bachelor of Science
in Biochemistry
at the University of Winnipeg
. During her childhood she studied dance and musical theater. She began formal singing lessons at the age of 5. During her high school years she sang with the group Prodigy, an advanced placed singing group led by producer/songwriter, Zane Zalis. Koley also sang with the Winnipeg-based ABBA
tribute group Super Trooper.
Phil Deschambault is an established songwriter, producer, and artist who grew up in Russell, Manitoba
. Phil has been a singer/songwriter and guitarist in numerous bands in Winnipeg including Jonah Stone, Not Going to Vegas, and Vanderveen.
Koley and Deschambault met in 2004. The band has stated that Phil was looking for a singer that could compliment his style of song-writing, and had immediate chemistry with Koley when the two were introduced to one another by a mutual acquaintance. Glen Willows
, founder of Burning Circus Management, signed Ash Koley (the band) to his management company and began to distribute some rough demos of the band, resulting in significant interest from several North American and European publishers. The demos also received interest from Nettwerk Records CEO Terry McBride, who signed the duo in 2009.
, alternative, and New Wave music
. The duo have listed a wide range of musical influences, including ABBA, Elton John
, The Eurythmics, Annie Lennox
, Peter Gabriel
, Frank Sinatra
, The Cardigans
, Prince
, Erasure
, Imogen Heap
, The Pretenders
, Scissor Sisters
, The Cure
, Stevie Wonder
, Depeche Mode
, Queen
, Blondie
, Heart
, Michael Jackson
, Radiohead
, and Phoenix
.
. The song was released as a result of a significant growth in popularity due to the exposure it received after being featured on a Lotto 6/49
Canadian Television advertisement. "Don't Let Your Feet Touch Ground" was also featured in performances on the U.S. television show So You Think You Can Dance
, on the lobby soundtrack of the Westin chain of hotels, and gained even more exposure after it was used during the broadcast of the 2010 Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. The song is also used in 2010 UK television adverts for Tombola (bingo) in semi-exclusive sponsorship of ITV
's Emmerdale
. Ash Koley's music was also featured in the soundtrack for the Paris Hilton
movie The Hottie and the Nottie
.
A full-length album release on Nettwerk Records, Inventions, occurred in 2010.
The song "Brighter at Night" is featured in a GlobalTV advertisement.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/alternative pop band from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. The band consists of Ashley Michelle Koley (lead singer), after whom the band is named, and Phil Deschambault (guitar, keyboard).
History
Ashley Michelle Koley was born in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. She graduated from Miles MacDonell Collegiate and graduated with her Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
. During her childhood she studied dance and musical theater. She began formal singing lessons at the age of 5. During her high school years she sang with the group Prodigy, an advanced placed singing group led by producer/songwriter, Zane Zalis. Koley also sang with the Winnipeg-based ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
tribute group Super Trooper.
Phil Deschambault is an established songwriter, producer, and artist who grew up in Russell, Manitoba
Russell, Manitoba
Russell is a town of 1,428 located in southwestern Manitoba, Canada, in the Rural Municipality of Russell. The town of Russell is located along Highway 16 and Highway 83, and is at the western terminus of Highway 45. Russell is approximately 15 km from the Saskatchewan border and 340 km...
. Phil has been a singer/songwriter and guitarist in numerous bands in Winnipeg including Jonah Stone, Not Going to Vegas, and Vanderveen.
Koley and Deschambault met in 2004. The band has stated that Phil was looking for a singer that could compliment his style of song-writing, and had immediate chemistry with Koley when the two were introduced to one another by a mutual acquaintance. Glen Willows
Harlequin (band)
Harlequin is a Canadian rock band that formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1975 and lasted until the mid-1980s. The band is best known for their hit singles "I Did It For Love," "Thinking of You," "Superstitious Feeling," and "Innocence."...
, founder of Burning Circus Management, signed Ash Koley (the band) to his management company and began to distribute some rough demos of the band, resulting in significant interest from several North American and European publishers. The demos also received interest from Nettwerk Records CEO Terry McBride, who signed the duo in 2009.
Musical influences
Ash Koley has been described as a mix of popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, alternative, and New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
. The duo have listed a wide range of musical influences, including ABBA, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, The Eurythmics, Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
, Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...
, The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
, Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, and Phoenix
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
.
Music
Ash Koley have released four EPs since their inception: White, Black, Red and Blue. The band began to achieve its greatest mainstream success with the release of their single "Don't Let Your Feet Touch Ground", which reached the top 50 of the Canadian Hot 100Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. The song was released as a result of a significant growth in popularity due to the exposure it received after being featured on a Lotto 6/49
Lotto 6/49
Lotto 6/49 is one of Canada's two national lottery games. Winning numbers are drawn by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation every Wednesday and Saturday. Launched on June 12, 1982, Lotto 6/49 was the first nationwide Canadian lottery game to allow players to choose their own numbers...
Canadian Television advertisement. "Don't Let Your Feet Touch Ground" was also featured in performances on the U.S. television show So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
, on the lobby soundtrack of the Westin chain of hotels, and gained even more exposure after it was used during the broadcast of the 2010 Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The song is also used in 2010 UK television adverts for Tombola (bingo) in semi-exclusive sponsorship of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. Ash Koley's music was also featured in the soundtrack for the Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
movie The Hottie and the Nottie
The Hottie and the Nottie
The Hottie And The Nottie is a 2008 romantic comedy film starring Paris Hilton, Joel Moore, Christine Lakin, and Greg Wilson. It was written by Heidi Ferrer . The film started shooting in January 2007 and was released February 8, 2008. Its first-day earnings were $9,000, and it went on to earn...
.
A full-length album release on Nettwerk Records, Inventions, occurred in 2010.
The song "Brighter at Night" is featured in a GlobalTV advertisement.