Ashley Davis: Lead Vocalist (Chainska Brassika)
Among other musical projects, Ashley Davis is the lead vocalist of the nine-piece ska and reggae band, Chainska Brassika. Chainska have supported numerous bands such as Madness, The Skatalities, Mad Professor, The Abyssinians, Dawn Penn, Jerry Dammers, Rebelution and The Trojans, as well as being featured on David Rodigan's radio show many times. Ashley reflects on his journey as a musician and the development of Chainska Brassika from school concerts to the stages of Glastonbury.
Ashley credits his musical talents from his parents, his mother was a dancer and his father 'could string a tune together', however he does not recall the moment that he decided to pursue music; "without even thinking 'that is what I'm going to do', it is just what I started doing anyway". At the age of 11, Ashley got into the Theatre Arts school, Stagecoach, where he began musical theatre. Throughout his school years, he was involved in numerous productions, however he notes
"I was always interested in starting a band but there wasn't too much to get into, in Norfolk there was always a lot of metal and rock bands but that wasn't the kind of thing I was into... I always wanted to be in a band with a horn section, I always just liked the sound of the horns all together"
After moving to London with his parents at the age of 14, Ashley attended a music specialist school that nurtured a broad range of music styles and he found himself surrounded by musicians of all types
"there was always musician around, there were brass players, string players, singers, percussionists, that kind of thing, so it was quite easy to find a group of people around either your year or the years one above or below"
It was this environment that saw the birth of Chainska Brassika. Ashley notes how his personal journey from musical theatre to reggae and ska was largely accidental, drawing from other members of the band, taking influence from reggae, ska, roots and jamaican sounds in the UK and putting their ow spin on it. Original music and songwriting is a huge part of the ethos that Chainska Brassika has established, releasing their first E.P in 2013 and showcasing their original tracks at numerous UK festivals. Ashley emphasises that he sees this as one of the most important elements to music;
"Now inevitability is that originals bands are first and foremost the thing to strive for as a musician, to create your own music and push it forward, an really develop your own style and your what it is you are going to say"
Since leaving school, Chainska Brassika have gone from strength to strength, working closely with Tiger Lily Productions UK, the band's manager; "she is fully onboard with what we do and the ethos of the band, she's gone leaps and bounds for us". Chainska's success may be measured through the numerous festivals that they play throughout the summer, or perhaps by their billing as a support band for well-known acts in the contemporary ska and reggae scene, however Ashley reflects on the industry, the observations and challenges that he has come across throughout his journey as a musician. firstly, he emphasises the importance of performing;
"there is plenty that you could do like trying to sell some of your music, get signed by somebody, work with a label, that kind of thing, that's all well and good, but I think people get too caught up in that... people can be very preoccupied in those kinds of things and they get very hung up on it, but the thing that I would say to any young aspiring musician is the main thing is to play; to play live and make sure you get out."
"The best way for people to hear your stuff, is to HEAR it, so get out and play it and things will follow... "play a lot, play in different places and meet loads of people"
Ashley stresses that the most important thing about being a musician is to play. Chainska Brassika write their own tracks and Ashley comments how this can be difficutl at times, one of the most difficult times is knowing when to let the track go, when to share it, when to perform it for others to hear.
"the perfectionist inside you wants to make sure that what you've done can be the best, but there's only so far it can go before you have to say 'right, I need to perform this now'... you've got to lay it out there for people to hear it and for the feedback, good and bad, to come and then you can learn and grow from there"
Aside from Chainska Brassika, Ashley has several other musical projects that he is working on; for example he is also part of a barbershop quartet and has formed a trio with two more singers. He notes that times have changed in the music industry and that to survive as a musician it is essential to work on a variety of things. Unless you make it really big in the mainstream, it is difficult to make a living, you can no longer make money simply through selling records.
"Back in the day those that could sell a good but not necessarily outstanding number of records, but nowadays, the digital age, you have to branch out"
One of the most common supporting practices within music is teaching, which can often receive criticism, however Ashley notes how much you can learn from teaching and actually expresses how it can become an essential part of your own work as a musician.
"People say those that can't do just go and teach, but in the music world those two things go hand in hand, because you learn so much as a teacher as well as a student, it's important to remember that and to realise that that's part of your craft"
Ashley has had great successes through Chainska Brassika and continues to grow as a musician. However, he comments on some of the difficulties that he faced in the last few years after leaving school.
"people don't usually say I'm going to leave school and I want to try and make it with a band, and try to play music for a living... it's not necessarily something you hear about from a lot of people so it can be scary"
Ashley currently works as a lifeguard, fitting his time around the band. In fact each member of Chainska Brassika is doing something different, whether working part time, studying or teaching. However Ashley describes how he hit a point where he wanted to do one thing or the other, get a real job or go full time into music, one of which isn't necessarily as simple as making that decision without a serious risk. He describes how he had a moment of clarity and has learnt from that period, offering the following advice:
Listen to your own drive
Don't completely ignore the advice of the people who care about you
"everybody's journey is different and everybody is doing different things, but that means all of those great things are happening and that's wonderful"
Chainska Brassika have their debut album release due after summer 2015 and their new single 'Bad Habits' will be available on iTunes within the next couple of weeks. You can also find them at various venues around the country and look out for them on the festival line ups this summer!