Showtime is 9:30PM at Eighth and Rail. If you could harness the power in Gareth Asher’s music you’d have enough hi-octane passion to fuel a Ferrari. Born and raised in the small town of Bowdon, GA, Gareth was exposed at an early age to the music of iconic artists like Jackson Browne, Don Henley and The Eagles, groups he now counts as some of his biggest influences. But everything changed one day in 1987, when, at the age of seven, Gareth woke up one morning to the sweet sounds of Otis Redding flowing through the rooms of his childhood home. Since then, Gareth has been addicted to the sweet grooves of the late 60s and early 70s, especially those emanating from Motown, and has made it his undertaking to channel many of those sounds in his music today. ” I just want to make people feel something, the way I do” says Asher.
As a singer, songwriter, and guitarist raised on a steady diet of old school funk, rock, and soul, Gareth also attributes many of his musical sensibilities to monumentally influential artists like Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, and groups like Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire. On the rock side of things, his primary influences are more contemporary – Toad the Wet Sproket, Aqualung, and Amos Lee among them.
After teaming up with multi-talented, veteran producer and musician, Clay Cook, in 2004, Gareth recorded the first of his two records with Clay, where the fingerprints of his heroes still remain, but now revealed in his own way – an experience Gareth has described as extremely humbling and knowledgable.
At this early stage in his career, Gareth has played, toured, and recorded with some great bands and musicians. He has experienced the tornado world of the music industry and learned that to survive you need more than talent—you need steely resolve and thick skin. But Gareth Asher decided at the early age of seven that music is his path, and today he wants everyone within range of his powerful and passionate voice to know it!
From the Archives — originally published on the Opelika Daily News on September 23, 2008. View the original page.
