Singer/Songwriter/Composer: Kirstin Ashe

Kirstin Ashe is unique in her ability to weave psychology and music. She began training as a concert pianist at age 7 with a neighborhood teacher, who happened to have trained at Julliard. After playing for only 6 months, she entered her first piano competition. At this young age, her first forays into composition snagged on the status quo. Kirstin informed her teacher that one of Mozart’s compositions had used a “wrong note,” and she felt that it should be changed. This first act of musical innovation got her kicked out of her piano lesson, as Mozart is never wrong. And perhaps it was a bit premature. . . But Kirstin’s compositions have come a long way since that point, and she now holds a Bachelor’s in Music Composition as well as a Ph.D.(c) in Psychology. Along the way, she completed 13-years of Classical piano, taught herself guitar, received a composition award from University of California Santa Barbara, attended New England Conservatory in Boston, and sang in the jazz band under the tutelage of notable Dominique Eade. Upon graduation, Kirstin moved to Los Angeles and studied film composition at the University of California Los Angeles, writing compositions for small orchestras, and composing music for three short films, one of which won a Gold Medal in the Houston Film Festival.

Kirstin’s music is inspired by a passion for transformation. She searches for the humor in tragedy, the bizarre in the accepted, and the beauty in sadness. Every emotion has its opposing force. Whether she is coming to terms with a personal loss or providing therapy for patients in an acute trauma ward, the thread of transformation unites her experiences and emerges through her music. She believes that through music, sadness is transformed into beautiful sound, which brings people joy and helps them better understand and transform their own losses. Her music illustrates that whatever you experience in life, you still have within you a sense of playfulness, wonder, spiritual connection, and curiosity.

Musically, Kirstin has been influences by a number of great artists, including but not limited to PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, The Glitch Mob, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Joni Mitchell, Bassnectar, Ella Fitzgerald, Ani Difranco, Beats Antique, Radiohead, Leonard Cohen, Bjˆrk and Aimee Mann. Imagery is derived from travels to Cambodia, Thailand, and the deserts of California (Anza Borrego). Support in self-publishing her first CD came from the important contributions of David Peters, Adam Cohen, Aaron Rix, Erin Loomis, and Ryan Grant who helped with recording engineering, production assistance, photography, graphic design, and web design.

Her second CD (in progress!) delves farther into electronic beats, four-part harmonies inspired by string quartets, and sensual melodies, while leaving behind romantic disappointment for flirtation, inspiration, and exotic soundscapes. Your comments and purchases of her music provide the inspiration and the funds to help support the mastering and production of the second CD. If you love unusual artists making their own way, offer whatever support you can!