Fremont John Ashton's rich musical background comes from almost 20 years of classical piano training and nearly as many years on trombone.
Upon completion of his "formal schooling", Fremont John went on the road playing lead guitar, keyboards and singing with rock band, InnerVision. The group toured the Midwest and surrounding areas for several years playing large college bars and opening concerts for Rush, Iron Butterfly and Styx. InnerVision was under the management of Paul Stanley from Detroit, who also promoted acts, such as Kiss, Aerosmith, George Carlin, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon and many others.
Marriage and family then prompted the "age of reason and responsibility". He sporadically spent his weekends gigging and writing music while juggling a banking career and later a career in the environmental industry. However . . . you can't extract music from the soul of a true musician, and Fremont John is a true musician.
Fast-forward to the 1990s. Fremont John and InnerVision drummer Michael Carden teamed up again and formed the band Alias. With Fremont John out front on electric guitar and keyboards, Alias became the hottest classic rock band along the West Michigan Coast. While playing a regular schedule with the band for many years, Fremont John also began performing solo with acoustic guitar. . . .
The rest of the story is an ongoing trip up-hill. Fremont John sold his business in 1999, and moved to Key West, Florida, to revive a sorely missed full time music career. He independently released a long overdue first CD entitled, "Acoustic Thunder" which consists of eight original songs and four cover tunes. He quickly became a regular solo performer at many bar and restaurant venues throughout the Florida Keys.
Spring 2001 brought a request from management at The Bull in Key West for Fremont John to expand his solo performance with a band. Fremont John and Acoustic Thunder created a steady audience building gig and became one of the island's premier rock/show bands. The band's self produced live CD entitled "Lighting Strikes The Bull" was released in July 2002. In addition to playing "The Bull", Fremont John performed both solo and with the band at a number of South Florida venues. Fremont John and Alphonse Subarsky, formerly of The New Jersey based Party Dolls, gave rousing Dueling Guitar shows weekly at The Bull.
Fremont John hooked up with New York producer Larry Baeder in January 2004 to record his most ambitious project to date, Timeline. Woven from personal experiences and messages of the heart and soul the CD features some of New York's most talented A-list session players. Initial rave reviews prompted Fremont John to relocate to the Tampa area in pursuit of a larger market. He is quickly becoming one of the areas premier artists performing at such venues as The Tampa Bay Devil Ray's pre-game. Behind the scenes he is developing the kind of presence that is allowing him to build a following in several other areas of the US and Europe.
Discography
Acoustic Thunder - Released 1999 Solo Project with former Alias band members.
Lightning Strikes The Bull - Released 2002 Live CD with Acoustic Thunder Band
Timeline - Released February 2005 |