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Hoooooo! All you radio listeners out there. Machine Gun Billy has just recorded a new album, and from I've been hearing, it's hulluva good. Superb, rustic vocals from Grayson and the always delightful musical stylings of John and Pat = recipe for success. For more information, I suggest you contact John. - Dale

"Without music, life is a journey through a desert." --Pat Conroy

Welcome to Ash City's official (and only) website. We're an up and coming band that, like most bands, dream of making a living from one of our talents and loves in life, music. Artistic freedom and financial success along with recognition for being good at what we do is what most young musicians dream of. We've been continually expanding our interests, as well as solidifying what we already have in hopes that someday we can share our work with the rest of world. Hopefully with a little hard work and a little luck, that can come true.....

Ash City began slowly being pieced together around March Break of '99. That is when guitarist Rob McDonald and drummer Dale Peltier, who had performed together on several occasions, approached guitarist John Gosnell about putting an act together to perform in a local Arts Festival. As luck would have it, a schoolmate had recently put a bass up for sale, so it was quickly purchased and one week later the three met in Dale's basement with John on bass. Appropriately the band's first breath came in the form of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll,' a classic which quite often works its way into the sessions. That first afternoon went exceptionally well, and a natural chemistry was apparent. Three weeks later a demo tape was recorded, which featured 'Rock and Roll', Eric Clapton's 'Cocaine' and Jimi Hendrix's 'The Wind Cries Mary' followed by a jam track in which that chemistry can be felt lurking beneath the surface.

As the band progressed, we continued to expand our repertoire as well as started writing our own songs. We had a few performances of note -- two Artsfests, a Christmas concert and a 'hot, hot, hot' party in the summer of '99. But one thing was clear -- a singer was needed. With a number of original tunes now being played, the lack of a singer meant that the lyrics weren't being heard. We tried a few different people out, but none seemed to be that missing piece of the puzzle. In late July of 2000, the piece was found. With cautious optimism, we listened as Grayson Lenover took the microphone and belted through a song he had written (Rob had put music to it) for a school assignment. The variability of his voice and great sense of timing allowed him to blend right in, and the addition of another song writer only fueled the fire.

More to come....