South Australian Music Hall of Fame inductee Gwyn Ashton is back from yet another European tour for an Australian summer of solo gigs plugging his 2022 album Mojosoul, as well as previewing new music. The Mojosoul album offers red hot contemporary swamp blues, rock, and folk, celebrating Gwyn’s 50th anniversary of playing guitar. Ashton has previously recorded with members of Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Robert Plant’s and Rory Gallagher’s bands and many more.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips caught up with Gwyn Ashton over a zoom call to chat about the current Australian tour, his gear, the making of the Mojosoul album, new music coming with his Grease Bucket album, a new collaboration with Czech violinist Jitka Vejsadová and much more.
A total gear nerd, for the Mojosoul album he has traded in his well-worn 1963 Fender Stratocaster to play bottleneck slide on a vintage 1930 National Triolian, open-tuned Gretsch Rancher 12-string, a D28 Martin and a 1962 Harmony H-75.
Locked down in Adelaide, South Australia during the pandemic, Gwyn Ashton put the time to good use recording a massive 110 brand new songs and Mojosoul came out of these sessions. Inspired by the likes of Hendrix and David Lindley, his “guit-arsenal” includes a rack full of electric and acoustic instruments including lap slide, resonator, 12-string and old pawn shop guitars.
Formerly with Virgin Records, France, Gwyn Ashton was lead guitarist in Europe with Band of Friends (Rory Gallagher’s band) and in Australia with Stevie Wright (Easybeats) and Jim Keays (Master’s Apprentices). He has shared stages with BB King, Buddy Guy, Ray Charles, Peter Green, Van Morrison, Hubert Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf), Mick Taylor, Status Quo, The Yardbirds, Slade, Robin Trower, Steve Hackett, Wishbone Ash, The Troggs and more. He has been invited onstage to jam with Mick Fleetwood, Canned Heat, Walter Trout, Elliot Randall (Steely Dan) and many others.
Mojosoul is available from Gwyn Ashton’s band camp page https://gwynashton.bandcamp.com/album/mojosoul
2025 Australian tour dates:
