Yes, he has a story to tell.
Yes, he wants to do it with his music.
And he wants to sing his story to as many people as possible.
That just may be what Ashley Best is looking forward to most when it comes to his upcoming gig at the Ranch Night BBQ & Concert on June 7th. Best is one of three local opening acts – Gage Joseph and Carl Besece are the other two – who are scheduled to perform at Dutton Cattle in Flushing, Ohio before country stars Bryan Martin and Sammy Kershaw.
“I’ve been traveling all over, and I’ve played a lot of different venues. Bars, restaurants, American Legion halls, and places like that. Some places have a stage, and some of the others just ask you to play flat on the floor,” Best explained. “There have been times when the crowd gets involved with the show. I’ve had people dancing, and when I play cover songs, I’ve had a lot of people sing along and that’s a lot of fun.
“But I’ve never played in front of one of those big crowds. Ya know, real big, so that’s another reason why I’m looking forward to Ranch Night,” he said. “And what’s I can tell, this is going to be a great night with a nice crowd, and that’s going to be really cool. Ranch Night is going to be terrific with a lot of folks who are there for the show. It’s going to be great.”
Best was raised in Little York, Ohio, a tiny town about seven miles away from his family farm near Cadiz. He’s 47 and he’s been singing for more than a decade, but Best has been humming country since he was a kid.
“Country music has been my thing for a real long time, but I’ve listened to everything and I like a lot of other kinds of music. I just know what I love most,” he said. “There’s been so many country songs in my lifetime that I’ve been able to identify with, and I believe that’s why it’s best for me to sing country. Country songs tell stories.
“I don’t even think it was a choice I made. When I started writing my own songs, they were country songs,” Best insisted. “I’ve lived in the country my whole life, so it just makes sense to me.”
The Booking
The setting for Ranch Night BBQ & Concert is on the same farm where the Dutton Cattle Company base its Wagyu beef operation. The concert stage will be positioned in front of the farm’s lake, and – yes – there is the food factor to consider.
The fare will, of course, be BBQ, and the beverage menu will be vast and considerable, and Best will perform a 30-minute, solo show
“Since I’ll have a half-hour, I’ll likely do 90 percent originals, but a cover song or two to get everyone’s attention,” Best figured. “I know I’ll talk very little because I just want to play my songs for everyone to hear. It’s a smaller set to play, too, so it’ll be easy for me to pick out my best songs to perform.
“And it’s going to be just me out there on the stage, too,” he said. “Well, me and my guitar. I love playing with my band because those guys are great, but with Kershaw and Brian Martin playing, there’s not going to be a lot of room left on that stage. So, yeah, just me and my guitar.”
This weekend, Best will play acoustic gigs at Billy’s Brickyard in Triadelphia on Friday evening and at Hightower Brewing in Rayland Saturday night. Next weekend, he and his bride/road manager Tennille will be off to Pittsburgh to open for country performer Mitch Rossell at the Crafthouse Stage & Grill.
So, Ranch Night will be another stop along the Ashley Best Summer Tour.
“When I was contacted about doing the show, I thought it was really cool because it’s going to be a great show with Sammy Kershaw being there. I’m really looking forward to it, that’s for sure,” Best said. “This show is going to be on the actual ranch, and I think that’s really cool. You only see these things in the movies.
“And listen, Kershaw has been a star of country music for a long time, and he puts on a really good show,” he said. “I don’t know Brian Martin as well, but I’ve heard his music and he’s a talented fellow, that for sure. Hell, I’m just happy to be one of the opening acts for an event like this because I want to sing my songs for a many people as possible.”
