GETTING TO KNOW IAN ASH & THE DREAM
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

I feel like the music business is…
a lot of work- but I’m getting used to it! You have to have the passion to face it every day. The pros are that people are usually willing to help you simply because they love what you do- the cons are it is especially littered with too many con artists trying to take your money and give you nothing in return! You overcome pitfalls with persistence, commitment and the positive attitude that something better is in store for you.

Social Media…
I like that you can reach people instantly with social media- I like that you can stay fresher in a fan’s mind. The challenges to overcome are staying up to date on how every network is constantly changing- and having to adapt your content to fit the needs of that particular network.

I prefer to release full albums…
for the sake of getting better press. But I like to mix up the philosophy by posting individual tracks from the album over time on Soundcloud, Youtube, etc- to stay fresh in listener’s minds.

I would love to spend 5 minutes with…
Paul McCartney, definitely! He inspired me to learn all the rock instruments and he’s such a positive guy. And he actually enjoys attention from his fans, unlike many celebrities.

Being trendy…
has always been important in this business, that’s nothing new. You have to pay attention to trends. I do feel like there’s too much of an emphasis on looking obnoxious- I mean image is important, yes. But does everyone need some crazy prop attached to them in order to get their music noticed? I’d rather someone fall in love with an artist for how they sound first and how they look second.

I’m most afraid of…
being misunderstood! Some people think that because we take our careers so seriously, that we are concerned with being big stars or being somehow different or having a holier than thou attitude. But that’s just not the case- when you’re this consumed with passion for music, of course you have to push it as far as it will go. But we do that for love of the music and because we want everyone else to feel the joy of the music!

Success to me is…
being true to who you are and feeling comfortable with yourself while doing it. I felt a great feeling of success when I won a top singer contest and got to open for the Beach Boys. I achieved it by believing in myself and keeping my eyes open for opportunities.

I want Ian & The Dream to be successful on the largest level possible…
I want to tour the world, record records and inspire people to live better lives and be truer to themselves through my music.

I challenge myself…
physically…
Must go to the gym and stay strong!
Must do vocal exercises and stay strong.
Must keep up my guitar chops!
Stay physical.

I challenge myself mentally…
I meditate, I read, I try to learn new things whenever possible.

I challenge myself socially…
I make myself reach out to new people, go to new places and network in different ways.

Inspiration…
Coming home from school and seeing my parents watch the Beatles Anthology on TV. I had to learn to play guitar right away!

Radio Blastin’…
It’s about being out in your car, whether that be just driving around or on tour, and having fun. Your windows are down, your radio is blastin! It was written one summer when the hook just popped in my head and I was thinking of driving around. The recording session involved getting my sister and a lot of her friends to contribute gang vocals and other noises.

The sad thing was our old manager was being a jerk and tried to bar us from getting the masters of that work we did in a Madison studio, so we had to show up in person with the Grammy award winning Stephen Short to convince him to give us the masters so we could transfer them on to the studio work we were doing in Texas.

The funny thing was when we wanted to get a real laugh on the track, I had Chivo tickle my sister to get her to giggle, that’s the laugh you hear on the track!

The Music…
You can expect to feel positive and uplifted. We wish to accomplish a lot with the album- tour behind it, get lots of press, and ultimately shop the songs beyond that to the powers that be!

Milwaukee, Wisconsin…
The music scene is vibrant! We have the worlds largest music festival, Summerfest, that we play every year. Something fun to do in Milwaukee is visit all the ethnic festivals throughout the year: Germanfest, Polish Fest, Irish Fest, they’re all right here on the Summefest grounds!~

Music Video for “Steppin on My Shoes” –