Artist: Ashley Sofia
Hometown: Ticonderoga, New York
Song: “Adirondack Dreams”
Album: Shades of Blue
Release Date: September 6, 2019
In Their Words: “I grew up a quarter mile down the road from my grandparentsā apple orchard in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. I was built by that landscape — raised running wild — and like an old pastoral poem, I felt I needed to honor my home. My dad is a big conservationist and he taught me how to play guitar on our back porch. During those sessions, John Denver was a staple, especially his wilderness songs.
“Then when I came to Nashville, I got incredibly homesick. I was completely unprepared for the oppressive summer heat, I didnāt know a single fishing hole, and I certainly didnāt know what kind of snakes I needed to be worrying about. And most of all, I missed my family. Iād close my eyes all the time and daydream about those mountains.
“One night I was alone in my apartment, desperately missing home, and I was flooded with the imagery and feelings of what it would be like to get back there. I recorded everything I felt, and I knew by the end of it I was tipping my cap to John Denver, my dad, and the mountains that raised me. Playing it felt like going home.” — Ashley Sofia
Photo credit: Josh Doke
