Location is the Premier Venue for Industry Showcases
Buck Johnson Kicks Off Ashley Barron’s Showcase with an Acoustic Set, Joined by Rock Legend Damon Johnson
“Ashley Barron is a sparkling force of nature. Her album ‘Checkmate’ captures both her confidence and vulnerability when it comes to falling in and out of love. Her stage presence lights up a room and she has an energy that will get any crown up on their feet.” — Music Marble
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Eighth Room, a venue renowned for hosting intimate industry showcases, welcomed Ashley Barron for an emotionally powerful performance, continuing its legacy of presenting Nashville’s rising stars. The venue, previously known as Douglas Corner Café, has witnessed unforgettable performances by music icons such as Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Jon Bon Jovi, Cheap Trick, Queen, Blake Shelton, and many others. Featured in The Tennessean, Nashville Lifestyles, Nashville Scene, and WKRN News 2, Barron’s showcase attracted attention from both fans and media.
From the moment you walk through the heavy, elusive doors, the GUCCI wallpaper serves as the perfect backdrop for the large, heavy gold chains that welcome you into the Nashville Rock realm—a flawless clash of delicate intricate and bold, hard textures. It’s as if it were built for Ashley Barron. With her timeless resemblance to Lisa Marie Presley, Ashley sends chills down your spine. Dressed in her signature checkered glitzy one-piece, she rocked the house from the start, then quickly turned it around with her smooth and softer side, much like her signature cocktails of the night.
To kick off Barron’s showcase, special guest Buck Johnson took the stage with an acoustic set, accompanied by the legendary Damon Johnson on electric guitar. Buck, renowned for his collaborations with rock icons such as Aerosmith, The Hollywood Vampires (featuring Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry), Ringo Starr, and The Joe Perry Project, delivered a captivating performance. Damon, a guitarist celebrated for his work with Lynyrd Skynyrd and as a founding member of Brother Cane, bringing their combined rock pedigree to the stage and setting an electrifying tone for the evening.
Barron’s performance captivated the audience, with songs from her album Checkmate starting with her powerful song “Ashes” and followed by a soulful cover of Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I Be Loved.” The crowd was drawn into her heartfelt rendition of “Satisfied” and the deeply personal acoustic performance of “Call Her Mama,” which she wrote in memory of her mother, who passed away in 2020 from scleroderma. As a Celebrity Ambassador for the National Scleroderma Foundation, Barron uses her platform to raise awareness for the rare disease, which she was diagnosed with at the age of five. She closed the night with her crowd-energizing tracks “Destroy Me” and “Kiss A Brunette,” leaving the audience inspired by her raw talent and powerful storytelling.
Ashley shares, “Thank you to everyone who came out to our show! Your support means the world to me. Thank you especially to Buck for not only warming up the stage but bringing your brilliant songwriting and voice to the show. Thank you to the Eighth Room for their hospitality and their exquisite venue. Lastly to my band and my team, I couldn’t do it without you!”
The Eighth Room, led by Jason Hollis, has quickly become one of Nashville’s premiere venues for exclusive industry events. Known for its intimate setting, it draws attention from across the music world, offering a space where both emerging talent and established stars can shine. Hollis, a creative force in the music industry, transformed the venue into a thriving hub for Nashville’s creative community.
Barron’s showcase, packed with industry leaders, marks another milestone in her rapidly rising career. With her music gaining significant traction in both the country and rock scenes, fans and media are eager to see what’s next for the artist.
About Ashley Barron
Emerging on the country music scene, Ashley Barron showcases her uniquely powerful and gritty vocals during every performance. Inspired by strong women in country music like Miranda Lambert and Loretta Lynn, Barron incorporates her life experience into her songwriting to create passionate and relatable music that embodies loss, heartbreak, betrayal, and the occasional crazy night out with the girls.
She’s come a long way from singing in her bedroom and participating in high school choir and music lessons in her hometown of Sacramento, California. After declining acceptance into the University of Arizona, she chose to pursue her dream—a career in country music—and vigorously began recording and performing. When it comes to her fans, Barron is an open book. In her music and as a writer, she is committed to being vulnerable and sharing her story, regardless of how painful. “I was taught to never give up, and if I can help someone push through a rough time, then I’m sharing my story.”
Ashley’s first single, “It Might Get Loud”, came out in 2017 when she was 23 years old. In 2019, she released “Wrote a Song About It.” The following year, her single “Beer in a Bar” received critical acclaim and topped the Billboard chart at #37. Her next single, “The Wind”, a hope-filled anthem that embodies the spirit of a strong woman who preserves regardless of the circumstances, debuted on the Billboard chart at #59 and was the second song added on country radio, eventually making its way to #37. Her single, “Let Me Go”, was most added to the Top 30 on the Music Row singles chart.
Barron worked with the executive producer of Rascel 3 Creative, Jimmy Lynch, on her music video for “Let Me Go,” which played nationwide on TCN, Music Choice, and GAC. Released in September 2021, Barron’s self-titled album reached over a million streams in the first month. In December 2022, Barron released an original Christmas song, “Walmart Cart Christmas”, which had more than 300 spins and was played on 40+ radio stations. During the summer of 2021, Barron had the opportunity to tour with and open for the legendary T. Graham Brown. She has also opened for other artists, including Dylan Scott, Maddie & Tae, Tyler Farr, and Craig Campbell.
In 2021, the National Scleroderma Foundation named recording artist Ashley Barron as their official celebrity ambassador. Barron was diagnosed with scleroderma at age five. At that time, her family had never heard of the disease, a common experience with scleroderma, a rare disease that only affects 300,000 Americans. Tragically, Barron lost her mother, Carol Barron, to scleroderma in October 2020. Her mother was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis only four months before her death.
Now, as Celebrity Ambassador, Barron is working to represent the organization and increase awareness of scleroderma in her performances as she travels throughout the country. In 2022, Barron had the privilege of speaking at their leadership conference and sharing her story with major donors and medical professionals. She is honored to have the opportunity to work alongside the National Scleroderma Foundation and bring awareness to a disease that doesn’t have a cure yet!
In the summer of 2023 Ashley hit the road with Chad Brock. Barron recently released her 7th single to country radio, “Blaze A Trail”, which landed on Music Row’s Country Breakout Radio Chart and is a song about being unstoppable and going after your dreams.
In October 2024, Ashley Barron released her highly anticipated album, Checkmate. This album marks a significant milestone in her career, showcasing her evolution as an artist and her ability to blend raw emotion with powerful storytelling. With its dynamic mix of country and rock influences, Checkmate offers listeners a heartfelt exploration of love, resilience, and personal growth. Each track reflects Barron’s authentic voice and knack for connecting deeply with her audience, solidifying her place as one of the most compelling rising stars in country music today.
About Dead Horse Branding
Dead Horse Branding is an award-winning public relations, management and branding agency with headquarters in both Nashville, TN, and Sydney, Australia. Dead Horse Branding creates, designs, and refines each component of a brand, ensuring that the brand will always hit the right chord on every level. Dead Horse Branding’s business model is a cutting-edge management and branding service all-in-house that spans multiple industries, including music, fashion, design, business, culinary, entertainment, fitness, and more. There are 7 primary formulas to branding and Dead Horse does them all under one roof, making them a very competitive branding agency.
Branding is an identity developed through our DH7 branding formula, which includes: strategic planning, logo and image design, photography and visual assets, website design, marketing and social media, publicity, licensing, and distribution. Dead Horse Branding’s brand-building technique has been implemented into the education system in the USA and Australia. Rick Caballo and Melissa Core-Caballo were instrumental in helping to lead Kennesaw State University’s Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business program (MEBUS) as one of top curriculums ranked by Billboard Magazine 2022.
Baha Men, LOVING MARY (Steven Tyler’s solo band), Cyndi Lauper, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster, Bo Diddley Estate, HENDRIX Music Academy, Grammy Winning Mark O’Connor Band, Universal Music Group, MTSU, Sony Music, ACPI Group, Interior Designer Kathy Anderson, Gigi Butler of Gigi Cupcakes, TEDx, NAMM, Songwriting University, Marc Jordan, Music Producer Tony Brown, Jayne Denham, Average Joes Entertainment, Music Expo, Joel A. Katz MEBUS Program, The Today Show, Lionsgate, and Hallmark are some of the brands we have had the pleasure of working within the USA and internationally.
