If you enjoy the music of Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin or Nanci Griffith, you’re sure to fall in love with singer/songwriter Ashleigh Flynn. Not only is Flynn a talented musician, with stellar vocals, she’s most notably gifted storyteller with a vibrant and upbeat stage personality. She’s been busy touring the US and Europe, playing festivals such as Bumbershoot, Bonnaroo and opening for John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, the Wood Brothers, and Todd Snider.


Flynn just released A Million Stars, her fifth album. The album is full of stories of powerful women, including those from the American Western Frontier and a cover of Ma Rainey’s gay and proud “Prove it On Me Blues.” There are other gay-positive surprises on the album, including a gay-positive rap for LGBT teens. Ashleigh took a few moments to talk with Lesbian Life about her music:

Lesbian Life: The genre of music you’re most often categorized as is Americana. A big aspect of Americana is story-telling. As a song writer, how do you decide whose stories to tell?

Ashleigh Flynn: YES! It's true. Americana is about telling stories....about America! I don’t necessarily decide...rather I am gripped by something I read or see or hear or feel. With my new record it was a watercolor of a cowgirl on a horse under a western sky that my niece had painted. That got me thinking....Brokeback Mountain style...what would my life be like if had been born in the late 1800's?

There’s a few songs on your album that will especially appeal to the LGBT community. On one of your songs, Todd Snider does a kind of “rap” where he tells people to lay off gay kids. How did that come about?

I wrote that piece in the song with Todd in mind and was glad he was interested in recording it.

In his live shows, which I love, he often will segue way a song into a story using a talking blues. He reminds me of a preacher – the type of preacher I could believe in…. And the song, "See That Light", is a simple blues number, using the metaphor of a man in love with the moon, who is realizes he can’t love the moon because it isn’t allowed; really that man is a tomboy and the moon is her teacher; and the man goes from being elated in love to destitute and depressed. Todd’s part is the moral of the story.

Ashleigh, I see you’ve been asked to perform at a show to replace Michelle Shocked. Michelle’s recent tour was cancelled after homophobic remarks by her from stage. What do you think of Michelle’s comments and the reaction from the community?

I was SHOCKED, of course! I am so bummed, as I have been a long time fan, and not sure what happened really or what compelled her...I think, personally (not professsionally, as I am wholly unqualified to render such an opinion) that she had a break down. Maybe her internal homophobia got so to her that she felt compelled to be born again...as I believe the story goes...

You recorded Ma Rainey’s famous “Prove it on Me Blues” which is a song about being a lesbian—written back in the 1920s. How do you identify with that song in 2013?

I dunno how I identify with it in 2013, except that I find it so amazing that she wrote and performed that song so long ago….what happened? We lost almost 100 years. She wasn’t ashamed or afraid to be out and sing about it. And she had a husband too…

When I first got your CD I thought the cover looked like a child’s drawing. Then I read that it is. It’s from your 9-year-old niece and it’s actually what inspired you to record this album. You set out to research and write songs about women in the old West. Was it hard to find stories?

I was searching for stories about tomboys specifically…. It was remarkably hard when you compare how many stories there are about men of that era.

One of your songs is about Cattle Annie & Little Britches, two women from the west who dressed as men and joined an outlaw gang. Where did you find out about these women and what was it about their story that you wanted to tell?

I don’t really remember how I found them…just digging and digging…knowing there had to be somebody beside Calamity Jane that I would identify with…and when I stumbled upon a photo of them I was captivated. I imagined that they met and recognized each other as kindred spirits, fell in love (probably Little Britches was hopelessly in love with Cattle Annie – who went on to marry an Indian man) and plotted to be part of the Wild West action by dressing as men because they were confident in their skills – riding, shooting, fending.

This is your fourth album and you’ve toured the world opening up for the likes of Todd Snider and Nanci Griffith. What are your current aspirations as a musician?

Well, it’d be nice to get the record into as many hands/ears/minds/hearts as might like it. And it’d be nice to stay on the road as much as possible because I love playing live and meeting new folks. So, I suppose that’s what I intend to do!

Where can we pick up a copy of your latest CD and see you live?

The record will be available on my website as of May 14th – www.ashleighflynn.com And shows will also be posted on the site as well. I have plans to be out and about all summer and into the fall 2013, as far as the record will take me really.