Ash Ravens Hits the Gas on a Raw, Riff-Fueled Album, Joyride Blues
Ash Ravens doesn’t just play the blues—he lives them, bends them, and invites you to go along for the ride. With the release of his latest album, Joyride Blues, the two-time Capital Music Award nominee proves that sometimes you have to lose the map to find the groove. Drawing from life in Bangladesh, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and now Ottawa, Ash weaves global threads into a record that’s as gritty as it is heartfelt, as classic as it is brand new.
Born in Bangladesh and raised on the sounds of bluesmen and jazz legends, Ash Ravens took the long road to Canada—through music cities like Melbourne and L.A.—and brought every influence with him.
His sound fuses the soul of blues with rock swagger, country honesty, and jazz complexity. He’s as likely to tear through a Joe Bonamassa-style riff as he is to whisper a nylon-string lament under the stars.
“I’ve always believed the blues could hold everything I’ve seen,” Ash says. “And on this album, I gave it all.”
A two-time City of Ottawa arts grant recipient and a regular on the Canadian scene, Ash is known for his heartfelt lyrics, technical precision, and fearless blending of genre. “Blues is the root, but everything else is the fruit,” he smiles, name-checking heroes like Robben Ford, Matt Schofield, and John Scofield. “They taught me you don’t have to pick one path. You can carve your own.”
Joyride Blues shows off just how many paths he’s carved. There’s the full-throttle joy of the title track, where he sings, “I don’t care baby / I’m only here for the joyride,” over a groove you can feel in your bones.
There’s the traditional shuffle-blues of “My Ship Has Sailed,” with Ash confessing, “This old ship was my last chance of salvation / now devils got my name and he’ll lead me to temptation.”
And then there’s “Love Fades Away,” a midnight ballad that cuts deep: “Once burned so bright, now it’s just grown old… Through our tears we realise, love fades away.”
“Joyride Blues is about chasing something,” Ash shares. “Sometimes it’s love, sometimes it’s meaning, sometimes it’s just a feeling. But even when things fall apart, you can still sing your way through.” Nowhere is that clearer than in “This Soul Ain’t for Sale,” where Ravens growls, “There ain’t no devil who can hold me, no chains ‘round my feet / This soul ain’t for sale, I will always be free.”
Recorded across several cities but always anchored in the blues, the album’s final track, “Somewhere South,” has its own story. Ash explains:
“I was stuck. I grabbed a nylon-string guitar, went outside on this quiet southern porch, hit record, and played into the warm night. What you hear is the first take—cicadas and all.”
It’s a soft landing for a high-octane record, like the last cigarette after a long road trip.
And not all inspiration came from the South. One instrumental, “Skating on the Rideau,” was sparked by a literal glide down Ottawa’s frozen canal.
“It was one of those nights where everything feels alive and dangerous,” Ash laughs. “When I got home, the riff just poured out. It’s blues, but it’s got that winter magic baked in.”
Ash is currently booking shows for fall and winter 2025 and plans to bring the album across Canada and beyond.
“These songs were meant to be played loud, with real people in the room,” he says. “Joyride Blues is the kind of album that finds you wherever you are—and then takes you somewhere else.”
Blending back porch warmth, downtown grit, and a global spirit, Ash Ravens has made an album that’s both a personal journey and a universal groove. So, grab your boots, your headphones, or your skates—and buckle up for the ride.
Hi, Ash! Good to see you again! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Hey there, glad to be back at Canadian Beats! For the new readers, Hello! I’m Ash Ravens. I play guitar, write and sing songs that live somewhere between pop-rock, country, blues and instrumental fusion, with a lot of emotion, energy and blending all my love for the various genres I am influenced by. I grew up in Bangladesh and now call Ottawa home, but music has taken me around the world. For me, it’s all about connecting through melodies—whether it’s a heartfelt ballad or something more groovy and upbeat. If my music makes you feel something or takes you on a little journey, then I’ve done my job.
You’ve lived in Bangladesh, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and now Ottawa—how do those places weave into the sound and storytelling of Joyride Blues?
That journey across cities has shaped Joyride Blues in a big way. Growing up in Bangladesh, music was always about heart and raw emotion, and that taught me to play from a very honest place, while keeping melody at heart of whatever I play. In Los Angeles, I was surrounded by this larger-than-life rock energy, which pushed me to think bigger in terms of sound and production. Melbourne gave me a taste of the laid-back, soulful side of music, where groove and vibe mattered as much as the notes. And now in Ottawa, I’ve found space to reflect and channel all those influences into something more personal – even our beloved Rideau canal was the basis for one of these tracks! Joyride Blues is really a mix of all that—a six-track snapshot of my travels, experiences, and the different musical voices I’ve picked up along the way.
The album feels both gritty and intimate. How do you decide when a song should roar with electric energy versus whisper on a nylon-string guitar?
For me, it always comes down to the story the song is trying to tell. Sometimes the emotions demand that gritty, electric roar—when there’s tension, fire, or a need to break free, the electric guitar becomes the perfect voice. For example – on the track ‘This Soul Ain’t For Sale’ – I needed to find the sound that rebelled against selling yourself short for the sake of fame or money, and that’s why the song is more of a scream. Other times, the feeling is more vulnerable, almost like a private conversation, and that’s when I reach for the nylon-string, like on ‘Somewhere South’ – it was the perfect vehicle to capture a swampy night with the cicadas chirping away in the background. It has this warmth and honesty that can make a song feel like it’s being whispered right in your ear. I don’t really force it—it’s more about listening to what the song itself wants to be, and letting the guitar serve that emotion. If I am quiet enough, the song tells me what it needs.
How do your heroes—Robben Ford, Matt Schofield, John Scofield—influence your blend of blues, rock, jazz, and country on this record?
Those three have been huge for me, not just as guitar players but as storytellers. Robben Ford showed me how the blues can stretch into jazz and country without losing its soul. Matt Schofield really brought home the idea of sophistication in harmony, tone and touch—that you can say as much with one note as with a hundred, and the underlying chords of a blues song can be much more than the standard fare. And John Scofield is my biggest influence – the maestro is just fearless; he blends genres in a way that feels effortless and keeps you on your toes, all the while keeping a deep rhythmic pocket and such a groovy feel. On Joyride Blues, I think their influence comes through in how I’m not afraid to cross those borders—one song might lean rockier, another might drift into a jazzier space—but it all circles back to the blues as the heart of it.
You’ve described Joyride Blues as an album about “chasing something.” After finishing it, what do you feel you’re still chasing in your music and life?
I think I’m still chasing honesty—both in music and in life. With Joyride Blues, I tried to capture that restless feeling of searching, and even after finishing it, that search doesn’t really stop. Musically, I’m chasing songs that cut deeper, that connect with people on a personal level. Personally, I’m chasing balance—between the dreamer in me who wants to pour everything into music and the human side of me that’s looking for peace, love, and meaning. The chase isn’t about arriving somewhere final—it’s about staying open to what’s next. Joyride Blues was one chapter, but I’m hungry for the next—playing more shows, reaching new audiences, stepping onto festival stages where the songs can really breathe. The chase isn’t about catching something once and for all—it’s about keeping that fire alive and seeing where it leads. I am very restless in a way – I have 2 more albums coming out this year, a pop-rock one and the other an instrumental one. So for me the chase actually never ends! But if I had to boil it down – I’m chasing honesty, energy, and connection—one song, one show, one festival at a time.