By: Dr. Jonny Verbeten
The Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation (LCAF) is marking its five-year anniversary with a “Hi 5 Celebration” on September 6th at the Hollingsworth Cultural Center, located at 42nd and Boston. Running from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., this free event will feature art booths, musical performances, food trucks, games, theater and dance showcases, and local film screenings. Among the musical highlights is the “Getting the Gig Alumni Stage,” which honors the musicians who have performed at the annual event over the years. Getting the Gig has become a cornerstone of LCAF programming, connecting local artists and venues through workshops, networking opportunities, and a showcase performance. Each year, the event is hosted in a venue with deep roots in Lubbock’s live music history.
At 12:00 p.m., our alumni stage will be graced by Ashleigh Stone, who performed as a Getting the Gig showcase artist at the iconic Blue Light Live in 2022. A pianist, composer, and songwriter with more than twenty years in the music industry, Stone has released several albums, built a following of more than 10,000 fans worldwide, performed on a Billboard-charting song, toured across the United States and abroad, and even sung the National Anthem before a crowd of 80,000 at a San Diego Padres game.
I had the chance to speak with Stone about her music career and her experiences with LCAF. When she performed at our 2022 event, what drew her most was her deep connection to the local scene and especially her history with the Blue Light. “I’ve always loved the hometown feel of the Blue Light,” she recalled. “I’ve enjoyed playing that stage for their Monday Night Songwriter Night a handful of times before the GTG event. Overall, it felt right at home.” Even the sound engineer that evening was someone she had worked with before, making the performance feel less like a debut and more like a reunion.
With a master’s degree in composition, Stone has long been presenting her original works, including an international performance in London, and has also accompanied world-renowned opera singers. Yet despite her many accomplishments, Stone approaches her career with humility. “I never believe in an ‘all the way’ professionally,” she explained. “But I would say I’m very content with how far I’ve been able to stretch out in the music industry.”
Her journey has been filled with both spectacular highlights and uniquely Lubbock stories. One of her favorite memories comes from recording an album under Justin Furstenfeld’s Blue October record label. Returning to Lubbock, she chose to track her piano parts at First Christian Church, where her grandparents had helped fund the grand piano years earlier. “Justin told me that the first step was for me to ‘find the piano,’” she remembered. “Growing up in Lubbock I was a member of First Christian, so I knew the Mason & Hamlin that sits in that beautiful sanctuary was the piano.” She spent two days recording there, though not without challenges. “There was a Tech game that weekend, and because of the remote broadcasts from local radio stations, my mic cables were getting interference. If you turn my album up really loud on the quietest spots, you can definitely hear the Tech fight song at one point. Kind of a cool little Lubbock anecdote.”
Looking back on Getting the Gig, Stone sees the event as a valuable steppingstone for musicians at every stage of their journey. “I believe as artists we are all always developing,” she said. Her advice for emerging performers is both practical and encouraging: “Go to the venue. Find the management or booker at a good time, introduce yourself, and ask for a chance to show them what you’ve got. Worst-case scenario, they say no. Don’t get bummed if it doesn’t work to put a square peg in a round hole. The venues around here have a hard enough time, and they need you to keep their customers happy. Understand this arrangement, and don’t let it occupy too much of your mental bandwidth.”
Reflecting on the LCAF’s impact over the past five years, Stone said, “It has been an excellent funnel and centralized entity to unite the different arts in the Lubbock community and expose the greater public to the rich talent that is and has always been in Lubbock. It serves as an incubator to grow wonderful things here, and I am very grateful to be a part of the Hi 5 Celebration as well as the amazing group of fellow musicians and artists here in the Hub City.”
We are so excited to welcome Ashleigh Stone to our incredible lineup of musicians for our Saturday September 6 event at Hollingsworth Hall and Cultural Center. Ashleigh’s website may be found HERE. And…the 5th Annual Getting the Gig is just around the corner. It will be held at Jake’s Sports Cafe on October 8. If you are a Lubbock musician, don’t miss your chance to perform by applying through the link that follows: LubbockCulturalArts.org.