It’s a scene Lauren Ashley has watched play out countless times the first time she plays a venue. The women tend to congregate at the front of the stage while the men saddle up to the bar…until the Trainwreckers hit that first chord.
“I think everyone has an expectation when they see a woman take the stage,” says Ashley. “My girls are usually with me from the get-go, while the guys are kind of known to hang back. But I would notice by the second or third song, the ladies are usually making room for them. I got more surprised comments from guys after shows telling me, 'Your music rocks. Y'all are awesome!’
Yes, Lauren Ashley, 26 from Griffin, GA, has a way of bringing two genders together. But its her ability to find the perfect common ground between two genres - the energy and vitality of rock ‘n’ roll with the honest, storytelling of country music – that can make her music’s next breakout star.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]