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.