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“I had NO idea what you were capable of!” Have you ever underestimated someone? Have you ever underestimated yourself? The quote above came from a gentleman who talks to me each time I play at my local farmer’s market. He always compliments my music and chats for a bit as I sit in a folding chair on the sidewalk, trying out new songs on my ukulele, saying hi to friends, taking requests, and getting kids to smile or wiggle as they pass by. For me, the market is fun community time and a chance to experiment. It’s small portion of my schedule. But from this gentleman’s perspective, it’s all he has seen me do. So apparently he thought it was ALL I could do. Until last month. “My whole family went to the big band Christmas show you just did,” he said excitedly when he saw me this month at the market. “I had NO IDEA what you were capable of. You looked so comfortable up there on stage. I’ve always enjoyed your voice, but you’re an entertainer, too! We were blown away.” “Thank you!” I said, smiling, and letting my favorite part of his compliment sink in: “You looked so comfortable up there.” (I’ve worked my whole life to access that comfort.) This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last time that someone has underestimated me. And I still battle my own “Selfus Doubtus” on a regular basis! But it’s always a thrill to see the delight in someone’s face or voice when they realize that you are capable of so much more than they originally imagined. So dream big, my friends! May we all keep outgrowing the boxes people unknowingly place us in. And the ones we place on ourselves. 
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The Holiday Spirit12/4/2025 I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! Ours was low-key, tasty, and the just right amount of family time + fun (ex. Imagine a 16-month-old walking around the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in an adorable red baby dragon costume--wiggling yellow tail and all--picking up pine needles and sticks to his heart's content ;)) If you don't have plans yet for this weekend and would like some help getting in the holiday spirit, come swingin’ into the Christmas season with me Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7pm at the LSU Union Theater for Ned Fasullo & His Fabulous Big Band Orchestra’s “Holiday Sinatra,” a beloved big band concert featuring your favorite songs from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and more. Get tickets here. I can't wait to see you again soon! (More details below) With gratitude, Ashley  Making Dreams Come True11/24/2025 "PASSPORT TO PARADISE" WAS A HIT! I'm so grateful for all of you who came out Thursday night to support me and enjoy a true labor of love--my latest show, "Passport to Paradise"--at the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio. It was a magical evening (truly a "stars aligning" moment if you knew all the puzzle pieces that had to fit in place during the planning stages to bring it to life the way I envisioned--which, amazingly, is what came to be). And the incredible feedback we have received all weekend is blowing me away:
Thank you so much for coming along on this wild ride. Your encouragement and support means the world to me! Click on the photo below to watch a behind-the-scenes video from the night. Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving, Ashley  It's Showtime!11/17/2025 I can't believe "Passport to Paradise" is THIS WEEK. We're in full-on show-prep mode now, so tying up loose ends and getting wardrobe ready. Here's a sneak peak of my beautiful (new-to-me) vintage cape that is sure to make a brief appearance Thursday night even if the weather is unusually warm for "fall" in Louisiana. The jitters of excitement are flowing--this is my first full show since maternity leave--and I am so looking forward to seeing your smiling faces there, enjoying the music and cheering us on! And I can't wait for you to hear this incredible band... :D With gratitude, Ashley Still need to buy tickets to "Passport to Paradise"? Click here!  It's Not Always Easy11/12/2025  The outward impression of being a musician, performer, public persona is usually one of energy, excitement, and fun.
And making music is certainly ALL THOSE THINGS! But it also takes a lot of commitment and preparation behind-the-scenes to make those special, public moments shine. You work a lot of evenings and weekends when friends and family are off and want to have fun. Many times you play for people who are having fun right in front if you. Needless to say, you’ve gotta think MAKING MUSIC is fun, too! And, like an athlete, you’ve gotta always be honing your CRAFT, conditioning your INSTRUMENT, which—for me—happens to be the most personal of all: my voice. So waking up to incredible feedback like the text (above) from a bride this week means a lot to me. During this month of November, I hope that you are able to share a little appreciation of your own with any musicians you come across who are making beautiful LIVE music that you enjoy. Whether it's background music at a restaurant or on a big concert stage, let them know you appreciate them with your applause, your cheers, your kind words after the show. It could be just the morale boost they need to get through a rough patch. With gratitude, Ashley P.S. We're just a week away from my very special FULL BAND SHOW on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio! Click here for more info and how to purchase tickets. Kids at Heart10/27/2025 When playing solo background music gigs, it's fun to go through a variety of mental games to expand your musical knowledge under pressure and test your people-reading skills:
But my favorite farmer’s market game is always: ”How long can I hold this baby’s attention?” (It’s so cute to see them crane their tiny neck around the side of the stroller to stay focused on the music as long as possible while their parents try to push them on to the next vendor.) Also, my very official, real-time-audience-reaction research confirms that “Part of Your World” has no age limit :) We’re all still kids at heart! With gratitude, Ashley P.S. Unfortunately my set got rained out at BOTH the Ogden Park Prowl two weeks ago and the Yellow Leaf Art Festival yesterday, but please join me Nov. 20th for a very special FULL BAND SHOW at the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio! Click here for details and to purchase tickets today.  You Want Me to Sing WHAT???10/6/2025 That was my response when Andrew, the owner of RockClass101.com (an ukulele tutorial website that I teach for), asked if I'd ever tried singing Metallica. I thought he was joking. He was not. In spite of the name "RockClass101," most of the songs I do for the site's ukulele tutorials are jazz, folk, holiday songs, etc. Songs that are in my wheelhouse or at least NEAR it. lol I am not a rock singer. I do not aspire to be a rock singer. It takes very different vocal technique and, usually, a different voice type to do rock vocals justice. But, after Andrew sent me the song, "Nothing Else Matters"--one of Metalica's few ballads--I decided to go out on a limb. "I'll give it a try," I told him. Thankfully, my voice surprised me in new ways with this song (and I had a great female vocal cover version to work from as a model, which helped, a lot too). So if you are itching to learn how to play Metallica on the ukulele (arranged and performed by the incredibly talented Evan J De Silva), or if you're just curious to hear how it turned out with the full band, here's the video! With gratitude, Ashley The Humidity Was Fierce10/2/2025 As I looked at my reflection in my bathroom mirror, an uncommon thought came to mind: "The humidity must be really low today because my hair is actually holding a curl and doesn't look frizzy for a change!" I had made a rare effort to wear my long hair down--as a new mom, I usually pull it hastily into a claw clip and well out of 1-year-old Ethan's ever-expanding, tiny (but strong) grasp... Finally ready for my gig, I hopped in the car and, two hours later, stepped out onto the damp lawn of the adorably tiny Lacombe Library. It took me 3.56 minutes to walk from my car to the stage set up in the library's "front yard" for our Fat City Swing Band community concert. And somewhere within those 3.56 minutes, the thick Louisiana humidity descended on my loose locks like an invisible army, flattening the curls and frizzing each strand to a level of saturation only our soupy southern air can achieve. I was not at all surprised by this, but the SPEED at which Mother Nature accomplished her task was impressive. "There goes my attempt at looking presentable," I laughed to myself. "Where's a claw clip when I need one???" On the flip side, humidity is EXCELLENT for helping to keep the vocal chords hydrated, so my voice felt great (as a gigging musician who plays in lots of different settings, you quickly learn to pick your battles with Mother Nature.) Thankfully, the crowd wasn't deterred by the humidity, and bug spray kept the mosquitoes at bay once the sun set. All in all, the band sounded fantastic, and it was a fun night of Great American Songbook standards free for the public, thanks to the Friends of Slidell Library! Here's a little clip from the concert. I hope to see you at an upcoming show this fall! (Click here for the full list!) With gratitude, Ashley  Singing With the Sunrise9/24/2025  It's not often that I happily wake at 5am for a 6:45am call and 7:20am performance time.
BUT...this Sunday I couldn't pass up the chance to help Mysti Byrnes, Development Director for BREADA/Red Stick Farmer's Market, promote their annual fundraiser Farm Fête happening tomorrow night at the Main Street Market in Downtown Baton Rouge! I look forward to providing music for this special evening along with John Gray Jazz & Friends. Watch the full WAFB interview and learn more about the event here. With gratitude, Ashley Keeping Calm Under Pressure9/8/2025 Have you truly lived as a vocalist (or public speaker, or business leader) if you have never found yourself: Singing (or talking) in front of a packed audience with rows and rows of eyes staring in your direction... Yet the only ones you’re concerned about are the 8 beady orbs on the head of a spider that’s crawling up the microphone stem 4 inches away from your mouth??? All I could do the whole time was pray he didn’t jump… Thankfully, we made it through unscathed (both of us! Although Mr. Spider may not be so lucky the next time he turns up on someone's mic in that building...). Have you ever had to keep your composure under intense (unexpected) pressure like a bug, bee, or some other (minor but freaky) potential danger that suddenly draws all of your attention away from whatever very public activity you were supposed to be doing? I'd love to hear your story, too! With EXTRA GRATITUDE to have avoided swallowing a spider this weekend, Ashley  AuthorAshley Orlando is a jazz vocalist/ukulele artist and joyologist on a mission to help 1 million women find their voice through music, inspiring stories, and communication skills. Archives
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