Q and A with David Ashley Q: When did you first decide to pursue music as a career? A: I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on my way to class as a junior at the University of Tennessee , Knoxville . I was thinking to myself, I have been in college now for three years and I still haven't found anything that I'm truly passionate about. That was my, Ah-ha! moment. Q: Do you consider yourself a Christian artist? A: Absolutely. There is definitely a need to reach a lost and dying world through mainstream music, and I truly admire bands like Switchfoot and Reliant K. However, there are many, many believers within the Christian church who have lost their initial inspiration and fire, and they need to be encouraged as well. It is within the church that I truly feel called to lift up my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Q: What was the very first concert you attended? A: In 1994, my father took me to see Steven Curtis Chapman and the Newsboys, during SCC's, Heaven in the Real World Tour. I was 12 years old, and I still remember falling in love with Shine, by the Newsboys after hearing it live for the first time. Both SCC and the Newsboys have been a huge influence on me ever since. Q: What was the first song you learned on guitar? A: Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins. I started playing guitar around the same time that the grunge era began, so many of the songs that I first learned to play came from bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Weezer. Q: If you had one wish, what would you wish for? A: A never ending supply of Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks ...to be continued