Album Notes

"...contains fourteen original compositions from vocalist/guitarist Marc Rines and vocalist Karen Stanley which in execution rely upon melody and harmony, with memorable results....They have a considerable sense of dynamics and an astute instrumentation talent which on ONE LONG CHASE holds them in good stead. A side project? Hardly. Ashbrook Haynes has a sound and identity all its own."
- Joe Hartlaub, Music-reviewer.com

"...effortlessly meld folk, country, pop and rock for an enjoyable listening experience...Good stuff."
- Douglas Sloan, Metronome Magazine

Ashbrook Haynes started out as a side project for each of its band members. Marc had worked with Bob for a number of years in Badger, writing 80's/90's rock tunes and playing the originals scene in Boston. Bob later took his drumming to studio projects, and Marc played bass in The Installers, a blues/rock outfit. The Installers released two CDs, Makin’ it Fit, and Nail It (which was produced by and played on by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee Jay Geils). After seven years with The Installers Marc decided to focus his efforts back on playing guitar and songwriting.

Karen started out playing with Dan in the The Luckless Pedestrians and then moved on to the classic rock outfit The Next Five before also turning her energy to songwriting. Paul, an accomplished bass player, was working with Cornerstone, a 60’s focused rock ensemble.

In Ashbrook Haynes Karen and Marc put some of their recently penned songs together resulting in a new and more focused direction for the band, built on vocal harmony and verse. Dan, playing electric guitar, proved to be the perfect foil with his delivery of hooks placed just right. Paul added his melodic bass lines and vocal harmonies that, along with Bob's dynamic drumming, glued it all together. Shawn, an experienced music director and also a member of The Installers, brought the group to another level with his strong keyboard skills.

In 2006 Ashbrook Haynes decided to put some tunes to disc. The CD, The Pen That Stole the Ink…, offers memorable, well executed material that was well-received in print and at the gigs the group was doing, opening for Bellevue Cadillac, Chris Hillman (The Byrds) & Herb Pedersen, Mountain (Leslie West), Devon Allman’s Honeytribe and Jay Geils and the Kings of Strings. The band has become a regular feature at Groton Fest and has gained new fans playing festivals, concerts and private parties.

The summer of 2007 saw the songwriting team of Rines/Stanley go into overdrive with a flood of catchy new songs, and back to the studio they went. Their new CD, One Long Chase, is a great collection of fourteen original songs from introspective to just plain fun. Vocal harmonies at the front, guitar hooks right behind, pulsing bass and drums, and keyboard flourishes meld together to create the sound of Ashbrook Haynes.