Built for the Road: Dive Bars, Touring & Blue-Collar Country | Ashland Craft
Ashland Craft joined Heart of the Gulch host Tony Mendoza during CMA Fest 2026 for a conversation about Dive Bar Beauty Queen, growing up playing small-town bars, life on the road, and why the blue-collar people who supported her early career remain at the heart of her music.
With powerhouse vocals and a sound that lives somewhere between country and Southern rock, Ashland has built a career that feels right at home in a packed honky-tonk.
Long before the bigger stages and major tours, however, there were dive bars.
Ashland Craft opens up about Dive Bar Beauty Queen, her blue-collar roots, and growing up playing small-town bars before building her country music career.
From Dive Bars to Dive Bar Beauty Queen
For Ashland, Dive Bar Beauty Queen isn't simply an album title. It connects directly to where she came from.
She reflects on growing up playing small-town bars before making her way to Nashville and how those early rooms helped shape both her music and the performer she would eventually become.
Those experiences also created a connection to the hardworking, blue-collar people she continues writing songs for today.
And despite spending years on the road, Ashland still has plenty of love for a good dive bar—including a few Nashville favorites.
Built for the Road
If there's one place Ashland Craft feels at home, it's onstage.
Live shows remain one of her favorite parts of being an artist, and that connection with fans continues to influence the way she approaches her career.
Over the years, she's shared the road with some massive names in country music, including Morgan Wallen, Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan and Cody Johnson.
But moving from supporting major artists to building her own headlining career brings an entirely different set of challenges.
Ashland talks candidly about growing as a headliner, marketing shows, reaching new audiences and learning the business side of getting people through the doors every night.
Heart of the Gulch host Tony Mendoza sits down with Ashland Craft during CMA Fest 2026 to talk touring, songwriting, live music and life on the road.
Country Music for the Working Class
Ashland hasn't forgotten the people she grew up around.
Her songwriting continues to draw inspiration from working-class life and the people who work long days, show up for their families and still find enough energy to grab a beer and hear some live music when the week is over.
That authenticity is an important part of Dive Bar Beauty Queen, but Ashland is already looking toward what's next.
The Next Record Gets Personal
Her upcoming music will dig even deeper.
Ashland explains that the next group of songs explores more of her family, personal experiences and the moments that made her who she is today.
She even gives Heart of the Gulch an early hint about a recurring “brown” theme surrounding the next record and what that idea represents.
The details may still be coming together, but the direction is clear: the next chapter will reveal even more of the person behind the powerhouse voice.
Ashland Craft reflects on touring with Morgan Wallen and Zac Brown Band while sharing what's ahead for her next chapter of music.
Fans Always Come First
Tours get bigger. Venues change. Careers evolve.
But Ashland's relationship with live music hasn't.
Whether she's opening for Morgan Wallen, playing alongside Zac Brown Band, building her own headlining shows or remembering the small-town bars where everything started, the people standing in front of the stage remain the reason she wants to keep doing it.
Ashland Craft was built for the road.
And judging by where her next batch of music is headed, there are still plenty of miles left to travel.
Watch Ashland Craft on Heart of the Gulch
Watch the full Ashland Craft interview from CMA Fest 2026 as she joins Tony Mendoza to discuss Dive Bar Beauty Queen, Nashville dive bars, blue-collar songwriting, touring with Morgan Wallen and Zac Brown Band, building a headlining career and the deeply personal music she's working on next.
Interview Chapters
0:00 — Ashland Craft Interview | CMA Fest 2026
0:41 — The Story Behind Dive Bar Beauty Queen
1:28 — Growing Up Playing Dive Bars Before Nashville
2:28 — Ashland Craft's Favorite Dive Bars in Nashville
3:24 — Writing Songs for the Blue-Collar Working Class
4:34 — Why Live Shows Mean Everything to Ashland Craft
5:20 — Life on the Road & Connecting with Country Music Fans
6:07 — Headlining Tours, Marketing & Growing as an Artist
7:22 — Touring with Morgan Wallen & Zac Brown Band
8:47 — New Music, Songwriting & Her Next Album
9:41 — The Meaning Behind the Next Record's “Brown” Theme
10:22 — Family, Faith & What's Next for Ashland Craft
Tony Mendoza and Ashland Craft together following her Heart of the Gulch interview at CMA Fest 2026 in Nashville.
Tony Mendoza is the Nashville-based host and creator of Heart of the Gulch, featuring conversations with country artists, songwriters and personalities from Nashville and beyond.
