Ashley Virginia Makes Community Feel Immediate on handbasket (live in Kingston)

A four-song live EP that turns her cosmic Americana into something warmer, looser, and more openly communal.

With guests from The Tender Hearted Ramblers, Liana Gabel, and Moon Lady in the mix, Ashley Virginia treats the stage like a living room and the songs like shared testimony. Ashley Virginia’s handbasket (live in Kingston) arrived on May 22, 2026 as a four-song live EP, and it fits neatly into the North Carolina singer-songwriter’s larger world of cosmic Americana, classic country, and ’60s rock ’n’ roll. She emphasizes introspective songwriting, harmonic structure, and a collaborative, community-centered approach, and that spirit feels central here.

What I find compelling is how the live setting sharpens her writing. “handbasket” and “change is my god” suggest a writer who can carry difficult ideas without making them feel heavy-handed, while “clothes piled on the floor” and “getting over being under” point toward the kind of emotional clarity that thrives when a song is allowed to breathe in real time. With The Tender Hearted Ramblers, Liana Gabel, and Moon Lady in the credits, the EP feels less like a conversation, and that ensemble energy gives the material real lift. For me, the best thing about handbasket (live in Kingston) is its sense of motion. The songs feel lived-in, and it sounds like Ashley Virginia is still widening the frame.

Interview with Ashley Virginia

What made Kingston the right setting for this live EP?

This release is a part of a larger collection of live recordings I am in the process of releasing. I captured these in March of 2026 while on a tour by train from NC to NY and back. Over the course of 2 weeks, I played a recorded a series of live shows using a single diaphragm condenser microphone (Ear Trumpet Labs, Myrtle). The show we played at Kingston was at a venue and lesbian bar called Unicorn Bar. Liana is from the Huston Valley, so it was sort of a hometown show for her. It was a great room with a really attentive audience, which makes for a great recording.

Why did these four songs feel like the right group to release together?

I’ve generally been grouping my releases by the live show that the recordings were captured at. The energy in the room was really special, the audience was really receptive and attentive, and I think the energy of the performances really reflect that.

How did the presence of The Tender Hearted Ramblers, Liana Gabel, and Moon Lady shape the performances?

I love to collaborate with folks! The Tender Hearted Ramblers started as a duo project between myself and fellow rambling folk singer, Liana Gabel. The project has since expanded to include James “Earthworm” Bristol. Moon Lady also (Julia Peach) joined us for a few dates on my tour. I love to jam, and am always inviting folks to jump in when we cross paths on the road. Truth be told, it was pretty sporadic. We only got about 30 minutes of rehearsal in, enough time to run through everything once. Music is a language, it can be conversational, and it’s PLAY. If you can trust your instincts and listen just as much as you play, that’s how magic gets made.

Did the live arrangements change the emotional meaning of “handbasket” for you?

As I mentioned, the live arrangement was what we created on the spot. I want the arrangements to be fluid, and every collaborator breathes new life into the songs. I love the blend of voices on the song “handbasket”. It gives me goosebumps to hear the audience start sing along on the last chorus. Most of the folks in that room had never heard that song before, but by the final chorus the whole room was singing. We are more powerful when we raise our voices together, and this recording really emphasizes that.

“change is my god” carries a strong title and a lot of thematic weight. How do you approach writing a song that balances critique and vulnerability?

I try and take a lyrical approach that balances poetic description with critique. If a song does nothing but paint a flowery picture, the underlying message may become obscured. If the song is nothing but critique, vulnerability, and confession then it becomes a bit too heavy handed. A few years back I took a songwriting masterclass with Adrianne Lenker of the band Big Thief, and she really stressed the importance of striking this balance.

What does “clothes piled on the floor” reveal in a live setting that the studio version does not?

I think the live recording lets the lyrics really shine. Dare I say, I think the live version is a little more powerful than the studio version. The song is about queer love and vulnerability, and so it feels fitting to have a version out in the world that really leans into that rawness.

“getting over being under” feels especially suited to a communal performance. Was that song always meant to be shared this way?

To be honest, I don’t even remember writing it. I know the general time period of my life when it came to me, but I don’t have a memory of writing it. Some songs just feel like they’ve always existed, like a download from the ether. It was written sometime in the months after I left a relationship dynamic that was really unhealthy and re-learning to step into my own power and take care of my self. Moon Lady’s vocal harmony on this recording really add so much to the tune. There’s a powerful energy we create when people raise their voices together, so I try to write in a hook that folks can sing along to.

How much of the EP was planned, and how much came from the energy of the room?

Mostly energy from the room! I’ve played music before with Liana, James, and Julia, but that was the first time we played those songs all together.

Your catalog has moved between self-produced studio work and live documentation. What does the live format let you express more directly?

I’ve intentionally been leaning into the magic and rawness of live music in this next era of releasing for me. In the age of AI, it’s gotten easier than ever to create “music” that is technically perfect. I’m not interested in that. I want my music to sound as human as possible. All of these recordings were recorded using a single diaphragm condenser microphone (Ear Trumpet Labs, Myrtle), and it made for some really lovely and warm recordings.

Did recording this EP change the way you think about your own songs?

I am constantly engaging in the songwriting process, faster than I can afford to create studio recordings. Recording live one mic recordings has made me less precious about my songs. I’ll inevitably return to studio recording at some point, and there are bound to be alternate recordings of these tunes eventually. For now I just want them to be documented, and I want them to be heard by people.

Where do you hear the biggest artistic growth across handbasket (live in Kingston)?

I think the growth is in accepting and embracing the imperfection. I think you can literally hear someone cough in the background at one point. I decided to just release and let these songs go as a picture of that moment in time. I want the world to have these songs, and so I stopped being precious about it. I’ll surely record different versions of some of them in the future, but I write so often that I just want to give them to the world before they feel like old news to me.

Does this EP point toward a larger live project or a different direction for the next release?

I am going to be releasing an entire album of songs that were live recorded during my train tour. I’m calling the album, “off the rails” and it’ll come out in the next couple of months. The exact dates are still to be determined. I’m mixing and mastering the project myself, and so I work on it as I have time. I am currently sitting in the Detroit airport and working on mixing the next grouping of songs.

I’m general, I’ve been putting less effort into my marketing and release strategy. I don’t want to spend all my time begging people to presave on Spotify. I’d rather focus on playing the music and living my life. I have a Patreon account where folks can gain access to all my mixes as I continue to work on them, and the full collection of songs will be out this year! Otherwise, just stay tuned and know there’s more to come soon.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Ashley Virginia on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist