WELCOME 

Thanks for visiting the Peter Aston website and welcome to the September 2010 update - the beginning of the harvest festivals season.  My new album "We can all be free ..." is currently being played on Christian and secular radio stations in many countries.  The CD was launched in May at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park, Surrey where I appeared on the New Christian Music (NCM) stage.  It's available now in-store at Keith Jones Christian Bookshop in Bournemouth click here , at Livingstone God's Shop in Boscombe click here and at Square Records in Wimborne click here and will shortly be downloadable fom the usual sources.  You can also buy it direct from me - just send me an e-mail.  The CD is also available from CD Baby in America click here where I invite you to write a short review if you wish.  Apart from helping to inform browsers it will also help to, literally, spread the Word.  Something new - the CD can now also be bought securely from this website via Paypal.  Just follow the link on the left.  The photo to the right was taken at Knowlton Church in Dorset - a Norman church (now in ruins) which was built in the centre of Neolithic rings of about the same age as Stonehenge. 

If you're visiting this site for the first time, a quick introduction - I'm Peter Aston, a Christian singer/songwriter based at Holtwood Methodist Church which is a welcoming, evangelical church in an idyllic location near Wimborne, close to the south coast of England. My music ministry falls into three main areas - as a singer & guitarist (solo, duo with Becky Shears playing flute or with a full band), as guitarist with the worship group at Holtwood and as guitarist with the Holtwood Mission Band in the wider area.

By way of a contrast I also write secular songs which, hopefully, also have a bit of a message and I'm the singer/guitarist/caller with traditional ceilidh band Cottage Industry, a solo singer/guitarist and a wandering minstrel/court chamberlain for medieval banquets.  When time permits, I also play guitar for Dotty Crotchets, a Dorset volunteer ceilidh band providing entertainment for a variety of charitable events.  The band's own charity is Wells for India.  For completeness the Dotty Crotchets bookings have been added to the Cottage Industry page - just click on the banner at the top of this page.  So, all in all, a fairly eclectric musical life!

The photo below was taken at God's Blessing Green in Dorset where, during the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have asked for God's blessing on his Parliamentary troops as they advanced towards the Royalist Corfe Castle. 

The title track from my new album did really well on NCM#64 which was a compilation CD of new music distributed worldwide in June 2009 by New Christian Music & UK Christian Music Alliance.  Over the summer this song was played on radio stations from Australia to Shetland and from the Netherlands to America.  A second track "Because of You" was included on NCM#70 in February 2010 and again was played by radio stations worldwide, particularly in Australia and New Zealand.  In April 2010 a third song "Life by Your side" was promoted on NCM#72 and, yet again, received airtime on 100's of radio stations.  NCM really have a blessed ministry to promote new Christian music to a global audience - many of whom wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to hear it.

Another project with which I'm involved is Wimborne Community Theatre (WCT).  On 29th August WCT presented "Source - Tales from the Pump House" at Wimborne Pumphouse in Dorset as part of the Sting in the Tale Festival.  Click here for more information.  The production will be repeated at 8.00 on 11th September during Architectural Heritage Week.  Click here for more information.  Because both performances were sold out, there will be another performance on 11th September at 9.30.

Many new doors have opened for me in recent years and continue to open - and many new friends have been made.  If you're one of those who helped to open these doors, then thank you!    

Click on the navigation bar at the top of this page to explore the website.  A good place to start is the "Peter Aston" page which contains all the latest news of what I've been up to, plus links to the other updated pages and to associated websites.

My 2003 CD "Name in the Sand" contains 12 of my contemporary Christian songs and you can hear snatches of some of these songs on this website as well as buying the CD.  Individual tracks may also be downloaded from iTunes - just enter my name into the search engine.  "Name in the Sand" is also available internationally to purchase from http://cdbaby.com/cd/peteraston  

Please get in touch here if I can help with worship or a concert at your church or in your community - or if you're looking for a fun ceilidh band for a social or family occasion.  Thanks again for visiting my website - and have fun browsing!

Peter