When country singer-songwriter Ashley Wineland steps onto the stage, she brings a performance style forged directly in the rugged terrain of her home state.
Born and raised in Glendale, Wineland attributes the edge in her music to the agricultural and ranching lifestyle of the West Valley, an identity she said she carries with her on the road.
"Many people don’t realize how western Arizona is," Wineland said. "Cowboy culture is so strong here, and being surrounded by ranchers and farmers has brought about many events and stories that influence my music. It is country music, but it's country music with some extra grit to it."
That grit translates into an athletic, high-velocity stage presence. An avid rider of horses and dirt bikes, Wineland treats her live sets as a demanding, physical experience rather than a passive routine.
"For me, music is just more than a listening activity. It's a whole body experience," Wineland said. "When I'm up on stage, I know that I am experiencing music entirely in movement and how I'm talking to people and engaging with the crowd. My job is to really be more so a facilitator of fun, to take everybody away from the craziness of life for a couple hours and just be in the present moment."
Wineland will bring that sound back to the valley on Saturday, July 4, headlining the City of Goodyear’s Star Spangled 4th celebration at Goodyear Ballpark, located at 1933 S. Ballpark Way.
Gates open at 6:00 p.m., with Wineland scheduled to perform a mix of original material and crowd-pleasing covers. Following her performance, the sky will light up at 8:45 p.m. with a massive patriotic drone show commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Admission, parking, and family activities are completely free, with a complimentary trolley service running from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. from local high schools and recreation facilities.
For Wineland, who has deep personal ties to the military, headlining a patriotic celebration near Luke Air Force Base brings her mission full circle. The independent artist routinely raises funds for veterans' charities, drawing from an early standout career milestone where she opened a special Veterans Day event for Aaron Lewis and Eddie Montgomery at the Ak-Chin Pavilion.
"On a personal level, I know I have many loved ones, friends and family that are in the Armed Forces," Wineland said. "There's already a level of respect and honor that kind of comes with that of knowing the weight of what service means, not just for those individuals, but also for their families as well. It’s a patriotic event, I’ll be thinking of them in Goodyear too.”
"I hope it is a night we all just get to sit together and go, 'You know, life can be crazy sometimes, but it's still really good,', it's (community events) that remind us how good life can really be."
The July 4 show serves as a brief homecoming stop on Wineland's massive "Love + Heartbreak" national tour, which spans over 60 cities across the country.
The tour has kept Wineland and her live band on the road for nearly two months, primarily playing venues and festivals across the Midwest before they pivot toward the East Coast for the remainder of the summer. After enduring a grueling summer stretch through 90-degree temperatures and 90% humidity in Kansas, returning to the valley offers a welcome change of pace.
"I will take my dry heat any day," Wineland said. "But even regardless of weather, just being home has such a different energy to it. Arizona is the foundation of my community, not just as a person, but also the foundation of where I had my start in music and performing here on a holiday, especially, is even more fun."
For Wineland, getting on stage every night is the ultimate reward after months of preparation.
"Touring is when I get to shout to the world about all the cool things my team and I have been developing," Wineland said. "I love that people are so eager to see the show, to engage in the music and the experience that we bring. It's just been fun."
The national tour is a milestone for Wineland, who has operated as a fully independent artist for over a decade.
The tour supports her self-titled album, “Wineland,” which was released in February 2026. The project was recorded at Sienna Studios in Nashville. Without major label backing, the album required a grueling three-year grind to self-fund and produce between tour schedules.
The creative breakthrough came with the lead track, "Crank It Up," which Wineland said injected a new sonic energy into the rest of the record.
For Wineland, the ability to fund her own art and employ her road crew remains the true definition of making it in the music industry.
"The moments where I sit and go, 'Wow, I'm doing it,' is when I sit on my tour bus and I pay for it, and I'm sitting with my team who I employ and we're just, like, having the amazing synergy of building shows, of making music, and like, having that sense of fulfillment," Wineland said. "My fulfillment doesn't come from a sense of fame or extreme notoriety. It really does come from being able to go into communities and touch people with music.
"I can feed myself, I'm not living in a cardboard box on the street, you know? This to me feels like I've made it. And then obviously there's so much more I know I'm capable of accomplishing and achieving, but it's to me, that face level of satisfaction and like, 'Yeah, I'm doing the thing.' It comes from those moments."
Once the "Love + Heartbreak" tour concludes, Wineland plans to head straight back into the studio to begin tracking her next album.
For more information on tour dates and releases, visit ashleywineland.com.
James Goldmeer Reporter | Goodyear & Litchfield Park
Meet James James Goldmeer joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2024, starting their career as a reporter in Goodyear and Litchfield Park.
Community: James grew up in the West Valley, calling Avondale home and going to school in Glendale and Peoria. Returning to the community after university, James plans to get involved in everything arts and culture, and civil rights.
Education: Northern Arizona University a bachelor's degree in Journalism, a certificate in Professional Communications, with a minor in English.
Random Fact: James spent half a year as an intern for the Arizona House of Representatives communication team, working with legislators to inform the public through press releases and social media.
Hobbies: James collects postcards and old books, reads memoirs and attends local jazz shows.
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