ASHLAND, Va. — A Randolph-Macon College senior has a new milestone to add to their cap before they graduate.
Aidan Hamilton’s “Ashes and Dirt” is one of 14 songs featured on the 2024 Ashland Song Competition Album titled, “Songs from the Center of the Universe.”
The 21-year-old music major and singer-songwriter said he wrote the lyrics over the course of several weeks.
“I thought about Ashland as the ‘Center of the Universe.’ I thought about the term, like universe as a whole — how did the universe start. I kind of thought about the Big Bang. It started with a fire,” Hamilton explained.
Hamilton didn’t realize the “fire” aspect of his song also resonated when he mentions the Henry Clay Inn on North Railroad Avenue.
The entire historic structure burned to the ground on February 27, 1946, according to the inn’s website.
Streams of the songs will benefit the Downtown Ashland Association, which invited musicians of all backgrounds to compose original songs inspired by Ashland’s history and culture.
“[Hamilton’s] lyricism is absolute poetry. He was bringing in the history of Ashland, as well as the dreams of Ashland into his story telling,” said Louise Keeton, Downtown Ashland Association director of operations.
Watch Aidan Hamilton perform “Ashes and Dirt”
You can find these songs on Apple Music, Spotify, and iTunes. Other musicians featured on the album include Ginny Ray, Gray Gurkin, Johnny Rock, and Sarah Forti.
Album release party is set for Friday, January 24 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Center of the Universe Brewing Company.
Submissions are open now for the 2025 Ashland Song Competition.
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