photo by: Contributed Photo

Ashley Davis is pictured at Lone Star Lake in July 2020.

Ashley Davis and her band spent five months this spring and summer collaborating on an album — but they all worked on it from their own homes.

“It was kind of like a conveyor belt process,” Davis said. One band member would send their part to another, and then the next member would add their part on top.

Davis’ sound studio was a closet in her Lawrence home, where the hanging clothing served to soak up the sound of her voice and prevent it from bouncing off the walls. It was an intense period for the contemporary Celtic singer-songwriter, who spoke to the Journal-World by phone on Wednesday.

photo by: Contributed Photo

Ashley Davis works on her newest album, “When the Stars Went Out” from the closet of her Lawrence home in May 2020.

“I got to really, for five months, focus on the writing and the arranging and the art of the album,” she said.

That’s why Ashley Davis’ newest album “When the Stars Went Out” is her favorite, while also being the most difficult to make.

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, The Ashley Davis Band will come together for the first time since March to perform some of the songs from “When the Stars Went Out” as part of Davis’ 10th Winter Solstice Show. But while the band will be together in person performing on the Lied Center’s stage, there won’t be an audience. Those seeking to hear Davis’ show, which will also include songs from her Christmas and winter albums, as well as some traditional Irish tunes, can purchase a ticket to view the live streamed concert from home.

photo by: Contributed Photo

The album cover for The Ashley Davis Band’s “When the Stars Went Out.”

Derek Kwan, executive director of the Lied Center, said in an email to the Journal-World that the livestream will be a multi-camera production, which will give viewers the ability to view the show from multiple angles “and most importantly in a safe and physically distant manner.”

Since the pandemic began, the Lied Center has hosted some free virtual performances, but this is the first time in the center’s history that they will host a ticketed virtual performance.

“I was extremely determined to figure out a way to continue supporting Ashley and her band during this 10th Anniversary as it would have been such a shame to break that incredible streak!” Kwan wrote. “Her holiday performances have become such an integral part of our community and when it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to host an in-person audience, we agreed to pivot to a ticketed virtual event.”

Davis said she didn’t believe her Winter Solstice Show would become an annual event when she started it 10 years ago, but that since, it’s become her favorite gig each year. She said she enjoys sharing her road family with her family and friends at home, and that her bandmates have cultivated a “really lovely” relationship with Lawrence throughout the years.

Ashley Davis will be joined on Wednesday by her bandmates Dave Curley, Colin Farrell and Will MacMorran.

photo by: Contributed Photos

At left, Will MacMorran, Colin Farrell and Ashley Davis are pictured at the Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival in July 2019. At right, Dave Curley, Ashley Davis and Colin Farrell are pictured in Milford, Connecticut in October of 2019 after a gig.

In the past, Davis has only created solo albums. “When the Stars Went Out” is her first band album, and she said every member has an original piece. Davis said the fact that it was a collaborative album kept her and her bandmates in touch throughout the pandemic, and that it brought her closer to them.

Though the band has never played the songs together in person, Davis wasn’t concerned about the performance — except for the fact that her community can’t be there to support her in person. But Davis said knowing that Lawrence will be watching is comforting, and that she’s excited people from across the nation and around the world will also get a chance to view her annual hometown show.

“This is the first time the world gets a little glimpse of Lawrence, Kansas, and the Lied Center,” she said.

The Ashley Davis Band Winter Solstice Virtual Show is Wednesday, Dec. 9, and tickets may be purchased online at lied.ku.edu. Tickets range in price from $15 to $60, depending on how many people will be watching the stream.