On a beautiful Thursday morning in January 2002 in Burbank, Calif., Rey Angel Martinez walked through the front door of the Hilton Hotel to the outside world. Instead of taking in the weather, he started running.
PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH Amanda Ashley records Afternoon Cocktail from her home studio in Webster. Before the pandemic, Rochester singer-songwriter Amanda Ashley was a ubiquitous live performer with a sultry pop-rock voice, performing at bars and restaurants all around town. Now she’s more likely to be found behind a talk show microphone than a piano or guitar. Since the pandemic first squashed live music back in the spring, Ashley has reinvented herself, moving into the digital media field and starting the podcast “Afternoon Cocktail.” Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1 p.m., Ashley streams live from her Webster home, where she speaks to listeners and guests in a calming, conversational tone.