Just a guy and his guitar

When local musician Jeremy Ashida goes off to tour the Midwest this summer, he won’t have a tour bus — he won’t even book any hotel rooms.

To find a place to rest his head each night, the 23-year-old plans to rely on the kindness of fans and new friends. If he gets stuck without a bed, he’s also bringing a tent.

Making new friends comes easily to Ashida; thanks to his social networking efforts, his music page has had millions of hits on MySpace — primarily from teens, tweens and young adults — and he’s sold tens of thousands of songs on iTunes.

Before he leaves for his tour, Ashida will perform July 3 at the opening of a new rock star tribute series at the Star Performing Arts Center in Fountain Valley.

The urge to wander is nothing new to Ashida, who moved to Huntington Beach about a year ago from a small town in Colorado.

He first came to Surf City to perform at a teenage girl’s birthday bonfire last year — one of many such performances around the country. He was instantly hooked on the city’s laid-back vibe, and when he found himself back home in Texas, where he was living at the time, he jumped on Craigslist and found an apartment here.

Two weeks later, he drove back to his new home.

Ashida didn’t have much interest in music growing up; he got his start playing his brother’s guitar about five years ago. After being one of 26 students to graduate in his class from a tiny county high school, Ashida attended college in northern Colorado for a year on a football scholarship, before breaking his neck in a snowboarding accident.

While recuperating, he picked up the guitar as an activity he could still do.

“It kind of just happened,” he said of his first moments as a musician. “I immediately thought, ‘This is what I should do.’ It just felt right; it was the thing I was supposed to do. I haven’t stopped since.”

After an unsuccessful experience playing with a band, including touring for about two weeks, Ashida said he signed up for a MySpace account and took a couple pictures of himself. He put up some of the songs he recorded and began befriending fans of bands who played similar music to his.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Ashida said. “I’ve only had MySpace for about a year and eight months, and I already have like 2.5 million plays.”

It’s hard for Ashida to describe his music; partially because he hasn’t listened to much of it in his life. He listed his genre on Facebook as “awesome.” Others have described Ashida’s songs as “mystic,” minimal or indie. He says his favorite musician is Benny Kweller, a similar singer-songwriter whose rise to fame also has been strictly word-of-mouth.

“I try to write honest things that people can relate to,” Ashida said of his songs. “I like to show that everything’s not bad and that there’s some hope, in my shows. I try to give people a little time to not worry about things.”

The optimism extends to his personal life as well; although he’s “pretty broke” right now, he’s confident about the future.

“Once I write a good song, it’ll be all right,” he said.

Ashida has a CD rerelease due out later this year; he also has an album available on iTunes.

For more information, visit myspace.com/jeremyashida.

If You Go:

WHO: Jeremy Ashida, opening for Hotel California

WHEN: 8 p.m. July 3

WHERE: 16149 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley

COST: $25 to $35

INFORMATION AND TICKETS: (714) 531-8500