The Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee

Listening to the hyper-retro sound of The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee is like a journey back in time. They are torchbearers of a style that hearkens back to the earliest days of bluegrass, referring to their style as “old time country music,” much like The Stanley Brothers described their sound.

Notes Bluegrass Unlimited: “Their music is deeply rooted in the historical sweet spot of the 1940s and early 1950s, before bluegrass, old-time, and mountain music were arbitrarily separated into distinct styles with semi-rigid borders.”

Hailing from southwest Virginia and featuring the classic quintet of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass, the band is immersed in the dance music traditions of the Blue Ridge region and has developed a deeply-rooted sound blending old-time and bluegrass.

The band’s tasteful original songs and instrumentals blend seamlessly alongside the classics. Their engaging performances and powerful harmony singing have captivated audiences around the globe. The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee cut no corners when it comes to real, hard-hitting, old-time country music.

The band is led by Andrew Small (mandolin, fiddle) and Ashlee Watkins (guitar), former winners of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest. They are joined by Jeremy Stephens (banjo), AJ Srubas (fiddle), and Rina Rossi (bass). The band has won numerous awards at prominent festivals throughout the Appalachian region including:

• 1st Place Old Time Band, 85th Annual Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Galax, VA
• 1st Place Bluegrass Band,  51st Annual Mount Airy Bluegrass & Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention in Mount Airy, NC
• 1st Place Bluegrass Song, 29th Annual MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Competition in Wilkesboro, NC
• 1st Place Old Time Fiddle, 32nd & 34th Annual Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV
• 1st Place Bluegrass Banjo, 84th Annual Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Galax, VA

Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee website

Bandcamp