Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small

We are able to perform a variety of songs and instrumentals for hours without repeating any material. From up-tempo fiddle and banjo music to vocal duets of love and heartbreak, we offer a varied set list that will provide hours of entertainment. We're just as comfortable being the main attraction of the event as we are providing atmospheric background music. We LOVE to get people dancing; we often provide music for square dances and we have plenty of waltzes and two-steps for slow dancing too.

Depending on the event needs and budget, we can also arrange for additional musicians to join us. We can put together a trio or bring our full 5-piece band, The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee.

Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small have established themselves as preeminent performers and songwriters whose music has been featured on radio, recordings, podcasts, film, and television. Hosts of the monthly Floyd Radio Show at the historic Floyd Country Store, the duo have performed for two governors of the State of Virginia and they have captivated audiences around the globe with their stirring harmonies and hard-hitting old-time sound. Ashlee and Andrew won first prize in the 29th Annual MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and their string band The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee took home First Place Old Time Band at the 85th Annual Galax Old Fiddlers' Convention. In 2025, Andrew was awarded the prestigious first prize in the old time fiddle contest at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV, and Ashlee and Andrew's string band The New Floyd County Ramblers also won first place in the traditional band category the same year.

A partial list of venues where the duo has performed includes The Blue Ridge Music Center, The Virginia Executive Mansion, The Barns At Wolf Trap, The Carter Family Fold, The Floyd Country Store, MerleFest, The Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, The Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival (Ireland), The Woodford Folk Festival (Australia), The National Folk Festival (Australia), and The Auckland Folk Festival.

The duo are proud to work closely with heritage organizations like Southwest Virginia’s Crooked Road.

When amplified, we perform and sing into a single condenser mic. We typically use our Ear Trumpet Labs "Delphina" microphone for live performance. We also have a Yamaha StagePas 600BT PA system that we can bring for live sound upon request. All we require is access to a power outlet!