Ash Watson

Ash Watson

Ash Watson is a US guitarist, singer and songwriter from Deep Gap, North Carolina. He is associated with Appalachian folk, bluegrass, folk and traditional country, and his work appears with Doc & Merle Watson, The Doc Watson Family, The Three Pickers and The GrooveGrass Boyz.

Career

Watson is a musician and producer who starts playing and writing as a teenager and develops a style shaped by a range of musical influences. His work covers alternative and acoustic music, and he also works in a stripped-down, multi-instrumental approach. He writes, records, produces and performs his own material.

He draws on influences that include Curtis Mayfield, Prince and Ben Harper, while also citing the impact of growing up during the grunge and nu metal era. His music combines alternative elements with darker, more direct songwriting, and he emphasises emotional connection in music.

Recordings and live work

Watson publishes and performs songs such as “When The Feet Hit The Street”, “Once This is Over” and “Pirates and Sharks”. His live performances are built around his voice and guitar playing, with strong vocals and a soulful guitar style. He makes his London debut on the bill of a Finley Quaye show in 2012.

Style and influences

His music is described through comparisons with artists such as Bon Iver, Devendra Banhart and Ben Howard, while his wider output includes work in metal and dark electronic projects. He presents himself as a varied musician rather than a single-genre artist, with both studio recording and live performance central to his practice.