Bluegrass-inspired Americana group Big Virginia Sky was founded in late 2012 and features original music with cameos from

Sierra Hull Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, ''Secrets'', in 2008 at the age of 16. ...

, violinist Tim Crouch, and vocalist/producer

Randy Kohrs Randy Kohrs is an American multi-instrumentalist best known for his resonator guitar prowess, but he plays 13 instruments. He is also a Grammy-winning producer and recording engineer. Biography Early years Kohrs was raised on a farm near the rur ...

, Big Virginia Sky independently released their first self-titled album in late September, 2015. The group is described as playing a mix of

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

and

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

instrumental tunes. When playing Bluegrass music, the group uses a full drum-kit and other world percussion, which is often frowned upon by enthusiasts as it is a non-traditional method. The group’s debut album was released in Fall, 2015 after a successful

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

campaign. The album features original songs written by the band as well as those co-written with singer-songwriters such as Tanya Gallagher (Love Song) and Logan Vath (Whiskey and Long Talks). The album release concert tour was sponsored by The Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, FL and listed on

Bluegrass Unlimited ''Bluegrass Unlimited'' is a monthly music magazine "dedicated to the furtherance of bluegrass and old-time musicians, devotees and associates."

. Big Virginia Sky features singer-songwriter and lead vocalist,

Cole Clark Cole Clark is an Australian manufacturer of guitars and other fretted instruments. The company is based in Bayswater, Melbourne and was founded in 2001. Cole Clark uses unique designs, live pickup technology and have a focus on sustainably sourc ...

-sponsored guitar player, James Adkins, with an addition from award-winning vocalist and mandolin player, Scott Slay. Co-founding member,

Sammy Shelor Sammy Shelor is an American banjoist in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known as leader of the Lonesome River Band and for his solo recordings, music instruction, and session work. Biography Early years The Shelor Family has a long banjo ...

, is a 5-time IBMA

Banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

Player of the Year, Steve Martin Award recipient, Virginia Music Hall of Fame recipient and frontman of

Lonesome River Band The Lonesome River Band is an American contemporary bluegrass band. The band has released 15 recording projects since its formation in 1982. Lonesome River Band is led by Sammy Shelor who is a member of the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame ...

Current members

* James Adkins (vocals, guitar, songwriter) * Scott Slay (vocals, mandolin, songwriter) * Sammy Shelor (banjo, telecaster, vocals) * Brandon Bostic (telecaster, dobro, slide guitar, vocals) (added in 2016) * Steve Lazar (bass, vocals) * Dale Lazar (drums, percussion)

Endorsements

Frontman James Adkins is currently sponsored by Australian guitar company

, and the group is endorsed by D'Addario.

Album tracks

Big Virginia Sky (2015)

*Big Virginia Sky * Sky Is Falling * Southbound * Sammy's Breakdown * Pour One For Me * Ole Tennessee * Whiskey and Long Talks * Bullfrog * Love Song (ft.

) * Lay Me Down * Rye Whiskey

Album response

Brett Stewart, a music blogger, recently remarked, “The album is absolutely terrific – well performed, well written, and always fun. It’s an experience you need to immerse yourself in if you have any appreciation for country, bluegrass, blues, or Americana in general.” In an AltDaily.com review, music columnist remarked, "Guest appearances aside, Shelor and Slay are truly the stars on the record, trading brilliant solos on almost every song, including two excellent instrumentals. Shelor’s banjo work on “Bullfrog” in particular is reminiscent of old-school

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

IBMA

Big Virginia Sky was selected as one of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)'s featured showcase artists in 2015 to play during the conference in addition to their performance during a Virginia Tourism event with

The Church Sisters ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and

. The group was featured in the

Raleigh News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county sea ...

for their performance.

References

{{Authority control American alternative country groups American folk musical groups