We play new roots music—modern folk songs and instrumentals tinged with bluegrass and country. We've played in listening rooms and bars, at house concerts, weddings, and funerals, and with musicians of all stripes. We can perform instrumental music at a wedding and then play vocal numbers at the reception hour.
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Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 30 - 100 minutes
Languages: English
We play "chill" music that is pleasant in the background and soft enough for conversation, not dance music. People who appreciate good guitar playing, award-winning songwriting, and harmony vocals like listening more closely. It's a good fit for a reception, an art exhibit, a wedding, or a dinner party.
Gene and Gayla Mills play modern folk tinged with bluegrass and country, featuring Gene’s award-winning original songs. Their covers range from traditional ballads to the Beatles, Larry Sparks to Bob Dylan, Hot Rize to the Louvin Brothers and include both instrumentals and songs.
Gene is an accomplished flatpicking guitarist and lead singer and has won over twenty country, folk, and instrumental songwriting awards. Gayla’s bass playing—solid, rhythmic, and melodic—is accompanied by her tender harmonies. Her book Making Music for Life recounts their musical journey, then provides readers with hundreds of ideas to help them do more with music.
Gene and Gayla have played at the Oak Grove Music Festival, Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (official showcase), Crozet Music Festival, Richmond Irish Festival, Nashville Songwriter’s Festival, and Fredericksburg Songwriters’ Showcase. They've played in listening rooms and bars, at house concerts, weddings, and funerals, and with musicians of all stripes.
Married over 30 years, Gene and Gayla have been playing as a duo since 2004. They also play with other musicians on mandolin, banjo, and dobro.
We can provide a PA or work with one you have.
Instrumentals:
Around the Lake
Bright Blue Eyes
Can't Help Falling in Love
Cherokee Shuffle
Coleman's March
Cooley’s Reel
Cuckoo’s Nest
Dream
The Dying Fire
Here Comes the Sun
Jerusalem Ridge
Midnight on the Water
The North Wind
Over the Waterfall
Pachabel’s Canon in D
Red Haired Boy
Resin the Bow
Si Bheag Si Mhor
St Anne’s Reel
Summertime
Water is Wide
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Love Songs:
Can't Help Falling in Love
Drowning
Go My Way
I’ve Just Seen a Face (Beatles)
Kisses Sweeter than Wine
Past the Point of Rescue
We Believe in Happy Endings
Wild Horses (Rolling Stones)
Setting the Woods on Fire (Hank Williams)
Till the End World Goes Round (I’ll keep on loving you)
A Match (19th cent love poem set to Gene’s music)
Daytime Stars
Everyday Things
Milk and Honey
More of You
Additional Folk/Misc:
Across the Great divide
Aragon Mill
Blind Fiddler
City of New Orleans
Coat of Many Colors
Colleen Malone
Dream (Everly Brothers)
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Early (One Morning)
Good Imitation of the blues
Greenland
Harlan
Last Thing on my mind
Mr. Spaceman
My Baby’s Gone
One More Dollar
Pancho & Lefty
Shady Grove
Small Southern town
Summer Wages
Winter’s Night
You’re going to make me lonesome (Dylan)
Bluegrass/Country:
Blue Ridge Mtn Home
The Boys are Back
Cash on the Barrelhead
Eight More Miles to Louisville
Gold Watch and chain
High On a Mountaintop
John Deere Tractor
Last Train to Poor Valley
Moonshiner
Old Home Place (mentions Charlottesville)
Old Train
On and On
West Virginia (You are my home)
| Gene Mills | acoustic guitar, vocals |
| Gayla Mills | acoustic bass, vocals |
| Kent Ippolito | mandolin, dobro, banjo |
| Barry Lawson | mandolin |
Available on request
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