Event Type 2: Appalachian Music

“Gathering in the Gap” Music Festival Announces Star-Studded Main Stage Lineup
Rhonda Vincent, Dave Eggar and Stillhouse Junkies

Big Stone Gap, VA. The “Gathering in the Gap” Music Festival at the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park offers a one-of-a-kind evening of performances by Grammy award winning artist Rhonda Vincent, who was crowned the New Queen of Bluegrass by the Wallstreet Journal and who recently won IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year. Also featured on the main stage, well known cellist, pianist and composer Dave Eggar as well as IBMA Momentum Band of the Year — the Stillhouse Junkies! This year’s festival, which coincides with the park’s 75^th anniversary, will be held on Saturday, May 27 on the park’s grounds. “Gathering in the Gap” is a celebration of the rich tradition of old-time, Americana and bluegrass music found in Southwest Virginia. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gatheringinthegap.org, by calling the park at 276-523-1322 or be stopping by the park during regular operating hours.

Rhonda Vincent

Rhonda Vincent is a firecracker of talent that powers one of the hottest bands in any genre of music today. From humble beginnings in the tiny town of Greentop, Missouri, Rhonda’s musical heritage traces back 5 generations of the Vincent family. Her dad would pick her up from school each day, and they would sing and play till dinner. After dinner, friends came over, and they would sing and play till bedtime. Rhonda’s life of music evolved into a successful career in bluegrass music; after being discovered by Grand Ole Opry Star “Jim Ed Brown,” and later spending what she calls her musical college years recording for Giant Records; and learning about the music business from Nashville’s best like James Stroud, Jack McFadden, and Stan Barnett. It was her pivotal bluegrass album “Back Home Again” that transformed Rhonda Vincent into the All American Bluegrass Girl, and crowned the New Queen of Bluegrass by “The Wall Street Journal” in 2000. A multi-award winner, with a 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, an Entertainer of the Year 2001, Song of the Year 2004, and unprecedented 7 consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association 2000 – 2006 and an 8th win of IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 2015. Her lifelong dream came true when she was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 28, 2020. Rhonda waited an unprecedented 345 days and was officially inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 6, 2021.

Dave Eggar

Grammy nominee Dave Eggar is regarded as one of the finest cellists in the world. That cello you hear in the intro to Coldplay’s first #1 single “Viva La Vida” is performed by Dave. On the Billboard Top 200 # 1 album, the debut solo artist by Zayn Malik, Mind of Mine, Dave played and arranged the music. A musical prodigy as a child, Dave began playing the cello and piano at age three, performed on Broadway and with the Metropolitan Opera at age seven, and debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 15. Dave Eggar has performed worldwide as a solo cellist and pianist. A virtuoso of many styles, Dave has performed and recorded with various artists including Coldplay, Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Evanescence, The Who, Pearl Jam, Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, Fall Out Boy, Kathleen Battle, Ray Lamontagne, Frank Ocean, Corinne Bailey Rae and many more. His list of awards and accomplishments includes accolades from Time Magazine, ASCAP, The National Endowment for the Arts, Sony Records Elevated Standards Award in classical music, the Geraldine Dodge & Leonard Bernstein Foundations, and at 15, he was the youngest winner in the history of the Artists International Competition.

Stillhouse Junkies

Stillhouse Junkies is a one-of-a-kind creative project born out of the collective passions of three individuals with very different musical backgrounds. With chops and stylistic leanings ranging from classical to West African, blues, bluegrass, and swing, Fred Kosak, Alissa Wolf, and Cody Tinnin came together around a shared goal of bringing sounds and grooves to their fans that fall outside of easy genre distinctions. With all three band members trading lead vocal, songwriting, and arranging duties, Stillhouse Junkies paint with a rich tonal palette that pays homage to their musical heroes while forging a unique artistic path. Through their strong writing and creative, intricate arranging, the Junkies have built up an eclectic multi-set catalogue of original music that reflects their diverse interests and creative inclinations. Their songs run the gamut of human emotion and experience: disenchantment with the pace of modern living, confronting adversity in its many forms, mortality and aging, and story songs that imagine reality from the perspective of a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition; a small-town bartender; a lonely miner; an imperiled cattle driver. They pay tribute to the remarkable diversity of both the Four Corners area of the Southwestern US and the country as a whole, probing below the surface of everyday life to find the themes that unite us all as Americans and citizens of the world.

In addition to the featured Main Stage performances, “Gathering in the Gap” will include a dedication ceremony for the Southwest Virginia Walk of Fame, a songwriting competition, musical competitions, music jams, a children’s area, the “Gathering Place” Beer and Wine Garden, the “Stitch in Time” Quilt Show and a special 75^th anniversary exhibit. Antique, food and craft vendors will also be on site. For additional information and a full schedule of events, please visit the festival website at www.gatheringinthegap.org, “like” the festival page on Facebook, or call the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park at 276-523-1322.

The award-winning Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

For more information about Virginia State Parks’ activities and amenities or to make reservations in one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.