Tallahassee Democrat


Fun folk - Fresh from its appearance at Suwannee Springfest, singer-songwriter supergroup Valla-Turner-Williamson... ...melds some mighty impressive musical minds - guitarist Gabe Valla (a champion flat-picker), mandolin player Greg Turner, and the husband-and-wife team of singer-guitarist Lis and stand-up bassist Lon Williamson. The breadth of talent and experience allows VTW to till some very diverse musical fields, which it did to delightful effect on the group's self-titled debut CD...

Jigtime International Internet Magazine
Springfest on the Suwannee Review

Valla Turner Williamson - "A lovely set of tunes and songs from Valla Turner Williamson who's laid back band was the perfect start for me as it included all the elements of what make this festival great. Good tunes, great musicians, melodic well written songs and a warmth that was obvious through each note they played."

Dear Lis,
Thank you very much for your group's outstanding and well-received performance at our recent Suwannee Springfest. The festival's reputation for presenting top-quality American Roots music talent was fully upheld by Valla Turner Williamson, and we would gladly book your wonderful band again for any appropriate event or function we may produce.

During our last Magnoliafest, we played your recent recording over the sound system during the changeover for a setby the David Grisman Quintet. The crew responded they had more positive inquiries and comments about that CD than any other played before, and the DGQ bass player even stopped during his setup to ask the monitor mixer who and what was playing. That kind of response indicates just how strong your music is, and only serves to reinforce our long-held belief in Valla Turner Williamson's considerable abilities. We have heard, seen and presented the highest level of performers in this genre including greats like Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Bela Fleck, and feel your group could be standing among that number someday.

We would be glad to do anything we can to help you advance your music and your musical ambitions. Clearly, you represent the best of what you do, and providing opportunities for such representation is one of the festival's primary
goals. Thanks again and very best wishes to you in all your endeavors.

In Harmony,
Randy & Beth Judy
Magnolia Music & Events, Inc.
Producers, Suwannee Springfest

Bluegrass Unlimited

ON THE EDGE
VALLA-TURNER-WILLIAMSON

Valla Turner Williamson is Gabriel Valla (guitar, vocals), Greg Turner (mandolin), Lis Williamson (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Lon Williamson (bass, vocals). Helping out are Aubrey Haynie on fiddle, and Scott Vestal with banjo on two cuts. Readers of this publication should note that the music here is generally not bluegrass, in spite of the presence of Haynie and Vestal. That said, it is very well done, and touches a number of musical bases, including progressive bluegrass, new acoustic, Dawg, folk, and old-time. Valla and Turner are very strong lead instrumentalists, and get excellent backing in a wide variety of complex arrangements from the rest of the band. Especially nice are Valla’s “Fisher’s Creek” and “Cumberland Road”, and Grisman’s “The Tipsy Gypsy” which is given royal treatment by Turner, Valla and Haynie. Bassist Lon Williamson contributes not only on the instrumental front in a big way, but also brings very pleasing vocals to his two compositions, “Life’s Been Hard” and “Murder Creek”, both of which stand out in a strong field of songs here. Lis Williamson supplies rhythm guitar, old-time banjo, and vocally handles a majority of the leads, all of which are impressive. Standouts include her work on “Coming Up Close”, Emmylou Harris’ “Sweetheart of the Pines”, and Mark Simos’ “Sleepy Eyes”. Aubrey Haynie is just superb throughout. This is a very talented, versatile band. They have found a nice variety of generally lesser-known material, and their own compositions are among the best of the bunch. That alone should make this CD interesting to many readers looking for good new material. For everyone else this CD is simply very good listening.
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