Gene and Gayla Mills play acoustic Americana--folk tinged with bluegrass, country, and more. “One of the best (and also one of the best-kept secrets) in the central Virginia music scene,” the duo features “impressive lead guitar, solid bass fiddle, and smooth harmonies.” Known regionally for telling lyrical stories, Gene composes songs based on real Virginia events, people, and places. On his first CD, Oregon Hill gives a poignant history of this landmark Richmond neighborhood, while Waiting for Rain and Anna Mae describe a drought that hit central Virginia and a coal mining accident in the southwestern part of the state. In their new release, Gene portrays recent events, from a vet’s account of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in Forgetting to the pain a woman faces in the recession after two years of unemployment in Twelve Days. In this all-original cd featured award-winning songwriter Gene Mills, Gene and Gayla’s acoustic Americana sound varies from a folk feel on Great Divide and Talking to a Stone to a bluegrass treatment on Milk and Honey and River, Railway, Road and a traditional country sound on Thriving and Everyday Things. Two instrumentals, flat-picked Bright Blue Eyes and finger-picked Dying Fire with spare bass accompaniment, add further depth. The duo are joined on various tracks by Bill Evans (banjo), Ivan Rosenberg (dobro), Barry Lawson (mandolin), and Jim Skelding (fiddle). “Skillful and witty writing, clean and tasteful guitar picking, heartfelt lyrics. Very enjoyable!” Pete Marshall, WTJU