Bluegrass with the Gold Heart Sisters

Take a break from the turkey leftovers and shopping to check out a show by one of Loudoun’s most talented bluegrass groups, The Gold Heart Sisters at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Franklin Park Performing Arts Center in Purcellville. The band features three sisters: Analise Gold, 21, on mandolin, Jocelyn, 18, on guitar and Shelby, 15, on fiddle.

Throughout the fall, the toured extensively throughout Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio. During the tour, the sisters were joined by their father Trent on bass and Russ Carson on banjo. The Gold Heart Sisters formed in 2005 and by 2009 they had signed to the Rural Rhythm record label. That same year the sisters were invited to perform as a showcase band at the International Bluegrass Music Association in Nashville. After an extensive tour across the United States, the Gold Heart Sisters took their instruments across the pond for their first major international tour in the United Kingdom. In 2010, the band was nominated for several Washington Area Music Society Awards including, Bluegrass Duo or Group of the Year, Bluegrass Recording of the Year, Analise Gold as Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year and Shelby Gold as Bluegrass Instrumentalist of the Year.

When listening to the Gold Heart Sisters, the spot on vocals are the first thing most people notice. The sisters trade lead vocal responsibilities and credit their mother for teaching them how to harmonize. Additionally, these musicians are solid songwriters. While all three girls have written songs on the albums, Jocelyn is the chief songwriter of the group. She was selected as one of three finalists in the 2008 Chris Austin Songwriters Competition (bluegrass category) at MerleFest. Together the sisters wrote nine of the 12 songs on their album, My Sisters and Me.

My Sisters and Me, released August 25, 2009, on Rural Rhythm Records, was produced by Justin Carbone and contains several songs that have found success on bluegrass radio, specifically the single "Sisters." The sound of the Gold Heart Sisters is traditional bluegrass.

According to the Bluegrass Journal: "Gold Heart is a real treasure for the bluegrass community." The sisters’ harmonizing abilities shine through in a way that shows "just how vocally polished this trio is."

The Franklin Park Arts Center opened in February 2008 after more than a decade of fundraising and construction. The 2011/2012 season runs thru May 2012 and features local, national and international performers. The Gold Heart Sisters will join an incredible group of band mates on Saturday.  Tickets cost $12 for adults, and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online at www.franklinparkartscenter.org.

Check out other events happening this weekend on the ; be sure to click “This Weekend.”