Volume Five

Fresh off the win of TWO International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards, Volume Five has emerged with new music being released on Mountain Fever Records today. "Now That's a Song" is the first single from an upcoming album, Milestones, due early next year.

Founded by Glen Harrell (fiddle & vocals), Volume Five includes the talents of Patton Wages (banjo & vocals),  Colby Laney (guitar & vocals), Chris Williamson (bass & vocals), and Jacob Burleson (mandolin & vocals). These five musicians together blend into a band with true and proven staying power. With countless IBMA, SPBGMA, and Dove Award nominations to their credit, the band walked away with IBMA's Emerging Artist of the Year and Song of the Year honors just last month in Raleigh, NC. Their previous album, Drifter, received rave reviews, produced several charting singles, and hit Billboard's Top 5 Best-Selling Bluegrass Albums chart.  
  
With their career moving with in an upward trajectory, Volume Five is coming out of the gate strong with "Now That's A Song," the first single from their new album. "I had been looking for a good uptempo song and contacted Bob Minner to see if he had anything fresh to send me," says Glen Harrell. "This one caught my ear right away and I thought 'now that's a song.' A few moments later, after reaching the chorus, I realized that was actually the title of the song! Bob co-wrote this with Shawn Lane and we think it's a winner!" 
  
With an unexpected, almost subtle dobro kickoff, "Now That's A Song" blazes into a spirited, straight-up bluegrass melody supporting a sweet lyric telling of a long-time love. Harrell's lead vocal moves flawlessly with the words while the makeup of V5 proves exactly why they are turning a genre of music noted for its musical dexterity, on its ear. 

  
Radio programmers may download "Now That's A Song" via AirPlay Direct or request a digital download by emailing radio@mountainfever.com. Consumers may purchase "Now That's A Song" today. 

For more information on Volume Five, visit www.VolumeFiveBG.com. For more on Mountain Fever Records, visit www.mountainfever.com.

Donna Ulisse and Marc Rossi wrote the award-winning song I Am a Drifter when they got together for one of their regular song-writing sessions that, as Ulisse tells us, took place each Monday. 

On Thursday, September 28 last, I Am a Drifter was named the winner of the IBMA’s Song of the Year Award for 2017. 

The duo’s song-writing abilities were also recognized with I’m Calling Heaven Down, the lead track on Ulisse’s album When I Look Back, winning the Just Plain Folks Awards for Best Bluegrass Song in 2009. 

I Am a Drifter started as one type of song, but was completely changed in character and message by the time that it was completed.

READ MORE AT BLUEGRASS TODAY

Volume Five was honored with two International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards that were presented during the 2017 IBMA Awards Show held at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. 

The first award announced for the band was for Emerging Artist of the Year. The group features the extraordinary talents of lead vocalist, fiddle player and band leader, Glen Harrell who is joined by Colby Laney on guitar and vocals, Patton Wages on banjo and vocals, Chris Williamson on bass and vocals, and aspiring young talent, Jacob Burleson on mandolin and vocals. 

Volume Five was also presented with the prestigious the Song of the Year Award for “I Am A Drifter” written by Donna Ulisse and Marc Rossi. The crowd was delighted with Ulisse’s excitement while accepting the award with Glen Harrell and the band. The chart-topping tune appears on Volume Five’s album Drifter on Mountain Fever Records that debuted last year on Billboard’s Top 10 Bluegrass Album Chart. 

“I would like to thank everyone for all the kind words to me and the V5 members. I also want to thank all the guys that have been with the band over the years and have contributed to our sound and success. I would like to thank Harry Formby Clark, Adam Duke, Jeff Partin, Mark Hodges, Casey Cullwell, Jesse Daniel, Shane Blackwell, and Aaron Ramsey. Thanks so much to Moonstruck Management as well. We just couldn’t do this without the entire team,” said Harrell. 

For more information on Volume Five, please visit them at volumefivebg.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out Drifter at iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play and more retail and streaming outlets. 

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Volume Five has received two 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association Award Nominations - Emerging Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "I Am A Drifter" from our album Drifter now available on Mountain Fever Records.

Thank you to our fellow IBMA voting members for these honors.

We look forward to performing during the 2017 IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC this September.  Please visit www.ibma.org for more information on this fun event!

Thank you,

Glen, Patton, Colby, Chris and Jacob

The book includes with all the solos and selected backup from Volume Five's Drifter and Voices albums. Transcriptions created by Russell Sawler. 

Bluegrass Today says "Wages is a thoroughly modern bluegrass banjo player, with a subtle but driving style that should be attractive to any pickers learning to play the instrument. With today’s widely-available slow down software, learning transcriptions from records is a great way to work on tone and timing, as well as walk through what another professional player has done in the studio."

Volume Five has announced that multi-instrumentalist Jacob Burleson, one of the most aspiring young talents in bluegrass music today, has joined the band.  Jacob will make his debut performance with Volume Five at Everett’s Music Barn in Suwanee, Ga. on Saturday, January 28, 2017.
  
Jacob is from Newland, a small town in the mountains of North Carolina and is the son of Jason and Shelly Burleson.  Since his Dad is a founding member of the award-winning group Blue Highway, Jacob has grown up around bluegrass music allowing his talents to thrive by attending festivals and jamming with some of the top pickers in bluegrass.  After a few years of jamming and honing his craft as a musician, he landed a gig with Kenny and Amanda Smith band.  Jacob’s early influences include his heroes - Sam Bush, Adam Steffey, Dempsey Young, Shawn Lane and many more. Blue Highway, Volume Five, Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and the New Grass Revival are the artists he has listened to and studied the most. 

Band leader, Glen Harrell says, “I’m really excited about Jacob joining Volume Five.  We have a lot of talented young musicians in the group and he will be a perfect fit. It’s always interesting to watch these young musicians joining professional touring bands and honing their skills thus taking their talents to even a higher level.” 

Volume Five’s new line-up is:  Glenn Harrell – fiddle, lead vocals; Colby Laney – guitar, vocals; Patton Wages – banjo, vocals; Chris Williamson – bass and vocals; and Jacob Burleson – mandolin, vocals.  Jacob replaces Harry Clark who left the band to pursue other interests. 

Volume Five has received significant success this year with their Mountain Fever Records release, Drifter.  The album debuted earlier this year on Billboard’s Top 10 Bluegrass Album Chart and earned the band the 2016 Album of the Year Award from the Bluegrass Music Association of Iowa.  Volume Five garnered two #1 singles on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 this year - “95 Years” and “I Am A Drifter.” Both songs and the album continue to receive success on a variety of radio charts. 

For more information on Volume Five, please visit them at volumefivebg.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Drifter is available at iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, mountainfever.com and more fine retail outlets.  
  
 

Well thank you folks! Our fellow ‪#‎IBMA‬ members have voted for Volume Five and placed us on 2nd round Award ballot in the Vocal Group of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, Song of the Year (I Am A Drifter), Male Vocalist of the Year (Glen Harrell), Banjo Player of the Year (Patton Wages), and Bass Player of the Year (Chris Williamson) categories!

Stay tuned for the official International Bluegrass Music Association official Award Nominations coming later this year!

For more information on IBMA and becoming a member or attending the fall IBMA World of Bluegrass, please visit www.ibma.org.