The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, in cooperation with Shakerag Culture Center, Inc., is pleased to announce the next Jewel Box Concert at the Thomas Center with award winning Lonesome River Band. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Lonesome River Band continues their reputation as one of the most respected names in bluegrass music. Virginia Country Music Hall of Famer and multi-award winning banjo picker, Sammy Shelor (banjo and harmony vocals) has put together a wealth of talent that includes: Brandon Rickman (lead & harmony vocals and guitar); Mike Hartgrove (fiddle); Barry Reed (bass, harmony vocals); and Randy Jones (lead & harmony vocals, mandolin) all performing the distinctive LRB sound fans love.

Lonesome River Band’s long career is filled with a multitude of Awards and Recognitions including their 2012 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Award for Instrumental Recorded Event of the Year for their song “Angeline the Baker” from their CHRONOLOGY Volume One album. Sammy Shelor received his fifth win as the 2012 IBMA Banjo Performer of the Year. The group has also received other awards from IBMA including Album of the Year, along with numerous awards from SPBGMA including being named Bluegrass Band of Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Song of the Year and Shelor as Banjo Player of the Year. Sammy Shelor received the 2nd Annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.

The Jewel Box Concerts at the Thomas Center are a new series of multi-genre musical events staged in the historic Thomas Center’s Spanish Court. They will feature a spectrum of national and international touring artists from folk to classical and from jazz to bluegrass, with special holiday shows and surprise guests.

The Jewel Box Concerts at the Thomas Center are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

The Thomas Center Galleries are located at 302 NE Sixth Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601. For additional information, please contact Russell Etling, interim cultural affairs manager, at etlingrh@cityofgainesville.org or 352-393-8532, or contact Joseph Saccocci, vice president Shakerag Culture Center, Inc., at jsaccocci@cox.net or 352-373-5514.