PRESS

....More blistering still were No Speed Limit, a five-piece bluegrass group who could do the lot. Boasting competition winners on several instruments, they were fluent, tight and expressive. Young lead vocalist Amber Collins already knows how to drive a song from the front, and the harmonies in Sweet Virginia were glorious. Mandolinist Ryan Blevins led a superb laid-back version of In the Pines and the show-stopping party-piece was a rollicking Foggy Mountain Breakdown where the mandolinist supplied left hand for the guitar, and the guitarist for the banjo. OK, the Dubliners did it years ago with the Octopus Reel, but it's still an impressive trick, and it went down a storm.

It seems there’s no speed limit restricting how quickly success comes to a young local bluegrass band appropriately called No Speed Limit. The group will tour with Ralph Stanley for a month starting in April, a European tour is scheduled for May, an appearance is slated for the Jamestown 2007 celebration, and next week the band’s members will share a stage in Williamsburg with the Beach Boys to play at the new governor’s inauguration.

Gigs like that aren’t often found in the histories of bands that have played for decades. No Speed Limit formed a whole year and a half ago.

Governor-elect Tim Kaine has already kept one campaign promise, made during an October stop in Galax. While campaigning with Gov. Mark Warner, Kaine told up-and-coming bluegrass band No Speed Limit that if he were elected, he'd have them play at his inauguration.

Now, the Galax-based band has been selected to share a stage with The Beach Boys at Friday's inaugural concert, appropriately titled “The Promise of Virginia.”

Kaine heard the band play at the Rex Theater in Galax, where he made the promise. No Speed Limit also played at some other campaign events in Southwest Virginia.