The Sullivan Sisters Shine with Vega Vintage Star on New Single

At IBMA 2025, Luciya Sullivan, the banjo-playing vocalist of rapidly rising act The Sullivan Sisters, was on a search to find the clawhammer banjo that spoke to her. As a phenomenal three-finger plater, Luciya had already been by the Deering booth a couple of times that weekend. As the last day wore on, Jamie Deering and I began packing up. As the last banjos were being boxed up, Luciya asked to check out the Vega Vintage Star.

From the first few notes, it was like watching true love blossom in real time.

Luciya and her Vega Vintage Star were an instant connection. I remember vividly that she couldn't stop playing it, only finally putting it in the case when the exhibit hall lights came down, and we were surrounded by rolled-up carpet and the sound of exhibitors dismantling their booths. She had to have it, and so, she left Chattanooga, TN, that weekend with a banjo in her hand and melodies running through her head. 

Luciya writes, "As soon as I picked up this Vega Vintage Star for the first time at IBMA, I immediately fell in love with it and knew that it was the right old-time banjo for me. Having such a beautiful instrument has really motivated me to keep digging into old-time music and writing more songs in that genre, like Devil’s Got a Hold on You.”

Fast forward a few months, and the band has released their first single on Dark Shadow Recording, "Devil's Got a Hold On You", and the Vega Vintage Star takes center stage, setting the tone early. 

A haunting story of love gone wrong, "Devil's Got a Hold On You" is a ghostly old-time ballad sung from beyond the grave. Written by Luciya and Soraya Sullivan, it tells the story of a love that descended into violence and ended in tragedy. Featuring a distinctive melody on clawhammer banjo and fiddle, Devil's Got a Hold On You shares the perspective of a silenced woman who finds her voice within the song.

Luciya says: “It was a really special thing to be able to bring this song to my sister and write it together, which we had never done before. I started writing the song one night over the winter last year when I first started learning clawhammer banjo. The revenge-seeking, haunting vibe was loosely inspired by 'Caleb Meyer' by Gillian Welch. I brought the mostly finished song to Soraya and we had a really fun time finishing it together.”

"Devil's Got a Hold On You" is a stunning song and the tone of the Vega Vintage Star is beautifully captured, with the help of Stephen Mougin, a Vintage Neumann U87 and a Royer 122V (tube ribbon) into API preamps.

We hope you enjoy this as much as we did, and we look forward to much more clawhammer from this talented group.

PERFORMERS:
Luciya Sullivan - Lead Vocal / Clawhammer Banjo
Soraya Sullivan - Harmony Vocal / Guitar
Finn McGuinness - Fiddle
Gabe Zinser - Mandolin
Sammy Mougin - Bass

Produced, engineered and mixed by Stephen Mougin
Mastered by David Glasser

ABOUT THE SULLIVAN SISTERS: The Sullivan Sisters are a rising bluegrass band known for their striking instrumental skills, sibling harmonies, and distinctive blend of contemporary originals and traditional repertoire. Sisters Soraya (guitar, vocals) and Luciya (banjo, vocals) began playing bluegrass as children in North Carolina, carrying that passion with them when their family relocated to Chicago. They have gained national recognition through performances at MerleFest, Planet Bluegrass FallGrass, and the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum, and have appeared at numerous Chicago area venues, including Thalia Hall and multiple sold-out shows headlining at Evanston SPACE. The Sullivan Sisters were selected as an Official Showcase Artist at IBMA 2025 and their debut EP, Carolina Bluebird, released in August 2025. The sisters have signed with Nashville based independent acoustic label Dark Shadow Recording. The Sullivan Sisters are proud to feature new members Sammy Mougin on bass, Gabe Zinser on mandolin, and Finn McGuinness on fiddle.

ABOUT DARK SHADOW RECORDING: Dark Shadow Recording is a full-service studio and record label led by award-winning Stephen Mougin, located on a hilltop that surveys Music City's electric skyline. The label produces and turns out music from some the industry's most promising artists in the Bluegrass, Americana, Country, and Folk genres - Becky Buller, Rick Faris, Laura Orshaw, Henhouse Prowlers, Jana and Stephen Mougin.