Of Vance Gilbert’s latest recording, Angels, Castles, Covers, Roberta Schwartz of FAME writes, “Gilbert sings the songs that have influenced him as an artist. From the sounds of Motown, through the R&B of Al Green and Gladys Knight, to classic Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin, the song palette represented here is rich and lively.” Highlights of this release includes a soulful rendition of “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” with lovely Lori McKenna harmonies and an extremely soft and tender interpretation of Todd Rundgren’s “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference.” Vance promises to try out some of the new songs he’s working on for his next CD which is going to be entitled Sounds Like. . . . The concept is simple. Vance has written songs that sound like they were written by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan, and other notable songwriters.

According to press releases about Vance’s CD, Unfamiliar Moon, it is his most mature and realized recording to date. To further elucidate this point, it seems that Mr. Gilbert has shorn his trademark wild and wooly dreadlocks in favor of a mean, lean and sophisticated coif. Vance has been touring regularly as the opening act for comedian George Carlin and has garnered a whole new audience. The me&thee is especially pleased to be able to present Vance since his schedule is full of gigs all over the country these days.

Gilbert’s acoustic performances and albums are fearless, timeless, compelling examples of classic songwriting presented with deep humanism and bravery, stunning artistry and soul, unbridled humor and joy.

The Boston Globe cites Gilbert’s pop-friendly melodies and hard-hitting lyrics. Astute folk critic, Scott Alarik, applauds “his supple guitar” and “milk-warm tenor” as honest and gently acrobatic. Vance doesn’t pull any punches. His lyrics don’t always have happy endings. Instead, he tackles subjects head-on and often focuses on the fact that he’s a non-white in a very white culture. The honesty of his words has won him a loyal fan base.

It’s a real treat to present Chris Trapper as an opening act at this show at the me&thee. Chris is the principal songwriter of the alt-rock trio, the Push Stars, and pursues his solo career while on hiatus from the band. His words and music can best be described as an interesting blend of 1950’s pop, 1990’s rock and old-timey jazz with the ever-present under story of Chris’ distinctive baritenor. It’s intricate power-pop with a compelling knack for telling everyday stories. For Trapper, it all traces back to those first, halting, joyful songs, when he found another language in music — a deeper language — that connected him to others in a way more profound than ordinary conversation.

Chris has recently released two recordings, Hey You and It’s Christmas Time. The me&thee audience may not get any holiday tunes but they’re sure to hear some of the songs from Hey You. That recording includes some heavy-duty help from Martin Sexton, Duke Levine, and some of his Push Star and Great Big Sea friends. Chris has recently had several songs placed on TV shows and in the most recent Robin Williams film, August Rush.

 

 

It’s possible, even probable that any time you see Gilbert in person his songs will make you laugh and cry simultaneously. The Fort Worth Star Telegram

Gilbert’s burnished voice poured over one purling, liquid melody after another, over an accompaniment of tender arpeggios and supple chord progressions. The Chicago Tribune

. . .

[Chris Trapper] has a wonderful gift for communicating wounded optimism, both through his lyrics and his smooth-yet-wobbly vocals, and is tremendously skilled at blending shiny mainstream pop with New England folk. This time around, Trapper uses the Wolverine Jazz Band to not only flesh out his sound, but take it in a new direction. The result is something like Dixieland folk, which isn’t as strange as you might think — matter of fact, it’s often (like on the opener, “All Time Favorite”) downright wonderful. Jefitoblog

This guy has it — “it” being that blend of talent and “otherness” that can take a simple rock song out of the area of the pedestrian and into the ether of the sublime.” Buffalo News