Songwriter dares to tackle mix-and-match music styles

By April Phillips

Correspondent

Singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert had an epiphany several years back. A friend took him to a club to see musician Shawn Colvin play, and when the diminutive songstress took the stage, the self-proclaimed jazz snob suddenly saw his musical future.

"It blew me away," said Gilbert, who will bring his unique style of acoustic music to the Virginia Beach Central Library on Saturday. "She was everything I wanted to be. Suddenly, I even wanted to be a short white woman," he said, exhibiting the humor that's evident in the lyrics of many of his songs.

"In a lot of ways, it was a no-brainer for me. The jazz thing became a legacy of where I came from, but I have stories to tell, and the audience for that is the acoustic folk crowd," he said.

A year after seeing Colvin play, he was touring across the country with her as the opening act. He's even opened for the late comedian George Carlin. These performances helped the Philadelphia-born artist spread his brand of acoustic music far from his adopted home outside of Cambridge, Mass., as well as allowing him to record nine CDs.

Gilbert's latest release, "Up on Rockfield," came out in September, and it's an homage to the various musical styles that have influenced him throughout his life. He attempts to channel the spirits of diverse artists and mix them together in surprising ways. For instance, the song "Welcome to Lovetown" is a country-rock number that combines John Hiatt's rollicking style with soulful sounds inspired by Prince. Other songs meld the smooth jazz of Al Jarreau with the rabblerousing of Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd.

If you're having trouble imagining these amalgams, you're not alone.

"Two folk singers who shall remain anonymous were appalled when I told them about the concept," he said. "They couldn't believe that I'd admit to borrowing from someone else's style, but it was so much fun making this album. I was doing what everyone else does but doesn't admit to."

Gilbert's not shy about the results of his effort.

"People love it," he said of his new CD. "The reviews have been just this side of raving."

This kind of confidence is nothing new for the songwriter, who admits to being something of a megalomaniac.

"I think I look great, and I'm playing great - and in reality I'm 20 pounds overweight and 50 years old, although my guitar-playing really is good right now."

Even in these times of economic upheaval, Gilbert's confident about his ability to make a living as a performer, although a night out at a concert is a luxury that many people might feel obligated to cut during hard times.

"Everybody's feeling it," he admitted. "The numbers are going down, but acoustic concerts are reasonably priced, so our numbers aren't going down as hard as others."

Despite the uncertainty faced by many professional musicians who aren't mega-stars like Madonna or Bruce Springsteen, Gilbert said he'll always make a living.

"I'll always work. There will always be 100 people in a city somewhere who will want to hear me sing and play guitar. In spite of the fact that I have a partner and a mortgage and that we're all really just three or four paychecks away from the street, it's never been scary. I just knew I had to do this. It's my life."

April Phillips, apes1@cox.net