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| WHEN YOU'VE GOT A DREAM - DAVID GILLIS |
| I was first introduced to this accomplished guitarist at a Just Plain Folks touring concert in 2002 in Hamilton. Mr. Gillis performed a flamenco-flavoured acoustic interpretation based on the original Spiderman theme, capturing the mystery, intrigue and wonderment of his favourite superhero. The breath-taking interpretation is included here, co-titled as "The Chase Medley". More currently, David has just completed an invitation to perform at a festival in Nashville, Tennessee, for the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society. Despite the initial (and inevitable) vocal and stylistic comparisons to Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and John Prine, Mr. Gillis is so versatile that these comparisons soon fade. In fact, he demonstrates many facets of his extraordinary talent as a guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and producer (in collaboration here with Mike Neack). This is especially evident in his wonderfully bittersweet melodies woven with poignant lyrical observations and inspirations from people he has been (or remains) close to. I was delighted with the two instrumentals, "She's So Fey" - to "a sensitive Celtic girl, though full of compassion, you can't fool her", and "Twirl, Twirl, Little Girl" (with the "Ring Around the Rosies" sampling) - to his daughter, who would "pirouette around and around while singing; the image of her imagination running free, limitless with no boundaries". Several songs on the CD are obviously aimed at purging emotional baggage he has been carrying around with him, but he does so in a positive, almost matter-of-fact manner that doesn't leave the listener feeling uncomfortable with the intimacies being revealed. Even when expressing his disappointment with certain personal relationships ("Talk to Me" and "Slam the Door") he injects the admirable qualities of sympathy, forgiveness and gratitude ("Only Only", "Come to Me" and "All My Life") rather than prejudice and condemnation, while gently urging his listeners to do likewise ("People Look East"). Mr. Gillis displays an excellent aptitude for several genres of music in his finger-picking, and he has been an honoured guest in a series of finger-picking workshops at Hamilton's Staircase Theatre, organized by Shawn Trotter (of the Bushmill Minstrels and Room 8 Artists), an equally adept guitar master, who recently founded the Southern Ontario Fingerstyle Guitar Association (SOFGA), which organization hosts the workshops. David Gillis is assisted by an all-star team that includes popular session lead guitarist Bill Dillon (Gordon Lightfoot, Lindsay Morgan, Maureen Brown, Freedom Train and The Tea). Bill also plays a Hofner bass guitar on the title track, a catchy pop-rock pep-talk aimed at discouraged people who are otherwise determined to succeed. Also appearing are Sony artist Don Ross (who is producing David�s follow-up instrumental CD) on slide guitar, Rob Fekete (Ritmo Y Lenguaje, Jump Joint, Killjoys, Rapid Transit) on keyboards, Dave King (Rapid Transit) on drums and percussion, and Fergus Marsh (Bruce Cockburn, Lisa Dal Bello, Meryn Cadell) on bass and Chapman stick, a fascinating instrument! To view a video demonstration by Greg Howard, visit www.stick.com or http://stick.phui.com. David Gillis is at www.davidgillis.com. |