Gill Landry - From the Grand Ole Opry to BMAAC

Gill Landry

Gill Landry is a two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, multi- instrumentalist, and visual artist. A Louisiana native, Gill's journey began as a busker living out of Volkswagens between the streets of New Orleans and the Pacific Northwest. Immersed himself in the rich tapestry of American folk music led him to join the ranks of the Nashville group Old Crow Medicine Show, whom he worked with from their van-and-trailer days to Grammy triumphs and induction into the Grand Ole Opry. In 2015, Landry left the band to pursue his solo creative endeavors.

Across six solo albums on various labels, he reveals a remarkable versatility and unwavering commitment to his craft. With an ever-evolving voice and rich poetic lyrics, his compositions defy genre constraints, seamlessly blending styles that can range from a cinematic grandeur to intimate introspection.Collaborating with a diverse array of esteemed musicians over the years, Landry's crafted a body of recordings that resonate with both timelessness and innovation.

A seasoned troubadour, he's shared stages with a diverse array of artists and friends over the years, including Laura Marling, Justin Townes Earle, Brandi Carlile, The Felice Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Michael Hurley, Ben Howard, Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes, Nathaniel Rateliff, along with a host of unknown legends.

Gill's latest album, 'Cinnamon Canyon Blues,' is out now - Here's a bit about the album in his own words:

"Accidentally homeless at the start of the pandemic, I landed on a few hundred acres of blue oaks, lupine, and dust called Cinnamon Canyon in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. What I thought would only be months, of course, became years. Plenty long enough for the land to break me in all the ways I unknowingly needed breaking. After finding myself naked on the kitchen floor, howling like a wounded animal, it was all up from there. I spent the next two years writing this album like my life depended on it while living in near-total isolation but for a barn cat named "Killer". It turned out that instead of falling from grace, I unwittingly fallen into it, and my time on the mountain completely altered the way I look at life and the world. This album is a document of some of that journey. A portrait of certain understandings that came from a sort of death and rebirth.

It was recorded in London with the help of my friends. Produced by Ted Dwane (Mumford & Sons), Paul Frith, and myself. It features Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers, Sting) on drums, Nick Pini (Laura Marling and anyone who know's what's up) on bass, Klara Soderberg (First Aid Kit) on backing vocals, Nick Etwell (Mumford, Filthy 6) on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, Georgina Leach & Odessa Jorgensen on violin, and Malcolm "Bubba" McCarthy on keys."

Recent Review

November winds blew and a cold chill was in the air, as people scurried inside restaurants and concert venues last Wednesday night in the Tulsa Arts District. Behind non-descript black doors with a simple white V on them, lies the venue known as the Vanguard. On the bill this evening was Gill Landry I may be a bit biased, as I attended this show, but I feel like the Vanguard had the best show in Tulsa on this particular evening. The crowd was small, but mighty and the attentiveness of the audience to Gill did not going unnoticed by me. This was my first time seeing Gill live and from some research on Spotify previous to the show, I knew I'd be leaving with albums.

You might know Gill Landry, from his time with Old Crow Medicine Show. Or perhaps you know him from incredible solo work, to include his album, Love Rides a Dark Horse, which was released in October of 2017. Either way Gill Landry is someone you'll want to catch live. You'll also want his music to live in your CD player in your car the week after you see him, because the album is just that good. Taking the stage quietly with his guitar and harmonica, and saying only a few words before launching into his first song, "Funeral in my Heart", you realize Landry isn't here to impress. He's here to share his talent, whether you can appreciate it or not. Wearing a denim shirt, rolled at the sleeves and with his dark looks, he bears a slight resemblance to Jim Croce. The second song, my favorite of the night and off his newest album is "Denver Girls." The lyrics in this song paint such a clear picture that it's easy to imagine the woman in this story with her, "with those eyes like painted jewels…and that crooked country smile." Within the rest of the set were a mix of songs off some of Landry's other albums, including "Just Like You," "Waiting for Your Love" and "Dixie", which is taken from a brand of beer popular in New Orleans, a town where Landry used to be a street performer. Pausing in between songs to talk about the homeless problem in cities he tours in, gentrification and how it is the "slow takeover of every town by homogeneous garbage" and about how he loves Woody Guthrie, it's clear that Landry has very strong opinions about the world and how he sees it. I personally find it refreshing when artists speak up about issues and their feelings on them, instead of trying to remain neutral in order to not offend or alienate fans. Towards the end of his set, Landry took requests. "Annie" was the song that was decided upon and was followed by "Bad Love," which was the final song.

Unfortunately this tour is over for the time being, but please check out Gill Landry's websites to see he willl be in your area. He is an incredibly gifted artists that should not be missed.