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Village Folk Festival excerpt, West Side Leader 2005
This Monday-- Memorial Day-- the event returns, in grander fashion, as the Village Folk Festival, in a bigger venue now (Bay Village High School auditorium) and with three big singer-songwriter acts from the folk-acoustic field.
Opening the all-ages show is Kate Voegele, a Bay Village teenager who started performing as a freshman and has since been booked locally and nationally (including at Farm Aid in 2004 along with Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp). Voegele has issued two EP's, one entitled "Louder Than Years" and the other recorded in Los Angeles, called "The Other Side," which brought her much attention as an up-and-coming talent.
And, of course, Jim Gill is out of the ink well and on board as the second-act entertainment. "I would say that his sense of humor applies to his songwriting," said event maestro Bob Lanning. Gill is a star on the Lake Erie islands and brewery circuit he said, but added that "we'll probably hear a little more of the ballads and softer stuff." Gill has two CD's in print, "So Fine" and last year's "Sky."
The headliner is Red House Records artist John Gorka -- the first time Lanning has booked a national act. Even he seems surprised at how it came off. "We just extended an invitation. He's been one of my favorite folk singers of the past 10 years; I'm such an admirer of his work...I think it started with an e-mail to his agent and followed up with a call."
Gorka, on a bicoastal tour, was available for the Bay Village gig on a holiday weekend, and Lanning couldn't be happier with the mix of talent. "His poetry blends in well with Jim Gill's ballads," he said.
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Concert on The Square, Medina Gazette 2007
The Medina Arts Council, as part of their Art in the Park Music Series, is proud to present singer/songwriter Jim Gill in concert on the Medina Square, Thursday, July 12. This free concert, which begins at 7:30pm, will be staged in the gazebo on Medina's historic hub. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket, a picnic basket and the whole family as you relax in the grass for this special music event.
Like a glass of Guinness in a room full of Miller Lite, Jim Gill stands out among Ohio singer/songwriters with a voice that is "Absolutely killer!" according to Nancy Lackner of Three Rivers Productions who represents Jim in the Pittsburgh area. Gill brings a stage show that is part Harry Chapin storyteller and part Robin Williams Night at the Improv. "It's almost not fair to be so musically talented and flat-out hilarious at the same time!" noted venue owner, Kelly Steele.
2007 has already been a banner year for this talented tunesmith. In February Jim shared the stage with Nashville phenom Mary Gauthier at the Columbus Performing Arts Center and brought down the house with his opening set. Most recently this Westfield Center resident was invited to appear at The Beachland Ballroom with Michael Stanley, Alex Bevan, Carlos Jones, Jim Ballard and a group of others as Cleveland area musicians paid tribute to John Bassette, an influential local songwriter from the 70's who died late last year. The concert marked the nationwide release of the John Bassette compilation tribute album. The disc includes tracks by Tom Paxton, Marti Jones and Don Dixon, as well as the artists mentioned above. It appears this hometown boy has inched ever closer to making it in a much bigger pond!
Jim was also a finalist in the 2006 Kerrville Folk Festival New Song Competition held in Texas. As a result, his song "Walk In My Shoes" has been enjoying airtime on XM radio. He also finished first runner up in the 2006 Pittsburgh Singer/Songwriter competition. Consequently, he has been asked to perform in Pittsburgh several times since that showing and as a result has grown a modest fan base in the Steel City. Over the past year Jim has performed in New York, Vermont, Philadelphia, and Boston as he brings his original contemporary folk music to an even wider audience.
"Jim Gill is one of the best dang singer/songwriters in America, let alone Ohio, and I'll stand on Steve Earle's kitchen table in my muddy boots screamin' it at the top of my lungs!" -- Louis Pastor, poet.
Gill has just finished production on his fourth release, "Jim Gill Live Volume One". The disc will be available at the Medina concert. It contains 14 tracks culled from shows at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, The Ritz Theatre in Tiffin and Coffee Amici in Findlay, Ohio. There are 4 new songs on this recording, along with fan favorites plus a few hilarious stories that always unfold at his live concerts. When asked about the inclusion of some stories along with his music, Jim quickly responded, "I can't tell you how many people have asked me if I ever record these stories, because they're dyin' to get to their hands on a copy!" For the record, there are some doozies on this live album. Growing up as the only son in an Irish-Catholic family of ten seems to have given this artist more than enough fodder for outrageous yarns.
The new CD now joins his previous releases, "So Fine", "Sky", and Jim's EP, "Music for The Laramie Project". With this body of work Jim Gill is rapidly making a name in songwriting circles as a master wordsmith and an evocative storyteller. "More depth than your average poet", observed Jeff Niesel of the Cleveland Free Times, adding, "He has a quiet intensity much like John Gorka and Greg Brown." Cleveland Plain Dealer music Critic, John Soeder observed, "This gifted singer/songwriter grabs your ear and doesn't let go, whether he's delivering hard-hitting tunes about the world around us or heartfelt personal ballads. Don't miss a chance to catch this captivating performer in concert!"
Akron music producer Jim Ballard has described Gill's memorable voice as, "Jim Croce with warmth and range!" Armed with both six and twelve string acoustic guitars and his signature silky-smooth baritone voice, Jim Gill's music and hilarious stories make for a delightful evening out. He's also added a new techno wrinkle to his solo shows. He utilizes a looping device that allows him to actually record his voice in the midst of a performance then harmonize over it making for some exciting on-the-fly vocal effects. Do yourself a favor and catch one of the North Coast's hidden treasures in his own hometown. You can read more about Jim and listen to clips of his original music at www.JimGillMusic.com
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Friday Magazine, Cleveland Plain Dealer 2007
Aside from a shift in priorities during college, when he sold his musical equipment for beer money (now that's a great story!) singer-songwriter Jim Gill has been playing music his whole life. But it wasn't until the Westfield Center resident decided to work from home as an American Greetings illustrator and writer that his music started to become a focus. Inspired by the likes of John Gorka and Richard Shindell, Gill is known for his Americana folk style, which he started performing live in 2001. "I was too stupid to play other people's music, so I had to write my own," laughed Gill, a 1977 graduate of Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights. "And people seem to be staying away in droves." Gill said folk musicians who play Northeast Ohio have to love what they're doing, because they're "not going to get a ton of support." So why does he perform roughly 75 shows a year? "Because doing anything else would seem like a waste of life. You do what you love, hopefully, and I'm fortunate to scrounge enough money from writing, illustrating and stuff." Gill, who recently released his concert album "Jim Gill Live, Volume One," is scheduled to perform a free show at 10 p.m. Monday at the Barking Spider Tavern, 11310 JUniper Road, Cleveland. Call 216-421-2863.
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Tri-C Concert, Parma Sun Post 2008
Jim Gill, a native of Parma Heights, is performing in concert for the Cuyahoga Community College's Calliope Series at 7 p.m. Sunday. He said the show will be "an evening of musical storytelling from the raucous to the sublime and all from the heart."
He will be performing with Ted Lamarsson and Doc Dreyfuss in the outdoor amphitheater. Many residents will relate to his stories and songs about growing up in the Cleveland suburb and attending St. John Bosco and Holy Family schools and laugh at the tales involving his large family.
For more information on the show call Tri-C at (216) 987-5536 or visit his Web site at www.JimGillMusic.com
Q. When did you get into music?
A. I've loved music since I was old enough to buy records! I virtually lived between a pair of Koss headphones throughout my adolescence. I started writing songs in 1997. It became meditative. I had divorced four years earlier and it was a way of dealing with difficult thoughts and feelings. I started performing in 2001. I had played in grade school but dropped it. I didn't pick up a guitar again until I was 33. I couldn't play other people's songs, so I wrote my own.
Q. How many instruments do you play?
A. I play the six-string and twelve-string acoustic guitar and harmonica. When I was younger I paid for guitar lessons with the money I made from a paper route for the Plain Dealer. I first saw the ad for guitar lessons in the Holy Famly Church bulletin.
Q. Where have you played?
A. I've played at Cain Park, the Columbus Performing Arts Center, the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Middle Earth Music Hall in Vermont, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, coffee shops, nice theaters, bars, clubs and everything in between. I travel around the region quite a bit.
Q. What kind of music do you play?
A. Contemporary folk. Ninety-five percent of my shows are originals. They're my view of the world. I sing songs about life's events, family and relationships with a dose of political observations.
Q. Do you have another job?
A. I worked for American Greetings writing and illustrating jokes for 20 some years and now I'm a freelance illustrator/writer. I'm also a teaching artist and I do quite a bit of work in schools with arts-based literacy programs thru an organization called Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio.
Q. What is your goal musically?
A. I'd love to be able to make my living with the music but that may not be possible without an insane touring schedule, particularly in my genre, so for now I prefer to spend the bulk of time touring regionally so I can be with my wife and kids.
Q. Where do you like to play?
A. Anywhere there's an attentive audience!
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Concert on Medina's Square , Trading Post 2008
The Medina County Arts Council is happy to once again present an evening of original folk music and hilarious storytelling with singer/songwriter, Jim Gill. The free concert, part of the weeklong series of art and music events, is slated for Thursday, July 17 at 7:30pm on the historic square in Medina. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a picnic basket as you relax in a gorgeous setting for this special event.
It’s hard not to like a guy who sings a beautiful song about the birth of his daughter followed by a hilarious story about his mother’s outrageously frugal use of peanut butter which then leads into a love song about one of his seven sisters and her biker husband.
“Jim Gill is a storyteller at heart”, claimed John Benson in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Appreciative audiences all over Ohio readily agree. Jim has become a mainstay on the winery and club circuit. He also boasts five CD releases to date. His latest, Jim Gill Live Volume Two, is another live recording taken from shows as varied as the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, the Folkatorium in Akron, and the Columbus Performing Arts Center.
Earlier this year Jim shared the stage with 70’s pop star Tommy James and the Shondells to a packed house at the Ritz Theater in Tiffin and brought the house down with his opening set. This well traveled troubadour was first runner-up in the 2006 Pittsburgh Singer/Songwriter Competition and in the same year was a finalist in the coveted Kerrville Folk Festival New Song Competition in Texas. Jim has taken his solo show on tour through New England, New York, and several trips to Pennsylvania while doing upwards of 80 shows a year in Ohio!
"More depth than your average poet," observed Jeff Niesel of the Cleveland Free Times, adding, "He has a quiet intensity much like John Gorka and Greg Brown." Cleveland Plain Dealer music critic John Soeder remarked, "This gifted singer/songwriter grabs your ear and doesn't let go, whether he's delivering hard-hitting tunes about the world around us or heartfelt personal ballads. Don't miss a chance to catch this captivating performer in concert!"
You can read more about Jim and listen to clips of his original folk music at www.JimGillMusic.com
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