Have you ever seen yourself out of the corner of your eye? It’s disorienting. This happened to me during Turnstile’s headlining set on the first night of Kilby Block Party, the indie-ish Salt Lake City music festival that lives up to its word-of-mouth reputation. These days, a Turnstile live show is a production, one befitting a real-deal festival headliner. The people in the band are all charismatic human whirlwinds who carry themselves like athletes, but they know that they’re not the real show. The real show is the crowd — the roiling oceans of people that go the fuck off whenever Turnstile touch the stage.
It is more than exciting to witness the blues music world growing and progressing with so many outstanding young artists and so much sensational new music. Such is the case with Gabe Stillman and his newest release, What Happens Next.
Gabe Stillman was born in 1995 in Williamsport, PA, and began playing guitar at age 8, heavily influenced by popular rock music. He quickly became frustrated and stopped playing until around age 11. He discovered that some of his favorite rock guitarists were influenced by the likes of Eric Clapton, B.B. King, and other blues-oriented musicians, which began to steer him toward blues music. Stillman says, “It (blues music) spoke to me in such a deeper way than the rock music I was listening to.” By age 13, he was playing music live. By age 14, he found himself playing almost every weekend.
Gabe Stillman later began attending the Berklee School of Music in Boston and graduated in 2015. He continued to play and hone his talents, and in 2018 he recorded The Grind, followed by a couple more recording projects. In 2019, Stillman won Gibson’s Best Guitarist award at the 2019 International Blues Challenge. His 2021 album release, Just Say The Word, debuted in the top ten of the Billboard Blues Chart. It was also nominated for Best Emerging Artist Album at the 2022 Blues Music Awards. Bluesman Toronzo Cannon says, “Gabe Stillman has got the chops and the intensity the blues should have. Keep your eye on him.”
If you have any curiosity or doubts about Gabe Stillman’s playing ability, vocal skill, songwriting expertise, and talent, it can all be expunged during the first few moments of What Happens Next, which is also the title track and first track of the album. Not only does he possess superb guitar chops, but he also has a smooth, pleasant vocal presentation. I love the guitar work and tones in this first song, along with the smooth background vocals.
Stillman sings, “Feeling low, something’s gonna blow. Ended up in a place you never want to go. What happens next?” This is a great introduction for the eight exceptional tracks that follow.
“The Man I’m Supposed To Be” kicks off with a little funky intro before some hot solo guitar takes over for an extended lead. “I’m all twisted up now, trying to be this man that she wants me to be.” If you are still asking whether Gabe Stillman can play, the verdict should be rendered with this song. He is a great guitarist. The timeless story of your woman wanting you to be the person she wants you to be, and not the person you are, is what this song is all about. “I know I can’t go on, being the man that she wants me to be.” This song, which is slightly over seven minutes, is destined to be a classic.
The sixth track on What Happens Next is “Screamin’,” and you’ll find it’s one that’s hard to sit still and listen to. It’s best consumed standing up, with your feet moving. Stillman has that guitar cranked up and rolling, with some organ lending solid foundational work. “My baby, she’s so fine; she makes me want to scream,” he sings.
This is also a great time to mention that the musicians on this project are all sensational in their own right, and I never want to overlook great musicianship. Besides Gabe Stillman on guitar and vocals, there is also Alice Spencer (background vocals), Colin Beatty (bass), Eric Roberts (keyboards), Ray Hangen (drums), Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff (saxophone, track 9), and Anson Funderburgh (guitar, track 5).
What Happens Next wraps up with an unusual, but very appealing, selection. It’s a cover of the great John Hartford tune, “Gentle On My Mind,” made famous by Glen Campbell. Your first thought is likely similar to what my first thought was: What in the world is a Glen Campbell song doing on a blues album? My advice: just give it a chance and a listen.
There is some really nice slide work here, as well as an opportunity for some killer saxophone. I love the way the sax and guitar go back and forth with each other at the ending of this classic. I am almost certain that Glen Campbell and John Hartford are smiling down with approval when they hear this soulful cover of their hit. What a nice, sweet way to end this album.
With all the talent surfacing in today’s blues music world, it is hard, sometimes, to keep up with all the names. However, I, and I bet many of you after listening to this album, will find it difficult to forget the name Gabe Stillman. He possesses all the tools and talents needed to become a name recognized and remembered.
As I always do, I recommend trying to catch him live if you’re able. Gabe Stillman will be touring in the U.S. from May through August of this year. So, if possible, catch a show, and if not (or even if you are able), buy some of his music, especially What Happens Next. It’s great!
And lastly, write Gabe Stillman’s name down somewhere, because you’re going to be hearing a lot more about him.
The Review:9/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– What Happens Next – The Man I’m Supposed To Be – Screamin’ – Gentle On My Mind
The mysterious young duo ear have not been a band for a long time, but there’s already a whole lot of energy and fascination surrounding the project. The team of Jonah Paz and Yaelle Avtan met and formed at Bard College, and they recorded their 2024 debut track “Nerves” on an iPhone at the college library. They’ve got a whispery, tingly, evocative sound that tends to draw people in. Stereogum contributor Eli Enis has been all over the ear beat on his essential Chasing Fridays newsletter, and he’s referred to the duo as both “laptop twee” and “cloud-rock.” It’s great culty internet music, and we’ll soon learn if it can be something more than that.
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