Fred Gillen Jr.

Hudson Valley, New York- based NYFA (New York Foundation For The Arts) grant recipient Fred Gillen Jr. writes and sings songs with messages of hope, love, and spiritual transformation wrapped up in stories of the struggles and triumphs of the human condition. He has released five CD's independently in the past seven years to great critical acclaim, including an e.p. in 2004 to benefit humanitarian aid organizations in Iraq and other war-torn places. His sixth CD "Gone Gone Gone:" will be released in 2005, and he plans to promote it with extensive touring and radio appearances. His inspired, spontaneous, and numerous live performances have built him an extensive following on the east coast and beyond. Having toured the East coast, Midwest, Ireland, and Germany, Gillen has performed in a wide range of venues from concert halls and festivals to coffeehouses and pubs. For three straight years Gillen was voted "Best Folk Artist" by the readers of Westchester Weekly in that publication's readers' poll. Besides performing his own songs as a solo artist, Gillen regularly performs in a Woody Guthrie tribute band, Hope Machine, sponsored by the Woody Guthrie Archives, and is president of non-profit, Hudson Valley music collective Tribes Hill. In his Croton-on-Hudson based studio he produces and records other local and regional artists, and recently recorded a song for Pete Seeger for his forthcoming songbook and CD release. On rare nights off, Gillen can often be found in a local Westchester or NYC club or café checking out some live music, or promoting shows for other artists touring through the area.

Influences?
Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Ani DiFranco, and Dan Bern for the words, James Brown, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, The Who, and a zillion others for the music, and Tom Waits just for being Tom Waits.

Official WebSite: http://www.fredgillenjr.com/

MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/fredgillenjr