ALT-COUNTRY SINGER-SONGWRITER DREW GIBSON TAKES TO THE STAGE AT BETHESDA BLUES & JAZZ SUPPER CLUB THIS SUNDAY WITH SPECIAL GUEST DEVON SPROULE

Alt-country singer-songwriter and skilled fingerstyle guitarist Drew Gibson comes full circle with his intimate third full-length release, 1532. The critically lauded, the award-winning troubadour has just played two sold-out shows with folk great Joan Armatrading, and most recently engaged audiences again with an evening of music at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club on December 13th, 2015.

Drew Gibson’s fingerpicking style is reminiscent of American Primitivism and the country-folk of John Prine. His gravelly voice channels the breathy immediacy of acoustic Springsteen filtered through the Southern twang of Tom Petty and Ryan Adams. His latest offering 1532 was borne of the healing journey on which he embarked after the loss of his father on the Fourth of July 2012. The album began to take shape after the discovery of a trove of family documents in an old safe deposit box. In it Drew found photos of men in uniform and family correspondence from the war. The album’s name refers to a license plate which had belonged to his father’s eldest brother, who had never returned from World War II. “My father had 1532 on his plate my entire life and it now resides on my mother’s car,” says Drew. “These numbers have resided in the Gibson family for over 70 years and with each changeover, their meaning continues to grow”.

Key tracks include ‘Solway Firth’ which merges ancient and recent history in parallel narratives, analogizing the missed call of an impending invasion with the feelings of helplessness as Drew’s father slipped away. The more electrified and upbeat ‘Hallow Flood of Wounds’ finds the silver lining in financial troubles his family experienced while he was a child, recognizing that people are the sum of experiences both trying and triumphant. ‘Lorelei’ is a love song to that 1958 Gibson, and serves as a requiem for its previous owner. His mother’s brother had succumbed to leukemia before Drew was born, never knowing the career his instrument would later inspire. The touching opening track ‘Bettie-Jane’ is a love letter from his father to his mother in the form of a song, and an admonition to tell the people you love how you feel about them.1532 has helped Drew find a sense of peace. “I have found balance while honoring my father the best way I know how”.

To listen to the full album visit: https://soundcloud.com/drewgibson-2/sets/1532album/s-WV5Su

To book tickets for his next concert or to find out more about Drew visit: www.drew-gibson.com