By Brittany Ward
July 17, 2018
Heather Gillis (Caitlin Moore Photography)
This Wednesday, Heather Gillis and her band will take the Zoo Bar stage at 6 p.m., marking only the second Nebraska show for the Atlanta native, who makes her debut in the state in Omaha the night before.
Gillis and her roots-rock four piece have a sound that reaches a variety of musical tastes, from rock and soul to jazz and gospel. The group is made up of Gillis (guitar/vocals), Dallas Dawson (drums), Evan Sarver (bass) and Spencer Pope (organ). Gillis plays guitar and lap steel guitar, sings, writes and arranges songs. Her talent has not only brought on a local following but has grabbed the attention of members of The Allman Brothers Band, Col Bruce Hampton and many more.
Like many of their musical peers, every performance is something different, inspired by the moment.
“We base a lot of our set on improve and being in the moment. There’s a lot of risk and a lot of reward when you incorporate improve every night,” Gillis said. “We love taking the audience with us on that journey.”
From 2015-2017, Gillis was part of Butch Trucks’ (drummer for Allman Brothers) touring band, Butch Trucks and the Freight Train Band. Before joining Trucks on tour, the band released its self-titled debut album. Gillis paused her own career to take the incredible opportunity to join Trucks’ band and learn from him as much as she could before his untimely death early 2017. Gillis and the band are still learning and perfecting their craft every day.
“As with anything, the more you do it, the better you get and the more you figure it out,” Gillis said. I still have so much to learn but I feel like I’m getting a little better with more experience.”
After the show in Lincoln, the band will make its way to Iowa and South Dakota then head to the East Coast and eventually making their way back to Georgia. Charlotte, N.C., is one of the many stops along the way where they will be performing at Sounds on the Square on August 3 and River Jam the following day. August 6-10, the band will be performing in Big Indian, N.Y. at Roots Rock Revival. In addition to the tour, the group is writing and recording new music with the hopes of putting out a new album in 2019.
Tune in Highway Blues with Al Lundy on KZUM this Wednesday at 4 p.m. for an in-studio interview with Gillis.
For the latest information, check out the band’s Facebook or website.
This is a recent festival performance, Tunes from the Tombs at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta:
Brittany Ward is an editorial intern with KZUM.
