Article & Photos: Jim Summaria
photo: by Jim Summaria
Gabe Stillman
Live Show Review
by Jim Summaria
Gabe Stillman and his band put on a rockin' and bluesy two hour set at Fitzgerald's (Berwyn, IL) August 6, on the Sidebar stage, following a Bluesday Tuesday show on the patio by Alligator Recording artist Chris O’Leary Band.
This young man can play! Backed by a rockin’ rhythm section, the 29-year-old Stillman is the high energy star of the show with his showmanship, guitar licks and vocals. Stillman has released three albums, The Grind in 2018 which he produced, Flying High in 2020 where he was backed by the Nighthawks and the 2021 release of Just Say the Word produced by Anson Funderburgh which hit the top ten on Billboard’s Blues Chart. Stillman writes many of the songs but he carefully selects some great blues numbers to cover and adds his spin on them. None other than Alligator Records founder and president Bruce Iglauer said this of Stillman, “One of the most promising young blues talents on the scene today...Don’t miss him!” I agree.
Stillman was born and raised in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and received a hand-me- down acoustic guitar when he was eight-years-old. Lessons didn't go well, so he quit the guitar. But at 11-years-old, things changed when he got an electric guitar and joined the Uptown Music Collective in his hometown. Stillman loved the music of AC/DC especially Angus Young so he wanted to play like him. But the teachers at UMC told him that Young's influences were B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Chuck Berry. Listening to those legends and others led to Stillman's love for the blues. To further his musical education he graduated from the Berklee College of Music where he learned about all styles of music, thus making him a well-rounded player. And in 2019 he won the Gibson Guitar Award at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis which gave him more confidence to play the kind of music he was meant to play.
For info or to listen: https://www.gabestillman.com/music
About the Author: Jim Summaria began professionally photographing rock concerts in 1973 at the age of 19 when he became the staff photographer for the Chicago rock concert promoter Flip Side Productions. Jim's photos have been published in numerous books, magazines and CDs. His rock ‘n’ roll photos have been viewed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum and Hall of Fame on Rt.66 and the Grammy Awards. Jim and writer Mark Plotnick co-authored the books Classic Rock: Photographs From Yesterday & Today and the October 2024 release ‘70s Chicagoland Rock Concerts.
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