Vance never fails to amaze the audience--both those familiar with his talent and those discovering it for the first time. He is legendary at Blue Moon for having brought the house down, only leaving the stage after giving the house three encores following the standing ovations urging for more. Finally, standing atop a chair in the middle of the room, he bid the crowd goodnight with a benediction offered a cappella to the hushed room. Vance Gilbert is a daring voice in contemporary acoustic music. A black singer-songwriter in a notably white genre, Gilbert has burst upon the scene with a power, force and assurance rarely found in the acoustic music world. His smooth, full-bodied voice and thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics wring out emotions from despair to euphoria, gliding from extreme to extreme. It has been noted that watching Vance is like witnessing a one-man Robin Williams, George Benson, Garrison Keillor, and Al Jarreau. As Vance laughingly puts it, "Welcome to Prairie Homeboy Companion." Vance Gilbert's graceful picking, lush voicing, and bright syncopation support engaging inner dialogues and witty verbal jabs sung in a smooth, energetic tenor. He returns in support for his latest effort, Up on Rockfield. This project is a fun one--Vance Gilbert style...All the songs are penned by Vance as if written by other song-writers.

The list includes: John Hiatt, Al Jarreau with Lynrd Skynrd, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, David Wilcox with help from Patty Griffin and Raffi, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Thomas A. Dorsey, Richard Thompson...

Known as an energetic performer, his skills as a songwriter continue to develop. Come to The Blue Moon Coffeehouse and catch one of the stars in the acoustic world. Check out Vance's web site which contains downloadable music clips and other great information at www.vancegilbert.com