Fred Gillen Jr. is his work. As a songwriter, singer, musician, producer, engineer, and poet, he creates art with purity of intent, an open heart, honesty, and tireless dedication to craft. Part folk singer, part indie rocker, and part poet, he writes and sings songs about the human experience, honestly and fearlessly addressing pain, injustice, and isolation in his work, but also acknowledging and celebrating the hope in everyday existence. His work often tells the unglamorous yet compelling stories of the lost and forgotten, the marginalized and ignored. Veterans, drug addicts, and sick and lonely souls populate his songs and tell their stories in their own voices, yet the overwhelming tone of Gillen's songs and stories is one of hope. Gillen involves his audience and encourages participation, and his live performances are reckless celebrations of being alive.
Gillen's musical influences range from Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie to Queen and Elton John, to Yes to Elliott Smith. From James Brown and Stevie Wonder to The Clash and Johnny Cash. His parents listened to Jazz and Country around the house, but Gillen gravitated to Rock N Roll, then to delta blues, and then became obsessed with Woody Guthrie. Gillen is a folk singer and a rocker, a roots musician and a modernist, as at home playing washboard or acoustic guitar as playing with drum loops and samples. Whatever the instruments and genre, he's always been attracted to music which is reckless and in-the-moment. Gillen's recordings defy categorization and this has made him a busy producer, at his studio "Woody's House," for other artists who seek to create something not easily categorized.
A prolific independent songwriter, Gillen has released seven full-length solo CDs and two solo e.p.s, two CDs with the traveling hootenanny Hope Machine, and one CD with the duo Gillen & Turk. He has toured all over the U.S., Ireland, Germany, and Czech Republic and has built a devoted, cult following everywhere he's gone. He's received a NY Foundation For The Arts grant, has been President of Hudson Valley Music Collective Tribes Hill, and has spoken on panels at Folk Alliance conferences. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, he was invited to read his poetry at Dennis Kucinich's New Years Eve event. he has jammed several times with his congressman John Hall, and performed at many Woody Guthrie Foundation events and Phil Ochs Nights with Sonny Ochs. His music has been played on independent radio all over the world and has appeared on national television on All My Children (ABC) and NYC Soundtracks (MSG Network.). His latest CD is "Match Against A New Moon," and it features collaborations with percussionist Eric Puente and singer Catherine Miles, and his friends from the band Red Molly.
