'The Independent Music Show Magazine' November 2024 | Page 5

Like romantic dust Drew Gibson's music draws on influence from the American days of country-blues and songwriters of the recent past. Since releasing his debut album “Letterbox” in 2007 the finger-style guitarist from Virginia has garnered attention from USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Area Music Association, The Greenville Journal, OnTap Magazine, RVA Magazine, and No Depression, for his intensely personal songs and stagecraft as a live performing story-teller.

In April 2019 Gibson released his fourth record entitled “Shipbuilder.” The latest offering followed his critically acclaimed concept album “1532” which was born from the healing journey on which Gibson embarked after the loss of his father on the Fourth of July 2012. While "Fifteen Thirty-Two" traced stories of Gibson’s family from its roots in Scotland to the branches across Canada and the United States, “Shipbuilder” carries a theme of water throughout, how it flows in our lives, from a rising tide and a receding flood, to how a ship disappears over the horizon. Gibson's imagery invokes nostalgia and a means to carry on through the ups and downs of life, building dreams to stay above it all.

Virginia's Roots/Blues Rocker Drew Gibson Releases Title Cut "Burning Horses" With Maddi Mae

There have been several timeless duets that leave a lasting mark. Whether it's Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, Americana darlings Buddy and Julie Miller or the late Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, there is an intangible found in their duets that is mesmerizing. Now Sterling, Virginia-based musician Drew Gibson has created "Burning Horses," a beautiful new single featuring Maddi Mae found on Gibson's charming new album Burning Horses.

Gibson says the single was inspired by watching the recap of an episode of Lord of the Rings: Rings of

Power and a rather startling, unnerving image. "It represents the

heavy machine of industrialization," Gibson says of the song's

genesis. "There was this scene on the Amazon Prime show, The

Rings of Power. And in the scene, there was a horse on fire,

running away. I was watching a breakdown of the episode on a

YouTube channel and the commentator mentioned the burning

horse, and how (author J.R.R.) Tolkien was against

industrialization. It clicked with me. That's where I got the idea

for the album theme, the album title, and the title track. The

irony of this is not lost on me."

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