Acoustic Brew to host Abbie Gardner and her Dobro

Award-winning singer-songwriter Abbie Gardner is set to play Acoustic Brew at the Center for Well Being in Lemont on Feb. 27.

Gardner’s love of music began by watching her father, a professional jazz musician.

“I used to watch him head off to gigs every night, chuckling about how he had to go to ‘work.’ He always loved it and that rubbed off on me. He still performs just about every night,” Gardner said.

The Dobro is Gardner’s instrument of choice. The instrument is similar to the guitar, but carries its own distinct tone.

“I have always loved the sound of the slide guitar, listening to Bonnie Raitt and Jerry Douglas while growing up,” she said. “I briefly played bottleneck slide, but I got tendonitis and had to stop playing the guitar. My day job at the time was as an occupational therapist, so I knew that wrist extension would give my fingers more strength and not aggravate my tendonitis.”

Now, Gardner said she feels more connected to the Dobro than she ever did with guitar.

“It has a more vocal quality and I feel like I can be more expressive with it,” she said.

During the Acoustic Brew set, Gardner will be play a variety of songs from throughout her career.

“I’ll be playing mostly songs I’ve written,” she said. “There will be some overlap, since I wrote a lot of songs for Red Molly, but also some fresh tunes and arrangements. I’m able to play guitar again, so I’ll be doing some songs on that, lots of songs on Dobro and a couple on ukulele. I like to explore different genres, so some songs will lean towards jazz, while others are straight up country or folk.”

While Gardner enjoys playing solo, she believes playing with a band is a far different experience.

“There’s a ton of freedom when you’re solo,” she said. “You can write a song in the morning and try it out on stage that night. With a band, it takes a lot of practice and coordination for each song to be ready for performance. The downside is that there’s a lot more responsibility. If you’re under the weather or feeling awkward, there’s no one to fall back on. But honestly, I’m ready for that challenge.”

With a full plate of music ahead of her, Gardner is ready for the challenges of the future.

“This year is all about exploration for me,” she said. “I’m getting the chance to play split-bills with some of my favorite guitar and slide players, guys who can learn a song on stage in the moment and create something extraordinary out of thin air. It’s an incredible experience to make music with these guys, learn from them, and take turns backing each other up.”

Gardner makes Dobro arrangements of new and old songs, and said her biggest influences include a bevy of Dobro players and some of the best singers in history.

“I’ve been listening to a lot of Kelly Jo Phelps lately,” Gardner said. “He’s a singer-songwriter who is a total master of singing while playing lap style slide guitar. I’ve also been influenced by the many great Dobro teachers I’ve had: Mike Witcher, Sally Van Meter and Rob Ickes. Vocally I think I’ve been more influenced by jazz and blues singers like Billie Holiday, Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.”

This performance promises to be unique for Gardner.

“This show is special for a few reasons,” she said. “I’m bringing my friend, Jon Paul, to back me up on guitar and help fill out the sound. I’m excited to be out there ‘on my own’ in the sense that I get to play all my own songs, but at the same time, music is such an interactive, living art form. I love playing with other people. Having someone lay down a groove allows me to concentrate on the song, the singing and the wicked Dobro licks.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Acoustic Brew to host Abbie Gardner and her Dobro."