Jan Gillies Music
Acoustic Cafe Concert
Walter Reed Community Center
2909 16th St S
Arlington, VA 22204
Oct 15, 2019
7:00 PM EDT
I Was There
Leave a Review
About this concert
Jan and Neil Gillies will be performing many of Jan's original songs, drawn from her unusual life as a sailor, naturalist, oceanographer, and much more., with a few cover thrown in for more fun. Far from the usual 'love-lorn & lost' ballads, she writes about her life's adventures, which are pretty unusual for a girl from the Midwest! Neil accompanies Jan's guitar and vocals on his lovely hammered dulcimer, which brings a real magic to the duo.
Show More
Find a place to stay
Upcoming concerts from similar artists
Bandsintown Merch
Circle Hat
$25.0 USD
Live Collage Sweatshirt
$45.0 USD
Rainbow T-Shirt
$30.0 USD
Circle Beanie
$20.0 USD
Easily follow all your favorite artists by syncing your music
Sync Music
Share Event
Jan Gillies Music Biography
Jan Gillies Bio:
Having lived an extremely unusual life for a kid from northern Indiana, Jan uses her singer/songwriting skills to tell stories of her adventures over decades of working as a sailor, scientist, environmentalist, professional SCUBA diver, Hospice director, EMT, teacher, and other professions too numerous to mention. Since first picking up a guitar at the age of 14 during the upheavals of the Vietnam War, she has used music to laugh, cry, scream & whisper about all the wonderful and horrible things life has thrown at her. Developing her initial Travis-picking style in coffeehouses from the Chicago area & Kangaroo Island, Australia to Miami, Florida, she has played in swamps, on shipboard, music festivals, and a wide range of usual and unusual venues. She was chosen as a semi-finalist in the ZETA 4 Miami radio station’s “Search for Sound” competition for new songwriters.
With her husband, Neil, on hammered dulcimer, the Gillies’ present a unique blend of contemporary and traditional influences in their music. Having been a teacher for over 10 years, this is still a major part of Jan's music – to teach, and share her love of music & the natural world.
Sometimes delving into rather controversial topics, Charlie Tompkey once told her, "'If you were singing these songs in the 60s, you'd either be famous, or in jail!"
Read MoreHaving lived an extremely unusual life for a kid from northern Indiana, Jan uses her singer/songwriting skills to tell stories of her adventures over decades of working as a sailor, scientist, environmentalist, professional SCUBA diver, Hospice director, EMT, teacher, and other professions too numerous to mention. Since first picking up a guitar at the age of 14 during the upheavals of the Vietnam War, she has used music to laugh, cry, scream & whisper about all the wonderful and horrible things life has thrown at her. Developing her initial Travis-picking style in coffeehouses from the Chicago area & Kangaroo Island, Australia to Miami, Florida, she has played in swamps, on shipboard, music festivals, and a wide range of usual and unusual venues. She was chosen as a semi-finalist in the ZETA 4 Miami radio station’s “Search for Sound” competition for new songwriters.
With her husband, Neil, on hammered dulcimer, the Gillies’ present a unique blend of contemporary and traditional influences in their music. Having been a teacher for over 10 years, this is still a major part of Jan's music – to teach, and share her love of music & the natural world.
Sometimes delving into rather controversial topics, Charlie Tompkey once told her, "'If you were singing these songs in the 60s, you'd either be famous, or in jail!"
Follow artist