Devon Gilfillian and Friends Tap Into a Timeless Marvin Gaye Masterpiece

"That’s what we're here to do — spread love and education," Devon Gilfillian told viewers Thursday night as he kicked off There’s an Election Going On. The rising soul champion, whose debut full-length Black Hole Rainbow dropped in January, served as host and the main performer of the show, a prerecorded collection of performances that streamed just once. The event served three purposes simultaneously: to encourage voting in the upcoming presidential election, to raise funds for the voting rights advocacy nonprofit Equity Alliance and to celebrate one of recorded music’s absolute masterpieces, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. 

With his full band in tow, Gilfillian took to the stage at 3rd and Lindsley for a socially distanced performance of Gaye’s 1971 album in full. After the show, Gilfillian announced that he’s recorded his own version of the album, set for release Oct. 22 with proceeds pledged to the Equity Alliance. The record is a perfect fit for Gilfillian’s smooth and soulful voice and it points toward ways to navigate the social and political chaos we’re experiencing today. What’s Going On artfully examines the cultural issues that America was facing at the time, through the eyes of a Vietnam War vet returning home. Gaye addresses the war, racial tensions, social inequality, substance abuse and the destruction of our environment in a way that’s passionate, compassionate and affecting without coming across as preachy. When Gilfillian sat down with his guitar to learn the songs, he had a realization that stuck with him.

"In that moment, I figured out that [Gaye] only wanted people to have a conversation about what was happening at that time," Gilfillian said during the stream. "Almost 50 years ago that record came out. Right now in 2020, we need so badly to have a conversation just between people in this country — Democrat, Republican, independent, whoever you are. We all need to look at what’s happening, at other people and the struggles they're going through, and make our voices heard."

The themes of racial inequality and political divisiveness weaved within each song on What’s Going On take on an important new meaning today.

"We're here to play and pay tribute to Marvin Gaye," Gilfillian continued, "not only because of the beautiful message he was giving, but because I want that message to spread now, in 2020, when we need it more than ever."

Throughout the evening, Gilfillian welcomed an array of special guests to join him onstage. Joy Oladokun added stunning harmonies to "Flyin’ High (in the Friendly Sky)," country-trap king Breland showed off his killer falsetto on "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," and Kyshona Armstrong’s powerhouse voice shone on every note of "God Is Love."

Although Gaye’s iconic album was the thread that sewed the entire set together, many local artists also joined in through taped appearances from elsewhere. The Lone Bellow, Katie Pruitt and Drew Holcomb were among the first-rate songsmiths across a wide stylistic range who played tunes from their own catalogs that matched the theme of the evening — calling for the freedoms promised in the Constitution to be extended to everyone. Jason Isbell gave a solo rendition of the grooving "White Man’s World" from his 2017 album The Nashville Sound, which puts a spotlight on white privilege and social inequality in America. Power-pop revitalizer Aaron Lee Tasjan revisited his stinging "I Love America Better Than You." Southern rocker Marcus King shared a poignant new song called "Breathless," which tackles the uncertainty and loneliness that have become a daily reality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The show came to a close with a rousing performance from Gilfillian and soul-schooled Americana greats The War and Treaty, fresh off the release of their new LP Hearts Town. Together, they took on the record's titular centerpiece "What’s Going On," a song that shows profound empathy in its portrayal of painful confusion.

Our country feels anything but stable right now. Things that have felt fundamental to our culture and society — good and bad — now feel like they could change at any second. Gilfillian & Co.’s 90-minute set served as a reminder of how great art can simultaneously address the moment in which it was created and have an impact that lasts long after that time passes.