Born on Staten Island in 1956, guitarist Reeves Gabrels fell under the spell of Buck Owens picker and sideman Don Rich before making his bones as a well-schooled musician comfortable with jazz, rock, country, bossa nova and blues. A Nashville resident since 2006, Gabrels gained fame as a member of rock band Tin Machine, a group that featured British pop master David Bowie. Artfully employing subtle dissonances, Gabrels unleashes his post-Jimi Hendrix style on Tin Machine’s 1989 track “I Can’t Read,” which he wrote with Bowie. It’s one of Bowie’s best late-period performances, and Gabrels has gone on to become a member of English rock group The Cure, another band that’s benefited from his knack for creative disharmony. He appears tonight with bassist Kevin Hornback and drummer Marc Pisapia in a NAMM showcase for Ohio guitar company Reverend Guitars. Gabrels is a master — his 2015 version of Junior Wells’ hoary blues tune “Messin’ With the Kid” reminds me of Hendrix or Michael Bloomfield, which is pretty heavy. EDD HURT
Reeves Gabrels
