After being the go-to opener for acts across the musical spectrum in Nashville for several years, West Chester University graduate Devon Gilfillian has now released his debut album, writes Matt Hendrickson for Garden & Gun magazine.

Gilfillian’s experiences opening for an eclectic list of artists – including Brothers Osborne, Mavis Staples, and Trombone Shorty – is reflected in his music. Black Hole Rainbow blends old-school soul, funk, and bluesy guitar with several other twists.

To record the album, Gilfillian and producer Shawn Everett used vintage gear to record instrumental versions of each song to analog tape. They then pressed the material onto vinyl and created digital files of those recordings to fiddle with.

“We were sampling ourselves,” said Gilfillian. “But it was worth it. I wanted to use every sound imaginable to dig the old soul out of the ground and send it to Mars.”

Now, he is hoping to play the final product to every type of music fan.

“I don’t care if you’re young or old, black or white, brown, yellow, or orange,” said Gilfillian. “I’m pushing the sound forward and coming to play for you.”

Read more about Devon Gilfillian in Garden & Gun magazine here.