Standout Guitarist Leilani Kilgore Releases Her Debut Album

The Nashville based artist has a new record out that she poetically wrote and produced

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Do you remember the scene in the film The NeverEnding Story where our hero Atreyu must trek across the Swamp of Sadness to find a giant turtle named Morla? Of course you do.  And if you do not than shame on you for not watching this epic 1984 fantasy movie.  Well, Atreyu has to navigate this bog with his trusty stead Artex.  Just saying the name Artex makes my eyes well up.  This marshy wasteland feeds on sadness and while Atreyu has an amulet that partially protects him, his majestically white friend begins to be consumed by despair and starts to sink into the mud. Artex screams, “You have to try. You have to care. You are my friend. You have to move or you’re going to die! Don’t quit, Artex!” I often think about this powerful moment in the film and wonder what I would think about to push through the hurt and the pain to come out on the other side of this challenge. I have succumbed to the sadness many times, but it is the music that gets me through. Even if John Cusack had made a cameo holding a boombox over his head (another movie reference) playing the gloomy ‘Pictures of You’ by The Cure it would fill me with much joy and motivation.  However, that’s impossible because Say Anything came out in 1989.  What were we talking about?  Oh yes, the debut record by Leilani Kilgore. 

You see the sadness has snuck back into my realm over the last few months, but I have been listening to so much great music that it is easy to, not forget about the onuses of life, but it sure is easier to manage them.  The tunes that have been driving me lately are also mostly female driven tracks and albums.  I’ve been putting a lot of Alanis Morissette on the turntable over these last few months, as well as, Wet Leg, Gustaf, Be Your Own Pet, Meg Elsier, Amyl and the Sniffers and gobs more.  However, I am here to speak on this wonderful 9-track album, produced by Kilgore herself, entitled Tell Your Ghost. 

I had the opportunity to catch the sonic musings of this guitar playing virtuoso of a frontwoman at Eastside Bowl in Nashville earlier this year.  She was supporting a show for a band called Echo Pilot that was then launching a record of their own that evening in Notion.  I saw Leilani earlier in the night, not realizing who she was but knowing that they emoted stardom.  Her gallant strides from one side of the venue to the other forced you to think that she was “somebody”.  Then she and her band ripped the stage, and you knew that you had made the right assumption.  People might have indulged in the same set and thought that “she is going to be big one day”.  I thought that she already was, and that the rest of us just hadn’t caught up yet.  

Leilani Kilgore has already been praised by Guitar World magazine for her “killer vibe and chops to back it up.” She was called a “must-see live performer” by Loud Hailer Magazine, and has hundreds of live shows and festivals notched in her belt, both in the U.S. and overseas, including headlining slots on legendary stages like Sturgis Buffalo Chip and Summerfest, and she has opened for such renowned acts as Buddy Guy, Lita Ford, 38 Special, The Dead Daisies (feat. Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich) and Tommy Castro. So yeah, she is doing her thing, and we need to all listen. Her sound is certainly engrained in rock and roll, but this bluesy underbelly pads the backbone of the blistering and raucous forefront.  

People use a phrase “that strikes a chord” sometimes.  Well, she strikes all the chords with elegance.  Kilgore is not just guitar riffs either, she can also sing and put on a brilliant live show.  So, she’s a singer, a guitar player, a songwriter and a producer and this album shows it all off.  The record comes out today and I am happy to say that I saw her play three tracks that now appear on this project.  The vibrant show that I was lucky enough to witness included ‘Spanish Moss’, ‘High/Low’ and ‘Creepin’.   

‘High/Low’ is the albums opener and it stomps you into an attentive state. Her guitar shreds in tandem with a booming thump coming in from the drums. He voice sails over all of it with controlled vocals that rival anyone in the game. The cymbals then crash as she showcases that stunning playability. The placement of the track up front is positively perfect. If you want drive real fast with the top down then this is a track for you. ‘Spanish Moss,’ comes in at the third spot and was my favorite from the show that I was at. I was thrilled to hear that Kilgore counts this as perhaps her favorite on the album and from her management “represents everything that gets her excited about songwriting.” The whole album is truly a representation of her live shows

“It was really important to be able to prove to myself, and others as well, that I was capable of putting out an album after focusing solely on singles for so long and that it was something actually worth doing,” notes Kilgore. “Admittedly, I also had a lot to get off my chest after facing a number of issues over the past few years and recording this album became a kind of therapy because I was able to tap into and emotionally process those struggles in what is probably the most natural and healthy way for me – through music.” 

SCENES from Eastside Bowl Show:

I love these words by her so much.  It proves that music heals and we are not alone.  The songs that she is creating bind us together and make this world a better place if just for a few moments.  Tell Your Ghost is now available on vinyl, CD and all streaming platforms and I implore you to get a copy immediately. More importantly be sure to go see her live when she and he group travel through your city.  Supporting live music by attending shows is the best thing you can do to not only bolster up the artists but also these lovely venues that curate these fantastic shows throughout the year.  Watching a musician like Leilani Kilgore will bring you endless happiness and solace. 

Tell Your Ghost is a well put album that leans into the rock-centric side of Kilgore and is accented with courageous words that propel this record to another level. “Ultimately, I realized that the best way to capture the sound I was looking for on the album was to produce it myself,” she says. “I wanted this record to sound like we do as a band when we play live and to capture the same energy and synergy we have when we’re on stage together. Making that happen in essentially only three days in the studio was definitely a challenge at times but I think we accomplished what we set out to do and I’m incredibly proud of the final product.” 

Also, SPOILER ALERT: Atreyu … never mind … go watch it. 

Tell Your Ghost Track Listing: 

1. ‘High/Low’ 

2. “Back to You” 

3. “Spanish Moss” 

4. “Early Grave” 

5. “Creepin’” 

6. “Burn” 

7. “Can’t Take it Back” 

8. “Wish You Were Dead” 

9. “I See Stars” 

All songs on Tell Your Ghost were written and produced by Leilani Kilgore. She is joined on the record by Jon Wisecarver (guitar), Josh Rice (bass) and David Keith (drums).