LEILANI KILGORE is a musician, songwriter, and self-proclaimed riff bandit.
The likes of Keith Richards, SRV, and Jimi Hendrix can be thanked for her initial draw to the guitar; being an only child, Leilani was envious of all the attention their music received from her father, so she thought that learning to play was the only way to divert his parental attention.
After studying classical music as a kid and mucking about in pop-punk/indie rock for a while as an angst-ridden teen, Leilani finally had the good fortune to experience the blues. She laughed, she cried, and she claims to have been absolutely enthralled by total musical metanoia.
This prompted Leilani to learn about the genre, and it wasn’t long before she was spending eight hours a day learning the songs of Albert, Freddie, and B.B. King, alongh with Hendrix and Clapton.
Leilani graduated from high school and went across the nation to attend Berklee College of Music, where she spent two years taking every blues-related elective she could while living, breathing, eating, and (rarely) sleeping the music.
After two years, she became dissatisfied and dropped out to relocate to Nashville, where she has lived and worked for the past five years.
She now performs original music under her own name and is working on new songs to perform and release while co-fronting/co-managing a Lower Broadway band known as the “Holy Lightning.”
The artist has opened for renowned acts such as Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa and The Dead Daisies (featuring Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich).
She has now released her first single of 2023 titled Get Home, which she hopes will be the first of many releases across the year. It’s a rousing ‘n’ fulminating fusillade of fiery guitar chords, burning vocals, and squelching unleashment! Yes, an offering of totally ripping guitar fury. Check it out, below…