Singing from the heart: Emotion guides Aurora native's music

In high school, Noah Gabriel's best friend was his guitar.

The Aurora resident had spent his childhood at public schools and he didn't know anyone at the Catholic military high school where his parents enrolled him. So instead of hanging out with other kids, he sat around playing and writing music.

"A lot of friends that I did have got into some bad stuff," he said. "A lot of my music is about watching my friends disappear."

Bob Dylan and Chris Whitley inspired Gabriel's song-writing, while he drew his guitar style from Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. The result is a mix of highly emotional and often melancholy lyrics accompanied by blues guitar.

Gabriel performs solo, with a percussionist or as part of two different bands. He also regularly collaborates with other artists, allowing him to get back to his roots as a guitar player and explore the instrument rather than focusing on building his reputation as a singer-songwriter.

"The nice thing about playing with other people is I don't have to be myself," he said. "It gives me a break from doing the Noah Gabriel thing."

Gabriel began playing guitar at age 12 after spending years watching his dad play. Guitar playing was a hobby for his father, but Gabriel knew early he wanted to make music his career.

"I don't ever see myself not playing guitar, whether I'm making money with it or not," he said. "It's like walking with me."

At age 26, Gabriel has already released three CDs: "In Aurora," "Truth, Love, Faith, and Soul" and "Crooked." His most recent work was produced in the middle of a breakup, and he said the music helped him deal with serious issues he'd never had to confront before. "Crooked" shows off his changing style, with "Grey on Grey" sounding more like a rock ballad and "Maybe We Were Wrong" integrating seaside sound effects.

While he draws from some personal experiences, Gabriel admits that he's led "a pretty straight life" and spent all of his years in one place. So he finds inspiration in other people's stories, living vicariously through them.

He also is constantly seeking out new music as inspiration in an effort to avoid having all of his songs sound the same. One of his regular haunts is Kiss the Sky, a Geneva indie record store where the owners point him in the direction of music that might suit his tastes and style.

One of Gabriel's biggest challenges has been writing upbeat music.

"When I'm in a good mood I don't want to sit down and write; I want to go out and enjoy myself," he said. "Writing has always been an exorcism to me. I tried writing happy songs but they feel unnatural. I prefer the things that come out of me, not the forced music."

Gabriel regularly performs throughout Chicago's Western suburbs, but he dreams of putting on shows in Austin, Texas. He's visited the city a few times and describes it as a music Mecca, a place where people really pay attention to a singer's lyrics.

"It seems like people aren't looking for original music much around here," he said. "The cover bands kind of run the scene."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Upcoming shows</p>

<p class="News">• 9 p.m. Saturday, May 1. at Real Time Sports Bar, 584 S. Randall Road, St Charles, (630) 513-8800</p>

<p class="News">• 10 p.m. Friday, May 7, at The House Pub, 16 S. First Ave., St. Charles, (630) 945-3479</p>