Guitar Gabby: “I want to showcase that black women bring a lot to the table, and that music can bring all of us together“

Gabriella “Guitar Gabby” Logan is many things, but lazy certainly isn’t one of ’em. The Atlanta native and proud purveyor of a trademark lime green ESP LTD M-50 FR is not only an attorney working in the music and environmental fields, she also serves as the singer, songwriter, guitarist and manager of two rock outfits, the Txlips Band and her own Guitar Gabby solo project. 

Furthermore, earlier this year both acts released full-length albums – the Txlips Band’s Prison of Life and Guitar Gabby’s Musicology – within months of each other. “It’s been an interesting journey to mix all of it,” Gabby says, “but it’s also been working for me.” 

Indeed it has. Over the past several years Gabby has made a name for herself as one of the brightest new players on the block, mixing elements of rock, metal, funk, r&b, blues and prog into a distinctive and fiery guitar stew. 

The Txlips Band’s Prison of Life leans heavily on her straightforward rock side – “it’s more grunge-driven,” she says, citing acts like Nirvana and the Foo Fighters as inspiration – while Musicology is where she lets that ESP LTD shine. “I wanted that album to be more of an instrumental expression of my writing,” she says. 

As for what that instrumental expression is, let it be said that while Gabby clearly enjoys guitar pyrotechnics – she points to Steve Vai, Jimi Hendrix and Orianthi as three of her influences – she also finds “something beautiful in simplicity,” she says. “I think all of that kind of playing is cool, but I also want to be able to connect to people on any level they’re on.”

For Gabby, connection is the key. In addition to playing music, she’s a tireless advocate and supporter of women and youth in the arts, and she works to inspire those looking to get into the industry.

“When I first started the Txlips Band, we would play for different Girls Rock camps around the world, and the joy a lot of the kids would express from seeing a band – especially a band of young girls of color – doing something that they aspire to do one day was incredible.”

In general, Gabby says, “I want to showcase that black women bring a lot to the table, and that music can bring all of us together. Hopefully my voice and my music can be a tool for unity and representation.”

• Guitar Gabby and the Txlips Band's Musicology is out now via Spinnup.