Vance Gilbert

For singer and songwriter Vance Gilbert, the destination has never meant nearly as much as the journey. Armed with a honey-sweet tenor, an impish sense of humor, and the ability to wear as many different musical hats as he can cram into his trunk full of talent, Gilbert blends blues, folk and pop, and he’s won a loyal following on the East Coast folk scene. He’s also attracted some high-profile champions, including folk songstress Shawn Colvin, who invited him to open her 1992 tour. While now reaping the rewards of burgeoning notoriety after years of busking among Boston’s countless bars and coffee-shop open-mic nights, Gilbert remains guardedly pragmatic. Nothing good comes from nothing, baby/Nothing good comes for free, he sings on “Hard To Love,” a pained blues from his latest CD, One Thru Fourteen. That’s how it goes for this whole wide world, he continues, and that’s how it goes for loving me.