Gheni

With a rich set of influences and life experience as his muse, Daryel Gheni Dillon debuted the three-piece Americana/roots rock band Gheni in August of 2019. From that point on, the band has become prolific within the Sacramento music scene and beyond - from the foothills to Lake Tahoe, and Vacaville to the Bay Area. Dillon’s guitar playing and powerful vocals are heavily inspired by the legends: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding to name a few, and his songs elicit a wide range of emotions for the listener.

Complementing Dillon’s music from the beginning was James Travis Rhodes, holding down the bass, and thriving within the spaces between the guitar and vocals. And while Gheni has seen its share of drummers, they found their anchor in Scott Smith, who joined the group in June of 2021, after it was discovered that he and Rhodes shared many musical commonalities in their backgrounds including favorite bands such as Rush and Dave Matthews. The synergy between the two resulted in the perfect rhythm storm, which was exactly what the band needed to rise to its potential.

The music of GHENI is the result of a lifetime of stories - from the greatest moments to some of the most trying times. Each song represents a different chapter Dillon has lived, and through them, listeners often find mutually-shared experiences that break down the wall between the storyteller and the audience, creating a mutual empathy.

The origin of GHENI can be traced to one song, “Consider Me Highway Bound,” which came about as a result of an amazing road trip with another of Dillon’s friend’s bands, inspiring him to chronicle the experience. Once the floodgates were opened with that bit of inspiration, Dillon realized that after all of the years of writing songs but with so few recorded, if he were to die tomorrow, all of his life’s most meaningful work would be lost. So with renewed urgency, Dillon recorded a video in the dining room of his home and uploaded it to Facebook in August of 2018. This was followed by another song called “Burn,” and as the inspiration continued, he soon began to attend a series of local open mics at which he found a reawakened passion for performing and storytelling.

Flash forward to today, Gheni has become a fixture at a number of venues in and around Sacramento. Most recently, the band is back in the studio working on its debut full-length album, which is expected to be released before the end of 2022.

Stay tuned as we continue to grow our presence both live, and on social media, and if you haven’t already, come and see what the buzz is all about! We look forward to seeing you at one of our live shows!