NYS Music 20​16

Category: Folk/Americana

  • Hearing Aide: Greensky Bluegrass’ “Shouted, Written Down & Quoted”

    Greensky BluegrassBluegrass is generally known for its solid Americana roots, sans drums, crammed with banjo licks, crisp acoustic guitar and deep bass tones that glue the melodies together. Greensky Bluegrass has taken the core idea of the typical bluegrass style and spiced it up with a twist of tones that bridge the gap between Americana and a rock flavor to create a perfectly balanced jam grass album.

    Shouted, Written Down & Quoted starts off with an immediate bang that captures the attention of the listener without even trying. “Miss September” dives right in, showing off the beauty of Paul Hoffman’s lyrical and vocal talent.  Heavy on mandolin, this welcome tune eases the listener into the album before “Past My Prime” turns into a more serious ride. Anders Beck dances his fingers around the dobro, creating a gritty tone that craftily weaves around banjo and guitar strokes that are masterfully injected within this track, reflecting the no holds barred attitude.

    A tender “While Waiting” winds through crisp guitar that gently carries the melody with touches of dobro and banjo, once again, dropping in just the right place, creating a beautiful tune. An energetic “Run or Die” rolls along with a quick pace before easing into one of the most tender songs they’ve ever created. “Room Without A Roof” was written by guitarist Dave Bruzza for his wife. Elegant lyrics sung in Bruzza’s deeper vocal tone practically bring the listener to tears as this polished melody is delicately moving and gracefully produced.

    Taking the listener out of the sublime trance from the previous track, “Hold On” picks up the energy at just the right time. Dripping in Michael Bont’s banjo notes that carry the tune along with bending acoustics from Beck’s dobro, this uplifting track puts a smile on the face and instinctively has toes tapping to the beat.  The album title also makes its appearance among the lyrics, so listen closely before they quickly pass by.

    The lyrics within “Merely Avoiding” paint a picture so many have experienced of starting over after moving on from a relationship. Afterwards, the hard hitting track “Living Over” rolls along with deep bass laid out by Michael Devol as clean mandolin notes play along with the guitar and intense dobro action, delivering a stellar melody crammed with an edgier rockin’ energy. “More of Me” eases along with a gentle flow. Carrying the listener on waves of emotion, the instrumental melodies sing the story as the lyrics carry the song across suspenseful ups and downs.

    Bluegrass roots are firmly planted in “Fixin’ To Ruin.” Playfully intertwining the specialties of each musician, this track is stocked solid with the classic energy bluegrass fans have come to love. “Take Cover” carries the album to a smooth finish, fittingly ending with this quick paced bluegrass tune.

    Teetering on the verge of bluegrass, jam and straight up rock, Greensky Bluegrass continues to keep fans captivated by their unique energy. The tracks off this new album leave plenty of room to stretch out and playfully explore during live performances. Don’t let the bluegrass part of their name fool you.  Listeners are in for a hell of a ride with their new album, especially when performed onstage. For more information on Greensky Bluegrass, along with dates for their upcoming winter tour, please visit their official website.

    Key Tracks: Miss September, Room Without A Roof, Living Over

  • Influential Poet, Musician, Leonard Cohen Dead at 82

    “If someone could guarantee me that the preliminaries will not be too disagreeable, I look forward to…”  This was Leonard Cohen’s response to a question asked of him in a 2009 interview with the CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi. What he was looking forward to is what ultimately happened Thursday. Poet, novelist, songwriter, Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82. His death was confirmed on his Facebook page.

    In a statement to Rolling Stone, Adam Cohen, his son and producer issued the following:

    My father passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles with the knowledge that he had completed what he felt was one of his greatest records. He was writing up until his last moments with his unique brand of humor.

    The record his son is referring to is the recently released You Want it Darker, an album hailed by the magazine as a “late career triumph.” The album was recorded as Cohen was suffering from back issues that kept him confined to the house. His son created a recording studio in the house the elder Cohen had been sharing with his daughter Lorca. The resulting album is nothing short of a beautiful goodbye.

    leonard cohenCohen’s most famous composition, “Hallelujah,” has been performed by everyone from Bob Dylan to high school choirs. The most renowned version was done by Jeff Buckley nearly a decade after it was first recorded.  The song was recorded for his 1984 album Various Positions, an album seen as not commercial enough by his label. The spiritual ballad has been so ubiquitous since Buckley brought it to the forefront that Cohen himself indicated that maybe there should be a moratorium on performing it. In the coming days, however, it is sure to appear many times over in tribute to its creator.

    Cohen began his career as a musician later in life than most of his contemporaries. He was a highly regarded poet and novelist, but was unable to parlay that into a career. So he turned to music in an attempt to make a living through his writing.  His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen was released in 1967, when he was 33 years old. His song “Suzanne” from his debut, was recorded by Judy Collins as well as many other artists, launching his musical career.

    Known among his fans as “The Godfather of Gloom,” Cohen still possessed a sardonic wit, once suggesting that perhaps his label should give away razor blades with his albums. Despite the grim and somber tone of his work, he influenced not only his contemporaries but a generation of pop musicians to follow. According to the New York Times, his work has been recorded over 2,000 times by everyone from the aforementioned Dylan, Collins and Buckley to Elton John, U2 and R.E.M.

    Cohen was born in Montreal on Sept. 21, 1934 to Nathan and Masha Klonitzky, his father a Polish emigre, his mother the daughter of a Lithuanian Rabbi. His father, a clothier, died when Cohen was nine years old, leaving a trust fund that allowed Cohen to pursue his writing interests.

    He enrolled at McGill University, studying English. Upon graduation, he spent time pursuing a graduate degree with little satisfaction, likening it to “passion without flesh, love without climax.”

    Cohen’s eventual move to the U.S. fostered the musical career he sought. He became a member of Andy Warhol’s inner circle and began to achieve success as a touring musician throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. Always a spiritual, if not necessarily religious man, Cohen chose to retreat to the Mt. Baldy Zen Center in the Los Angeles area in 1994, becoming an ordained Zen Buddhist monk in 1996.

    leonard cohenFollowing his five year retreat, Cohen again returned to the studio in 1999. The result was the 2001 album Ten New Songs. He continued writing, recording and touring through the early years of the 21st century. A bitter legal dispute with his former manager Kelley Lynch, however, left him financially strapped.

    In 2008, he embarked on an extensive tour, mainly out of financial necessity. Between 2008 and 2010, Cohen performed all over the world without rest. Stops on his tour included New Zealand, Canada, Europe and performances at the Glastonbury and Coachella Festivals.

    Cohen often referred to his career as a three-act play. Thursday night, the curtain was drawn on the final act of this legendary career. His final album was released in October and is a fitting cap on the life of a true Renaissance man.

    “He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them”

  • North Country Roots Rockers, Waydown Wailers on the Grammy Ballot

    Canton’s Waydown Wailers appear on the ballot for three Grammy award nominations, all stemming from their latest album Empty Promises.

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    The Waydown Wailers sophomore album Empty Promises, released earlier this year, is on the Grammy nomination ballot for Best Americana Album. Their song “Jealousy” off the album is on the ballot for Best Americana Roots Song, and their cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic “Susie Q,” which appears as a bonus track on the album, is on the ballot for Best Americana Roots Performance. Only five finalists will receive nominations in each category, selected by the voting members of the Recording Academy.

    The band consists of brother Dave and Christian “Moe” Parker, both on guitar with Dave on lead vocals, along with Michael “Scruffy” Scriminger on drums and percussion and Connor Pelkey on bass and vocals. They released their debut album, State of the Union, in 2013. They plan to begin recording their third album later this month.

    The Waydown Wailers have a couple performances coming up in New York. They’ll play the Westcott Theatre in Syracuse on Friday, Nov. 18 with Donna the Buffalo and Annie in the Water. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. They also make a hometown appearance on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at the Stadium Sports Bar in Canton with special guests the Gathering. This show starts at 7:00 p.m.

  • Nietzche’s Treats Buffalo to First ‘Folkfest’ Across Five Days Next Week

    This Fall, Nietzche’s debuts their first ever “Folkfest,” a 5-day festival featuring 48 musical acts from Wednesday, Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 13.

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    Folkfest is a follow up to a successful Jazz-Fest this past spring, and a new direction for Allentown and Nietzche’s that aims to bring together a wide range of musicians, including local faces and nationally touring acts.

    Wednesday

    Music will kick off on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. with Tyler Westcott and his trio performing gypsy jazz and old-time swing. The headliner on Wednesday, Folkfaces, will take the stage at 11:00 p.m. Folkfaces, a local Buffalo band, is known for their energetic, whiskey-drinking Americana music, fused with beautiful ballads. Music will go until 1:00 a.m., alternating sets between the main stage in the back, and the front barroom. Other acts on Wednesday include Sam Marabella & band, The Brothers Blue and Nickel City String Band.

    Thursday

    Thursday is a Singer-Songwriter Showcase, with 15 performances over the course of the night! Each set will be 20 minutes long, with music kicking off at 8:00 p.m. and going until 1:00 a.m. The showcase will feature new artists and well-known local faces to the Buffalo music scene, including Bobby Angel, Joe Bellanti, Jungle Steve, Jack Topht, and Jeff Goldstein.

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    Joe Bellanti

    Friday

    Friday will feature both local artist and touring acts, and will begin with a happy hour led by The Neville Francis Band. The Shelf Life String Band will kick the night off at 10:00 p.m. in the front barroom. Rear View Ramblers, the first headliner of the night, will then take the main stage at 10:30 p.m.

    Rear View Ramblers draw inspiration for their sound directly from Buffalo, playing music that reflects “struggling days being young and broke, to playing music in Allentown and the Elmwood Village, to finding true love in a dive bar on the most random occasions.”

    The Observers takes the stage at 11:30 p.m. in the front barroom, taking you on a journey of the human experience through music. The next headliner, nationally touring act, DiTrani Brothers, begins at 12:30 a.m. on the main stage.

    DiTrani Brothers, Bobby and Walker, originally hail from North Bend, Washington, but began traveling coast to coast with their songs in 2013. Since then, the duo has evolved into a full band, complete with Dana Hubanks on washtub bass, and Eddie Gaudet on drums. Together, the band plays originals inspired by ragtime, Roma swing, and the traditions of these genres. After DiTrani Brothers, Friday’s music wraps up with a final performance in the front barroom at 1:30am from TCBand.

    Saturday

    Saturday’s festivities with the first headlining act of the evening, The Steam Donkeys, performing at 8:30 p.m. on the main stage. With a long and well documented history as one of Buffalo’s longest standing country rock/folk outfits, The Steam Donkeys have seen their fair share, with multiple national tours, album releases, and lineup changes since its formation in 1991.

    Local acts Catskill Mountain Boys and Rob Falgiano continue the party, before headliner Tough Old Bird hits the front barroom at 10:30 p.m. Formed in Fillmore, NY by songwriting brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan, Tough Old Bird provides a blend of authentic folk and blues that create a vision of the rural landscape it comes from. The group features a mix of electric guitar, accordion, harmonica, and acoustics that provide a sound that is at once both ancient and modern.

    Seth Faergolzia’s 23 Psaegz follows Tough Old Bird with a set at 11:30 p.m. on the main stage. Touted as the 2010 successor to Seth Faergolzia’s 13-year project, Dufus, 23 Psaegz carries on the warm, weird legacy of Dufus by “stretching the boundaries of musical experience with unmatched craze and care”. Although the group was originally formed to perform Seth’s puppet-rock-opera “23 Psaegz”, it carried on to eventually become a collaborative backing ensemble for Faergolzia’s web of musical endeavors.

    After a performance in the front barroom by Twenty Thousand Strongmen, final headliner of the evening, PA Line, will wrap up Saturday night on the main stage at 1:00 a.m. PA Line exhibits an original performance with musical styles ranging from Mumford and Sons, to Simon and Garfunkel. Each performance aims to get the feet dancing and create intimate emotional connections between artists and fan.

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    PA Line

    Sunday

    After such a headliner-packed Saturday night, Sunday’s music starts in the early afternoon, with Michael Faltyn kicking off on the main stage at 2:00 p.m. Performers alternate between the front barroom and main stage until the festival concludes with the weekend’s final performance by Ann Phillippone at 6:00 p.m.

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    Ann Philippone

    Singer-songwriters Kathryn Koch and Sam Sugarman will provide support for the headliner for the evening, Tiny Rhymes, who will perform at 5 p.m. on the main stage. Tiny Rhymes is a folk group that draws more inspiration from the classical, chamber, and indie worlds than the country of bluegrass realm of folk. On Tiny Rhymes’ song-writing abilities, Artvoice writes, “Some people like to write songs while others tell stories. Vocalist/guitarist Sharon Mok tells her audience a story. Her voice floats beautifully above the acoustic sounds of her ‘chamber-folk’ band only to be matched with the soothing sounds of cello and violin.” The group features members all classically trained, but remaining instinctive in their composition and arranging choices.

  • Beaucoup Blue Provides the Elixir

    Elixir /ih-lik-ser/ noun – a panacea; cure-all; sovereign remedy

    Elixir is also the title of the soon to be released CD by Beaucoup Blue featuring a cover photograph of an antique elixir bottle from their hometown of Philadelphia. The father and son duo of David and Adrian Mowry, known as Beaucoup Blue, performed October 21st at the Nelson Odeon in Nelson, New York. Their repertoire covered familiar themes of trains, tramps, trouble, troubadours, true love gone wrong, and truth as they see it. David, the elder of the duo, switched often between what appeared to be a vintage Guild guitar and a gorgeous Dobro resonator. Mixing slide guitar with a finger-picking style, thumb-strumming, and percussive gestures, he wrangled an impressive range of sounds from his instruments. He and his son Adrian traded lead vocals on songs that each, respectively, wrote with Adrian adding rhythm guitar and melodic flourishes on David’s songs. brian-cornish-beaucoup-blue-002

    Highlights of their own pieces were “Rounder,” “Hurry Down My Holley,” and “Lonely at the Top.” Particularly noteworthy was hearing how their selections of cover tunes were both respectful to the original songs and revised just enough to be their own enjoyable versions. These included Charlie Poole’s “If the River Was Whiskey (Hesitation Blues),” Tampa Red’s “It Hurts Me Too,” their closing song, “Rainy Night in Georgia,” written by Tony Joe White, and the encore, Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train.” They have an easy rapport with each other and their audience. Listeners were engaged throughout the night’s two sets lasting two hours, ten minutes. Beaucoup Blue reminded the audience that music can indeed be an elixir. Merci, Beaucoup.

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    A journey to the Nelson Odeon to hear live music is not only a treat for the ears but an eye-opener as well in learning how a distinctly different performance space operates. Owners Jeff and Linda Schoenfeld are now in their seventh year operating the former Grange Hall. It is a small, comfortable venue with a capacity of perhaps one hundred fifty. Wood floors, walls and ceiling provide a rich warm sound, managed superbly well by Ralph Meitz, the sound engineer. Ralph and the performers are the only people who are paid. A team of volunteers takes tickets, arranges seating, and manages a small concession area offering soft drinks, baked goods, coffee and tea. Artists and fans meet, mingle, and chat before and between sets and following the evening’s performance. The Schoenfelds have cultivated a loyal group of supporters by presenting a diverse array of acts that might be less well known, but are certainly not lesser talent than might appear elsewhere. They do so by having a relaxed atmosphere with few rules, treating everyone nicely, and doing all they can for the performers, including housing them in their home down the street and providing home cooked meals. These gestures are greatly appreciated by road-weary musicians used to long miles, cookie cutter hotel rooms, and scrambling to grab something to eat and head to the next show. It is a formula that has allowed the Schoenfelds to pay the bills and keep both patrons and performers happy and looking forward to returning. Central New York music fans should check the Nelson Odeon schedule and make it a point to attend a show or two.

  • Warren Haynes’ 28th Annual Christmas Jam to Feature ‘The Last Waltz’

    The hardest working man in rock and roll revealed the lineup for his annual Christmas party Thursday. The show takes place at the U.S. Cellular arena in Warren Haynes’ hometown of Asheville, NC on Dec. 10. A line-up loaded with talent features Haynes’ main vehicle, Gov’t Mule headlining, along with a who’s who of musicians celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Band’s final show as The Last Waltz Band.

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    Haynes started the Christmas Jam in 1988 at a local Asheville club as a benefit for local charities. For the past 18 years, he has used it as a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. As of last year, the Jam has raised over $1.8 million for the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

    The 2016 version of the Christmas Jam happens Dec. 10 and is guaranteed to sell out quickly. Pre-sale tickets are available at noon Monday Oct. 24 with VIP packages also available. General sale begins Nov. 1. General admission tickets are $63 and a limited number of reserved seats are available for $73.

    Performers this year, in addition to Gov’t Mule, include Bob Weir, Michael McDonald and Jamey Johnson with Alison Krauss.  The Last Waltz Band features Haynes, McDonald, Johnson, Don Was, John Medeski and Terrence Higgins.

    Other special guests scheduled to appear include Branford Marsalis, George Porter, Jr., Steve Kimock, Marcus King, Kevn Kinney, Audley Freed, “Steady Rollin’” Bob Margolin and Mike Barnes.

    For more information on this year’s event, visit the Jam’s website.  And while you’re mulling over whether you should attend, take a gander at this stellar version of “Stormy Monday” featuring Gregg Allman from the 2013 Jam.

  • Hearing Aide: Shovels and Rope “Little Seeds”

    Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, better known as Shovels and Rope, pour their hearts out in the newest release, Little Seeds. What I found so fascinating about the album was the fact that they were able to touch upon so many different types of folk and Americana music, but still manage to paint a light coat of something distinctly them. While the songs may sound incredibly different from beginning to end, the duo’s gently massaged track selection presents an incredibly supple flow that highlights their talent and eclectic taste.

    The first and second tracks introduce a band that is confident, gritty and loud! While some of the later songs may be appropriate for a quiet evening of snuggling up with your honey, “I Know” and “Botched Execution” would be more suitable for a late night party with some of your closest friends. It isn’t until the third track, “St. Anne’s Parade,” where we step into the chill zone with the soothing vocal harmonies and soft, simple acoustics that frequently drift into Little Seeds. I would consider this “soulful Americana” as Hearst and Trent passionately belt out the well-written lyrics.

    “The Last Hawk” picks the tempo up in the most pleasant way and reassures the listener that this album is going to stylistically take us for a ride. As much as this studio project was about their personal experiences, many Upstate New Yorkers will connect with the references to Woodstock and Saugerties in this particular story. “Mourning Song” has a lyrical structure similar to that of a traditional Irish folk tune and tells the tale of a grieving wife’s connection with her deceased lover through music. The theme of birth and death and all that we feel in between is presented throughout Little Seeds, but the duo’s songwriting ability is so hardy that the same concepts are presented in such unique and different ways.

    “Johnny Come Outside” is another one of the calmer, thought provoking numbers which has a hook resembling Bob Dylan’s widely covered “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” Where Dylan has had an influence on generations of folk, blues and Americana artists, Shovels & Rope are planting the seeds that will grow into the next garden of fresh young sonic storytellers. “San Andreas Fault Line Blues” introduces us to yet another taste of bluesy gospel music, but this time one can hear Johnny Cash casting his light on the duo’s lyrical approach. “BWYR” is a haunting and topical song that profoundly delivers the ugly messages of racial injustices in a world where all we need is some peace. The faint sounds of police sirens whisper in the background of this enlightening and important piece of poetry. “Eric’s Birthday” seamlessly fades into the last track, “This Ride,” and delivers the euphoric reminder of life and love before sending us all on our way.

    Whether you have just given birth to a new child or have recently lost someone, Little Seeds will help you reflect. Ever experience loneliness, bliss, heartache or confusion? Listen to this album. If you enjoy gathering around the campfire with family and friends or spending the day alone in a busy city, this release is for you. Filled with powerful messages, spiritual symbolism, and deeply expressed life lessons, Shovels & Rope have created a robust collection of songs that you can play in front of your grandparents, your grandchildren and everyone that you meet along the way.

    Key Tracks: St. Anne’s Parade, The Last Hawk, Johnny Come Outside

  • Jason Isbell Takes Syracuse to Church

    Three stained glass windows hung behind Jason Isbell and his band as they took the stage Thursday night at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse. The lit windows showed birds around an anchor, perhaps in reference to the second song of the set, “Stockholm” with it’s lyric “Ships in the harbor and birds on the bluff / Don’t move an inch when their anchor goes up.” Whatever the interpretation, one thing was for sure, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Sadler Vaden on guitar, Jimbo Hart on bass, Derry DeBorja on keyboards, Chad Gamble on drums) were taking the theater to church, and they were reading from the Book of Isbell.

    The show didn’t consist of too many extended rock outs though the musicians proved more than worthy of taking a song out to the woodshed on occasion, most notably for the bombastic guitar-fueled “Never Gonna Change” set closer. No, the highlighted items here were the songs, and o, what songs! Isbell’s last two albums, 2013’s Southeastern and last year’s Something More Than Free were met with much critical and award-winning acclaim. But no one needed the critics to tell them that they were witnessing the work of one of the greatest songwriters on the scene today.

    The congregation sat in their pews, quietly attentive. They knew all the songs by heart, but they were there to hear Isbell’s voice sing Isbell’s words about Isbell’s life. His songs may be personal in genesis but, as with any great poetry, they are written to relate to any of its readers and listeners.brian-cornish-jason-isbell-07

    After lines of particular significance, the crowd would cheer loudly in approval. Amen! On the particularly poignant performance of “Cover Me Up,” with Isbell taking the stage solo for the first half, the audience was raucous after every single line. The rest of the band re-entered the stage one by one as the song built to a furious finish before some heavy mallet hits knocked it back down. The crowd weren’t the only ones to feel the power on that one. “Hell, let’s do that one again!” bellowed Isbell.

    One enjoyable story was of the traditional spoken word variety. Isbell recounted the story of the band’s beginnings. He had been kicked out of his house and called up his good friend Jimbo Hart for a place to stay. He ended up sleeping in his kitchen on a futon he purchased for just that purpose. A few months later he also got kicked out of his band, the Drive-by Truckers. So he asked Hart if he wanted to be in his band. Hart again said yes and here they were, still playing music together.

    In thanking tour mate Josh Ritter, Isbell said that Ritter’s on stage smiley personality was how he was off stage as well. “He’s either reading a different issue of the news than me or I’m just doing it wrong,” he quipped. Indeed, Ritter and his band (Mark Erelli on guitar, Zack Hickman on bass, Ray Rizzo on drums) played a joyful 45 minute opening set filled with his own brand of folk songs.

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    Unfortunately, they experienced some technical difficulties when the PA cut out, emitting a droning electronic beat. With the sound cut, the band went fully acoustic, and stood at the front of the stage for a two song un-mic’d performance. As a testament to both the acoustics of the beautiful old theater and the pure talent of the musicians on stage, they pulled it off perfectly, even producing the highlight of the set. To hear completely unfiltered voices and instruments come together is a rare treat, particularly in a venue of this size. It is always interesting to see how musicians will handle adversity during their set and, ever the optimist, Ritter made lemonade out of lemons.

    Jason Isbell Setlist: Flying Over Water, Stockholm, 24 Frames, Outfit, Decoration Day, Traveling Alone, How To Forget, Different Days, Codeine, Elephant, Alabama Pines, Cover Me Up, If It Takes a Lifetime, Something More Than Free, Never Gonna Change E: Speed Trap Town, Super 8, Children of Children

    Josh Ritter Setlist: Monster Ballads, Me & Jiggs, Cry Softly, Girl in the Water (acoustic, un-mic’d), Snow is Gone (acoustic, un-mic’d), ?, Henrietta Indiana, Long Shadows, When Will I Be Changed

  • Bob Dylan Awarded 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature

    The Swedish Academy announced today that it will award the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” The announcement breaks with convention, as past recipients of the prize have composed primarily in one or more of the traditional genres of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, or drama.

    According to the New York Times story by Altar, Chan, and Sisario, “the Nobel comes with a prize of eight million Swedish kronor, or just over $900,000. The literature prize is given for a lifetime of writing rather than for a single work.” Dylan is the first American to receive the honor since Toni Morrison in 1993.

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    Photo by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

    Dylan is widely recognized as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, having been inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, while receiving twelve Grammy awards, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a special citation from the Pulitzer prize committee, Kennedy Center honors, a National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom along the way. With this capstone achievement, Dylan has indubitably fulfilled the destiny many of his fellow musicians ascribed to him long ago. As Jerry Garcia had it, “Dylan gave rock n’ roll the thing I’d wished it had when I was a kid—respectability, some authority. He took it out of the realm of ignorant guys banging away on electric instruments and put it somewhere else altogether.” Though Garcia did not live to see it, we now know that ‘somewhere else altogether’ is to be among the planet’s foremost creators and thinkers in the annals of the Swedish Academy.

    Bob Dylan was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941 in Duluth, MN, and was subsequently raised in nearby Hibbing, MN. At the age of nineteen, he cut out for Greenwich Village with a few songs and a guitar, a wannabe folk singer following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie. It was during this time, while performing at coffeehouses like the Gaslight Café and the Café Wha? that he honed his songwriting talent, cultivated his creative persona, and whetted his deft delivery to a razor-sharp edge. With the help of famed producer John Hammond, he released his eponymous debut in 1962. Its follow-up, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan came out in 1963, and when the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded the timeless single “Blowin’ in the Wind,” it skyrocketed to number two on the Billboard charts, thus catapulting Bob Dylan into the American consciousness. In August of 1963, at the age of twenty-two, Dylan, accompanied by Joan Baez, performed “When the Ship Comes In” and “Only a Pawn In Their Game” at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom just before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

    Over the course of his decades-long career, Dylan has confounded audiences at every turn. In 1965 he took the Newport Folk Festival by storm, toppling the acoustic expectations of the folk enthusiasts in a blaze of electric guitar-driven guerrilla rock heretofore unknown, declaring “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more,” and taking the whole of pop music with him. In 1966, during the height of a hugely successful foray into electric rock, which saw the release of Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde, following a devastating motorcycle crash, he disappeared from the scene altogether, holing up with The Band in Woodstock, NY to work on The Basement Tapes in secrecy, which would not be released until 1975. Of this period, Allen Ginsberg said, “He was writing shorter lines, with every line meaning something. Each line had to advance the story, bring the song forward…There was to be no wasted language, no wasted breath.”

    Photo by Billy Name, 1963
    Photo by Billy Name, 1963

    More surprises followed in the coming decades, as Dylan went on to record a country album, 1969’s Nashville Skyline, score and star in the 1970 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, and embrace a Christian rock phase, during which he released Slow Train Coming in 1979 and Saved in 1980. And in the years leading up to and following the turn of the millennium, Dylan experienced a profound reemergence as a supremely influential songwriter, albeit in a decidedly more jaded, wise, and curatorial register than that of his younger self’s high-strung psychedelic prophecies. His influence spread for the first time to a younger generation in search of stability in insoluble times, and for the second time for an older generation having grown decidedly jaded, wise, and curatorial themselves. Oh Mercy (1989), Time Out of Mind (1997), Love and Theft (2001), Modern Times (2006), Together Through Life (2009), and The Tempest (2012) form the canon for the latter half of Dylan’s recording career, which he has dutifully supported on his “Never Ending Tour,” which has been going strong since 1988. In keeping with tradition, Dylan has continued to defy expectations over the last few years by releasing a trio of classic cover albums, taking on tunes mostly from the traditional Christmas and Sinatra catalogues.

    In addition to a prolific songwriting career, Dylan is a recognized painter, poet, scriptwriter, and memoirist. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and featured in his Drawn Blank series, his experimental prose-poetry piece, Tarantula, appeared in 1971, a compilation titled “Writings and Drawings” was released in 1973, and his memoirs, Chronicles, came out in 2004.

    In what has been a strange and unsurprising autumn already, the announcement of Bob Dylan, a simple song and dance man, as the newest Nobel laureate in literature comes as yet another strange unsurpise. Strange in that, like most aging institutions, we are here to stand witness to the dissolution of the borders and guidelines that have so far constituted the Nobel prize for literature; yet unsurprising because Bob Dylan’s mystic oral erudition is so worthy and deserving of this honor, despite having immigrated from a genre far, far away. Perhaps Kris Kristofferson, the songwriter, actor, Rhodes scholar, and William Blake expert, offered the best summary of Dylan’s body of work, proclaiming, “His songs take us to another level. He is absolutely a poet. He made songwriting into an art form, and made it worthy of committing your soul to.”

    For more information, including tour dates and tickets, check out bobdylan.com, and for a full list of this year’s Nobel laureates visit nobelprize.org.

    And if you need “something to open a new door / to show you something you seen before / but overlooked a hundred times or more,” then enjoy Bob Dylan’s spoken word performance, “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie,” from 1963.

    bob Dylan Nobel Prize

  • Set Up Like a Bowling Pin: JRAD Knocks Down the Brooklyn Bowl Run

    If the Brooklyn Bowl ever decides to create a Hall of Fame, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) can be sure to add “Fall Ball 2” to their list of accomplishments. As Saturday night wrapped up the sold out three-show run for this incredible quintet, I will non-apologetically say that they are the most important “cover band” in the world and are potentially better than anything Grateful Dead related today. The Bowl was where they capitalized on their first run as a newly developed powerhouse and years later, this all-star side project has become nationally recognized and a force to be reckoned with.

    “Blues for Allah” welcomed the crowd to the show. The Dead rarely performed the spacey and complex composition live, which JRAD seems to greet as a challenge and ambitiously took the “Blues” to another level before stepping into a starry “Eyes of the World.”   A delicate transition into “Minglewood Blues” was highlighted by Scott Metzger’s fiery guitar solo turning into the first fist-pumping barn-burner of the night. The band slowly eased into “The Wheel” with an extended jam taken over by Tom Hamilton in between the first and second verses. I couldn’t help getting chills as the five pieces screamed out the lyrics “bound to cover just a little more ground.” Observing the usual peaks and valleys of “The Wheel” from a viewpoint that only JRAD could capture was truly a magical experience and one of the highlights of the first set.  The breathtaking transition into “Ramble On Rose” got the predictable crowd explosion as “just like New York City” was sung to their hometown audience. There was a Tom Hamilton lyrical mishap but with the room in a trance, nobody seemed to give a flying flub.

    Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” was technically the night’s first cover that this cover band covered (make sense?). The cowboy song gave the thirsty crowd a few short minutes to grab a beer before returning for the otherworldly “Morning Dew.” The unusually energetic intro to the tune made some Heads scratch their beards but the euphoric meltdown in the middle orchestrated by Joe Russo’s team-captain drumming leadership was as mellow as it gets on a Saturday night. The always-powerful refrain was given some extra juice by Dave Dreiwitz’s bass bombs shaking the rafters as the first set came to an impressive close.

    The second set got asses shaking right off the bat with “Crazy Fingers” and I am pretty sure you could actually smell the reggae influenced magic in the air. Another incredibly silky transition led to the monster “Truckin’” and once again the crowd showed some extra excitement in the lyrical reference to New York. The band also got a kick out the lyrics “set up like a bowling pin” which was evident by their ear-to-ear smiles as they exchanged glances. Joe Russo instigated a quick “The Other One” tease to keep the set list note takers on their feet, but the scribes weren’t disappointed with the next rarity, Donny Hathaway’s “Magnificent Sanctuary Band” popularly performed by the Jerry Garcia Band.

    “Help On The Way> Slipknot” was the jazzy cherry on top of the second set sundae and gave Marco Benevento a chance to have his wings spread bright on the organ. Where Hamilton vocally shined during the first section, Benevento added a haunting solo during the thick of the jam. While many came to expect a glowing and upbeat “Franklin’s Tower” to be the other piece of bread to this incomplete sandwich, Benevento and Russo teamed up to create an eerie transition into “Estimated Prophet” which was reminiscent of an early Pink Floyd sample. Benevento used an effect that sounded like a spaceship in Atari’s Galaga being abducted by a larger spacecraft and the retro noise was very suitable at this point in the night. The first guest appearance came during the set closer as Chris Harford (Band of Changes) joined the boys for Neil Young’s “Hippie Dream” off the 1986 album, Landing on Water.  The gritty and bluesy piece gave each member the instrumental spotlight for a moment before they stepped off stage.

    The encore was an unannounced nod to a long time friend and JRAD enthusiast that recently passed away. “He Was a Friend Of Mine”, a traditional folk song popularized by Bob Dylan was performed acoustically as the members displayed their first sorrowful tone on stage since “Morning Dew.” This version is not to be confused with the “He Was a Friend of Mine” cited in Grateful Dead set lists throughout the mid to late 1960’s and felt more like something you may hear off a Garcia/ Grisman compilation. While the somber acoustic tune mourned the loss of a loved one, “Not Fade Away” celebrated their friend’s life and memory. The boys were back on their electric instruments as half the crowd “air keyed” along with Marco. Seasoned Deadheads began the “Not Fade Away” ending clap-chant combo along with the band, which echoed for a solid five minutes even after they left the stage. Security opened the exits encouraging fans to leave, but the community energy was keeping everyone warm inside and sure enough, the group came back for a surprise second encore, “Bertha” to cap off an incredible evening.

    As the house music played and the audience finally began to exit the venue, I couldn’t help but stare at the vintage poster that has hung above the side doors since the early days of the Brooklyn Bowl. While the band’s title bares the description “Almost Dead” the words next to this mystical werewolf poster read “Real, Alive” and after a throw down like Saturday night, I think we can all side with the wolf.

    Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is covering a little more ground at the Brooklyn Bowl on December 29th before taking a short trip north for their two night New Year’s run at the Capitol Theatre on December 30th and 31st. Tickets are going fast and after this past weekend they are sure to sell out soon!