Tag: bob dylan

Artist of the Month: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

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One trailblazing band is paying tribute to a true folk hero with Dirt Does Dylan, a new album by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The collection covers 10 favorites by Bob Dylan with guests such as Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle, Jason Isbell, and The War and Treaty. Singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and drummer Jimmie Fadden, among the group’s co-founders in 1966, are joined by longtime bandmate Bob Carpenter and three new members: fiddler Ross Holmes, singer-songwriter and bass player Jim Photoglo, and singer-guitarist Jaime Hanna (Jeff’s son). They’ve previewed the May 20 project with videos for “I Shall Be Released” (featuring Larkin Poe) as well as a new performance clip of “Forever Young.”

On that poetic track, Jeff Hanna takes the first verse and Jaime Hanna follows with the second. “Since it started as a song Bob sang to his son, us doing it as a father-son thing, too, came out really cool,” says Jaime Hanna. “Dad singing to me, ‘May your wishes all come true’ and then me singing, ‘May you have a strong foundation’ to him. Yeah, Dylan, he’s a pretty good writer, that guy.”

Look for two interviews in the weeks ahead from the Dirt Band, our BGS Artist of the Month in May. First, they’ll discuss their roots and longevity — in fact, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of their seminal album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. Later in the month, we’ll dig further into Dirt Does Dylan, exploring how that iconic songwriter shaped the band’s music.

Of course, at the Bluegrass Situation, we’ve been fans of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for the duration. We published a retrospective about the first Circle album in 2016. Then in 2019, Hanna spoke to BGS about Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume Two, sometimes referred to as Circle 2. (A third volume followed in 2002.) Naturally we’ve covered Dylan as well, from a look at Love and Theft to selecting 15 bluegrass covers from his esteemed catalog.

We certainly agree with the Dirt Band and Dylan that the times they are a changin’, but we will say that some music never goes out of style. Please enjoy our BGS Essentials playlist for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band below.

Photo Credit: Jeff Fasano

BGS 5+5: River Whyless

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Artist: River Whyless
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Latest Album: Monoflora

All answers by Ryan O’Keefe

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Being the son of some hippies, and growing up in the woods of Maine, the folk singers from the ’60s and ’70s were pretty much on constant rotation in my house. Mitchell, Dylan, Baez, Collins and many more filled the space between the cedar walls of the small cabin my folks built. Though the calluses on my mothers fingers had long since softened, she still strummed the tunes of her youth on the Ibanez she had carried around Australia with her from 1971 to 1973. So it was one of the great pleasures of my life to place the call to my parents, letting them know that we would indeed be playing at the Newport Folk Festival. Elated, we got them tickets and set up a weekend for them to come down and watch their son on the very stage that had influenced so much of their lives.

We played an early set. An unknown band, brought in from North Carolina to perform at the fort and no idea if anyone was going to show up. They did. The most eager, dedicated crowd we’ve ever performed for. Thousands packed inside and outside of the tent that cradled the stage. We performed in a blur and time floated by and we just kinda let ourselves get swept downstream. It all ended with an encore, a standing crowd and us lingering on the stage that had given us so much life in such a short period of time. When we finally did walk off, Jay (the director of the festival) clapped us on the back and said welcome to the family. It struck me that that family I was now a part of included the artists who made those very records that I grew up listening to in the quilted cabin in Maine.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

During the pandemic, when all our tours were canceled, I teamed up with my good friend Israel, and we started making elaborate meals cooked strictly outdoors. I suppose at the time we wanted to get our friends together in a safe way and so this was our solution. The first meal was cochinita pibil, a Yucatan classic of slow-cooked pork shoulder wrapped in banana leaves cooked in a pit in the ground. Next, Justin Ringle from the band Horse Feathers, came into town and we reconfigured the pibil pit to make jerk chicken. The most recent dinner was a stew cooked in a five-gallon cauldron over an open flame. Music has always been around, of course, and Israel plays the uilleann pipes so I have been trying my hand at some traditional Irish guitar. We stumble our way through a couple jigs and reels but anything sounds good when you’re cooking five gallons of stew in a cauldron, outside, with your friends.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

I was a late bloomer musically. I really didn’t start playing guitar until I met Alex, our drummer, in college at Appalachian State University. He sparked my true musical awakening and, in his dorm room, we devoured angsty indie rock and pop records from the early 2000s. Bright Eyes, Mates of State, The Decemberists. I wanted to learn the songs so Alex and I could play music together. I picked up guitar but was awful at learning covers so I just started writing my own songs. I think shortly after that I realized that writing music, in particular, was my calling. I didn’t know if I’d be any good, but I knew that I lost myself in the craft. And that’s all I can ask for.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

Songs generally come out of the blue. At least the good ones. I have hundreds of pieces of songs saved in voice memos that have long since been forgotten. I think a lot of them have potential but the moment has been lost. For me, it’s imperative that I stop everything and just work on a song when it “comes.” That first session with a new idea is the most important time for the life of a song. With all that being said, I don’t follow my own advice nearly enough. I get distracted, or have some other obligation, which happens more and more the older I get. But there are songs, just pieces that just continue to nag at me and refuse to sink quietly into the depths of my phone. The song “Oil Skin” off our new album comes to mind. The first line, “When I was a child my mother would bathe me in the sink, pull the oil from my skin” has been kicking around my head for years. We tried to make a song of it on We All the Light and then again on Kindness a Rebel. But it wasn’t until we sat down to write Monoflora that the song finally found a home. I think it was Dan who suggested that we switch the groove from a waltz to a straight 4/4 beat. We left the vocal melody resembling the original waltz and that was the key. It has a subtle trippy cadence that I wouldn’t have naturally thought of. It still took some work but we had unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I live in the woods. I spend most of my time at my house with my wife and daughter. The only neighbor I can see is Alex, our drummer. So the North Carolina mountains are everything to me at this point. They are so infused in my life that I can’t separate myself from them at all. I hike everyday on old logging roads out back of my house with my daughter on my back and my dog at my side. Often I take it for granted. I try not to, but it’s inevitable. It influences every part of my writing because it influences every part of me.

Photo Credit: Molly Milroy

MIXTAPE: Jesse Terry’s Pure Seventies Troubadour Gold

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I’m not sure what it is about this era that has permanently ensnared my soul. Perhaps the raw, confessional nature of the troubadour has always reassured me that I am not alone. These are the songs that made me abandon my fine art career at the age of 18 and embark on a lifelong quest to appease the songwriting gods. The fact that all of these songs can be fully delivered with one instrument and one voice has always amazed and inspired me. It was wonderful to record a few of these classics on my current EP, Seventies Roots, part of a double album of covers that I’m releasing in February 2022 called Forget-Me-Nots. — Jesse Terry

Joni Mitchell – “A Case of You”

Was there any doubt it would start with Joni and a song off her masterpiece, Blue? I put Joni in a Jimi Hendrix-type category, where it feels like the artist was transported from outer space, in perfect revolutionary form. Her songs, chord progressions, lyrics and vocals have always been otherworldly to me. It was thrilling to record this song on my Seventies Roots EP. Actually it was intimidating, but in the end I love the song too much not to do it.

James Taylor – “Fire and Rain”

The blueprint for confessional, honest songwriting. It’s awesome to hear JT tell the story behind the song and know that he put every last personal detail into his lyrics. This inspired me to be vulnerable and completely open in my writing. Nobody sings or plays like JT. And to this day, if I’m having a rough go of it, I blast his records and let that warm voice console me.

Jackson Browne – “For a Dancer”

Another true original with an unmatched voice and sense of melody. I think Jackson is without a doubt one of the best lyricists of all time. His lyrics and melodies flow effortlessly off the tongue and never tire.

Bruce Springsteen – “Growin’ Up”

Springsteen is a legendary rocker and performer. But what really impresses me about the Boss is his songwriting. All of his anthems can be stripped down to an acoustic guitar and still deliver with the same emotion. There aren’t many songwriters that can paint pictures like Springsteen. With him, you’re not just listening to the song, you’re IN the song or maybe even one of the characters.

Carole King – “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”?

Like all of the truly great songwriters, her songs transcend and feel universal and timeless. This song feels perfect, whether you’re listening to Carole’s version or The Shirelles.

Tom Waits – “Shiver Me Timbers”

A truly masterful and utterly unique songwriter. Waits writes about characters and tells stories better than anyone. His lyrics and penchant for perfect timing are well-known, but I also adore Tom Waits’ gift for melody and harmony. His melodies break my heart and are married flawlessly to the lyrics.

Paul Simon – “American Tune”

If you created a singer-songwriter in a lab it would be Paul Simon. Some of the most endearing lyrics and melodies of all time. His songs are so perfect, it’s easy to overlook his guitar playing and singing, which are equally remarkable. Music schools often try to dissect his songs to display the craft of songwriting, but I get the sense that this magic simply flowed out of him.

Elton John – “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”

Over the years, some very talented folks have sent me lyrics and poetry to set to music and I’ve always been disappointed with my results. That makes me even more knocked out by Elton John’s ability to marry Bernie Taupin’s lyrics to the most perfect melodies, tempos and chord progressions. I recorded “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” on my Seventies Roots EP, but I easily could have chosen “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” or any number of tunes. Way too many great options to choose from.

Neil Young – “Comes a Time”

What songwriter list would be complete without Neil Young? Neil is raw unfiltered emotion, live to analog tape with no rewriting or editing. That makes him so special. I can’t think of another songwriter that can cover so much ground with such authenticity.

Randy Newman – “Marie”

Randy Newman is a genius. His character-based songs are on the same level as Tom Waits and his lyrics are just as evocative, biting and unique. It’s impossibly rare to find Newman’s talents as an orchestrator and arranger in the body of a singer-songwriter. “Marie” especially breaks my heart. I believe every word Randy Newman sings.

Townes Van Zandt – “No Place to Fall”

A mythical figure in songwriting, Townes wrote some of the most beautiful and enduring songs of all time. “No Place to Fall” has always spoken to me and broken my heart. Was an honor to record this one.

Bob Dylan – “Simple Twist of Fate”

I admit, as a young kid I was more seduced by the “singers” in this group — artists like Joni, James and Jackson that could sing the phone book. But eventually I became spellbound by Dylan and my affection for him has never waned since. And as I listened more in my life, I realized what an amazing singer and communicator he was. His phrasing, his lyrics, his melodies and his hooks convey the lyrics perfectly. There will never be another Dylan.

Loggins & Messina – “Danny’s Song”

Kenny Loggins went on to have a huge solo career, but the music that he released in the ‘70s with Jim Messina in Loggins & Messina will always be my favorite work. My father used to sing this song to me when I was a kid and it felt like he wrote it for me.

Stevie Wonder – “Love’s in Need of Love Today”

Admittedly my playlist is Laurel Canyon-heavy and that’s what inspired me the most. But I also remember Stevie blaring through speakers as I was growing up. Again, one of the classic singer-songwriters that will never be replaced nor imitated. One in a billion. And on top of that, one of the best, most flexible voices of all time.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Our House”

I’ll end my playlist with this classic song that transports you to another time and place. You can almost smell the flowers blooming in this song.

Photo Credit: Alex Berger

LISTEN: Mike Coykendall, “Winds On the Ocean”

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Artist: Mike Coykendall
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Song: “Winds On the Ocean”
Album: The Dirt and the Dust
Release Date: November 11, 2021
Label: Banpa Records

In Their Words: “This song goes back to the mid-2000s. Though I didn’t finish it until a couple years ago. Originally I played it in a lower key, but with the vocal pitched up an octave. Kind of like a Skip James country blues, or that guy from Canned Heat with the freaky cool voice. Anyway, singing in that falsetto became too hard as the years passed and the song sat half-finished. So, now I sing it in a lower register, which comes off more like late ’90s Dylan. The lyrics stem from frequenting neighborhood places where I’m one of, if not the, oldest person there. It just kind of eventually worked out that way. Snuck up on me. Being there was like looking across a smoky sea into yesteryear. I was welcome and more or less invisible.” — Mike Coykendall

https://soundcloud.com/user-57543927/03-winds-on-the-ocean/s-swj8t5gv8Rh?si=084ab6c37eb04fdb82685740ccd57ba8

Photo Credit: Joshua James Huff

The Show on the Road – Asleep at the Wheel (Ray Benson)

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

This week on The Show On The Road, we bring you a talk with the half-century-spanning, Grammy-winning ringleader of one of American roots music’s most durable and iconic bands, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel. The episode is a celebration of their fifty years of diligent song collecting, Western swing camaraderie, and epic genre-spanning collaboration — and features first listens of their new record, Half a Hundred Years, which drops on October 1. The record covers old classics and tells new stories, with spritely cameos from fellow Texans Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson.

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Aligning behind Benson’s commanding, deep voice and impeccable song-historian’s taste, Asleep at the Wheel has managed what few bands in country music — or any genre — have: Keeping a talented, rotating band of mostly-acoustic players together from 1972 on, with little break from the road. Willie Nelson and others have long championed their work, and indeed the band has had fans in even higher places: on September 11, 2001, the group was set to perform at The White House.

Asleep at the Wheel’s story is really one of perseverance and transformation. How did a Jewish kid from the the Philly suburbs end up as a Texas cowboy music icon who toured with Bob Dylan and George Strait (just ask Bob about changing identities), wrote songs and acted in movies with Dolly Parton and Blondie, and became the foremost interpreter of the rollicking music of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys? Only in America, you could say, but Benson would just tell you that he loves the music deep in his bones, and it’s what he wakes up every day to create and save.

One of the most forward-thinking things Benson did from the very beginning was share the mic with a myriad of talented female vocalists, which maybe confused some radio programmers (“Who is leader of this outfit?”), but made their road shows eternally entertaining and unique. That tradition continues. Also featured on the new record are lovely collabs with Lee Ann Womack and Emmylou Harris.

Photo credit: Mike Shore

WATCH: Punch Brothers, “Church Street Blues”

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Artist: Punch Brothers
Song: “Church Street Blues”
Album: Hell on Church Street
Release Date: January 14, 2022
Label: Nonesuch Records

Editor’s Note: Recorded at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio in November 2020, during a time of great uncertainty, Hell on Church Street is the band’s reimagining of, and homage to, the late bluegrass great Tony Rice’s landmark solo album, Church Street Blues. The record features a collection of songs by Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Bill Monroe, and others. It was intended as both its own work of art and a gift to Rice, who died that Christmas.

In Their Words: “No record (or musician) has had a greater impact on us, and we felt compelled to cover it in its entirety, with the objective of interacting with it in the same spirit of respect-fueled adventure that Tony brought to each of its pre-existing songs.” — Punch Brothers

Photo credit: Josh Goleman

BGS 5+5: The Delevantes

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Artist: The Delevantes
Hometown: Rutherford, NJ… then Hoboken, NJ… and now Nashville
Latest Album: A Thousand Turns
Rejected band names: “The band was originally named Who’s Your Daddy. The name came from the Zombies song, ‘Time of the Season.’ The lyric reads: ‘What’s your name? Who’s your daddy?’ but very few people ever got it. In fact I think maybe one person did. And it eventually made a list of top ten bad band names. Eventually Mike and I decided to go with our last name. It was easy and simple (for us) to remember. But it’s hard to count how many times it was misspelled in ads or on marquees. One of our faves was ‘The Deldinkos’! Probably should’ve gone with that.” — Bob

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

I had played guitar since I was about 4 years old and I enjoyed it. Our family was very musical. But I don’t think I understood its full potential until I was a teenager and got together with friends and played as a group. Even just in casual circles. That’s when I saw what it can do and how it can bring people together. Our music began in friendships and it grew out from there. — Mike

In high school after lunch my friend Matt and I would pull out our acoustic guitars and play some songs in the auditorium. A little Simon & Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, or maybe something from Will the Circle Be Unbroken. As we played some of the football players’ girlfriends came over and sat down to listen. We realized guitars and harmonies, not helmets and shoulder pads, was the way to go for us. — Bob

Which artist has influenced you the most… and how?

There are so many, but I would probably choose Bob Dylan. Lyrics, folk music, rock ‘n’ roll — there are so many layers and I love that. And he just turned 80 and has released what I think as some of his best work! – Bob

Probably the Beatles. The combination of both amazing lyrics and some of the most incredible melodic lines. I don’t think anyone has come close. — Mike

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Being asked the day of the show to back up Levon Helm at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show in Cleveland. Rehearsing for about an hour that day and performing “Rag Mama Rag” and “Atlantic City.” — Mike

There are quite a few but two really stick in my mind: The first, we were playing an outdoor festival in Holland and it started to rain. There was large crowd on the hillside. I think the attendance was around 10,000 people and when it started to drizzle all these different colored umbrellas opened up. It looked like a field blooming. The second is the first time we opened up for John Prine and he asked us to sing on the encore, “Paradise.” Won’t forget that one. — Bob

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Sitting down for a dinner of baked ziti and a beer with Frank Sinatra at Ricco’s in Hoboken, NJ, around 1941, just as his career was taking off. — Bob

Hearing the E Street Band play on the boardwalk in Asbury Park with a slice of NJ pizza. — Mike

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I’m a designer, photographer, and illustrator as well as a songwriter. All these different disciplines feed each other. They’re all ways of telling stories and I work in all of them. My favorites are probably looking at other artists’ photographs and watching films. They probably affect me the most and inspire my work. — Bob

Going to art school in NYC opened my eyes to how a particular time and place with different art forms can be combined to create a story. The act of creating art alongside other artists — and being fully immersed in galleries and seeing bands in clubs at a certain time — created a story in my head that I can still see. A film with a soundtrack. That time inspires me to find similar moments in how you can imagine a song or say a painting can take on meaning for other people. Part of it is freeing in a way… you don’t have to control every aspect because they will put their story into your art and make it their own. — Mike

Photo credit: Emma Delevante

LISTEN: Chris Robley, “Love Is a Four-Letter Word”

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Artist: Chris Robley
Hometown: Lewiston, Maine
Song: “Love Is a Four-Letter Word”
Album: A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Label: Cutthroat Pop Records

In Their Words: “Bob Dylan wrote a song called ‘Love Is a Four-Letter Word.’ I didn’t know that until I was on stage announcing my new song and someone shouted, ‘I LOVE Dylan!’ Anyway, you can’t copyright titles and I didn’t borrow any other lyrics — so we’re not in Darius Rucker or Old Crow Medicine Show territory here. It’s all mine, Bob! I don’t know if there’s much to explain except the obvious: love can be a double-edged sword. We can build beautiful things inspired by love. Or we can build walls, reactionary political movements, or just act like selfish shitheads, all because of the same basic force. One word, different outcomes.” — Chris Robley

Photo credit: Lauren Breau

LISTEN: Mike Younger, “Killing Time”

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Artist: Mike Younger
Hometown: Halifax, Canada/Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Killing Time”
Album: Burning the Bigtop Down
Release Date: August 27, 2021

In Their Words: “‘Killing Time’ is a sideways glance at another time and the dreams and people of that time. I had survived the Hall Of Horrors which was the street/squatter experience in New York City in 1992/1993 — and I’d lost more than a few pals along the way. The lyrics take comfort in the remembrance of past friendships forged in the fire of struggle, but swept apart like grains of sand. … I’ve always been deeply affected by the struggles faced by our disenfranchised communities. I greatly admire those writers and creative people in general, who, through their work, have lent their voices to the struggle for equity in our society, like John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and others. Artists have nothing to lose by speaking their truth, and doing so unapologetically, especially these days. That’s what I strive for in my work. There are enough great songs about pickup trucks already.” — Mike Younger

Photo credit: Michael Weintraub

BGS 5+5: Matthew Fowler

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Artist: Matthew Fowler
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Latest album: The Grief We Gave Our Mother (September 10, 2021)
Rejected Band Names: Fatts Mowler. Although, I honestly still kinda love it.

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Glen Hansard, for sure. I started listening to his music when I was 14, learning how to play guitar, and just getting into songwriting. A period of branching out from the music of my childhood, and into stuff I discovered for myself. I was a huge fan of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and lots of great classic artists, but Hansard was the first contemporary songwriter that really took hold of me. He’s an extremely dynamic and passionate performer. Super vulnerable and personable with the audience, too. I saw a ton of songwriters play the “dark and mysterious” role well, but he was bold and authentic. He’s just an inspiring dude.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

There’s an awesome club in Orlando called The Social where I first started going to see smaller shows. I loved that room — 300-something cap, close quarters, and a great view of the stage from all angles. I played a headlining set there for my birthday with a six- or seven-piece band (which was crazy) and actually turned 20 while onstage. The turnout was fantastic, everyone sang “Happy Birthday” for me, my mom called me during the set (they were out of town), and I had the distinct honor of graduating out of my teenage years doing something that was important to me in a place where I first fell in love with live music. It’s a happy memory that I’m grateful for.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I’m a big fan of movies. They’re awesome for gaining insight into different facets of life, especially at an age when you can’t always go and experience those things firsthand. Growing up, that was one of my BIG windows into the world. I’ve since done my own videographer work and grown to love it as another creative thing to do. I’m pretty big on making collages too — I like how it celebrates fusing seemingly different elements together to make something more wholly interesting. I think any creative endeavor strengthens ones creativity as a whole. It ALL informs the music.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

I usually don’t write a set list out (if at all) until the absolute last possible second. The vibe of every room and situation is truly different, which is one of my favorite things about touring. A lot of times, if I’m playing solo, I’ll just write out a long list of possible songs and pick whatever I feel in the moment. It’s an exhilarating feeling to be off-the-cuff in a show setting. It makes the night feel more natural.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I usually never hide behind a character in a song. I mostly write from my own specific point of view — I find I’m able to feel more authentic in voice and emotion when I put myself in the “hot seat” of the song. That being said, I’ve always been intrigued by songwriters who can weave a story and put themselves completely out of it. I hope to grow as a writer with each album I make, and maybe that’s my move for the next one.

Photo credit: Mike Dunn