Jakob Dylan to appear in concert locally
RANDI BAROCAS
Staff Writer
Jakob Dylan is no wallflower - at least not in the '50s sense of the word. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and watching all the excitement, he's out making things happen - in a big way.
And his fans can't get enough of him. The number of Internet chat rooms dedicated to discussing the 27-year-old star is staggering.
Flip through the pages or surf to the Web site of any entertainment magazine and you'll surely find some reference to his soulful sounds. Or, you could just wait to check him out in person. Dylan and his four-member band, named contrary to their new-found personas, "The Wallflowers" (also including Rami Jaffee, Michael Ward, Mario Calire and Greg Richling), are scheduled to perform in Phoenix on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Desert Sky Pavilion. They're appearing in a concert that also features The Counting Crows - another skyrocketing band on the music circuit. Call 254-7200 for ticket information.
If you find yourself scratching your head and wondering, "Who is Jakob Dylan?", don't fret. His band performed in relative obscurity in the Los Angeles area for several years before its big break last year. And if you're not into alternative rock 'n' roll, chances are you haven't heard of him. But he's definitely worth learning about.
Aside from his good looks, Dylan - who started The Wallflowers back in 1991 when he was just 21-years-old - can be credited with writing the songs that eventually catapulted his band to the status it now enjoys.
The Wallflowers' self-titled first release on Virgin Records - same band name, but different musicians backing up Dylan, except for Jaffe, the last member to join the original quintet, and the only one to remain today - failed to receive positive reviews. But the second release, "Bringing Down the Horse" from Interscope Records, recorded by the new band in 1996, has gone double platinum in the past year, and recently earned the band four MTV Video Music Award nominations. (MTV will announce award winners on Sept. 4).
Songs such as "Sixth Avenue Heartache" and "One Headlight" can still can be heard regularly on new and alternative rock radio stations across the country. They remain this reviewer's personal favorites as well.
Though both songs - and most of the tracks on "Bringing Down the Horse" - feature somewhat somber lyrics, Dylan's voice and soulful music make it easy to find them sing-along, feel-good songs. But when listening a bit closer, deciphering his personal, tenored messages may reveal otherwise.
"Bleeders," for example, while a rhythmic, rockin' tune, is undoubtedly about past failures. Dylan's lyrics, "I guess I should be ashamed. ... Well I did the best I could; I guess everything just bleeds," hints at possible underlying frustrations from his let-down first album and a fear of not living up to his legendary father.
He is, after all, the son of Jewish folk-rocker Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan.
Yet in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle last year, Jakob Dylan told a reporter that he "never considered" that being Bob Dylan's son translated into additional pressure in his own musical career.
"I don't think anybody could operate on a healthy level if they did (consider that). We're not talking about an artist who can be compared to anybody," the younger Dylan said of his father.
Despite his success, which he achieved through his own hard work and talent, Jakob Dylan remains stand-offish about the fact that many people can't seem to get past his familial ties. His father had nothing to do with his success, the younger Dylan has said, priding himself on achieving his goals on his own merit.
The blue-eyed sensation, now married and a father himself, has worked hard to make it on his own. One of five Dylan children, Jakob is the only sibling in the music industry. (Though his older sister, Anna, is married to observant Jewish folk-rocker Peter Himmelman, a success in his own right.)
Born in 1970, Jakob Dylan was raised mainly in the Los Angeles area. That's where he started his band and began playing in small nightclubs. The Wallflowers performed regularly in L.A.'s Kibitz Room, a nightclub attached to Canter's, a Jewish delicatessen.
Though The Wallflower's sound is more smooth, modern rock than the harsh renditions of Dylan's father, the band is more earthy than many of its counterparts, and the younger Dylan's voice offers a husky effect.
Perhaps his father didn't go out and hand him a record deal, but growing up with such strong influences staring him in the face had to have an effect on Jakob Dylan's music. And perhaps some day, the Dylan legacy will live on with Jakob's now four-year-old son. We may just have to wait another 20 years to find out.
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