The Wallflowers

June 28, 2009

The Wallflowers Blossom
with a Retro Show
By Kristi Kates 6/29/09

With 20 years of performing behind them, The Wallflowers will bring a
retrospective show to northern Michigan this week.
The Wallflowers kicked off what would soon be their notable career in
1989, playing shows in Los Angeles clubs and finally releasing their debut
disc in 1992. Continuing to play in L.A. proved to be a boon for the
band—they got a house gig every Tuesday night at the legendary Canter’s
Deli, where they began to get offered opening spots for such
already-established acts as Cracker and 10,000 Maniacs.

BREAKTHROUGH SOUNDS
Influenced by the likes of The Replacements, Elvis Costello, The Band,
Counting Crows, and The Clash — frontman Jakob Dylan even stating that The
Clash’s London Calling was the most influential album in his life—they
blended what began as a classic early-’90s rock sound with Dylan’s
distinctive vocals, storytelling lyrics much like those of Dylan’s famed
father (yes, Bob Dylan is Jakob’s dad), and a pensive, pioneer quality
that quickly drew fans.
The band’s breakthrough album, the T-Bone Burnett-produced Bringing Down
the Horse, hit stores in 1996, complete with the striking alt-rock,
guitar-heavy sounds of songs like “Three Marlenas,” “The Difference,” and
“6th Avenue Heartache.” The latter song featured guest vocals from fellow
late-’90s rock sensation Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows. ...Horse also
snagged several Grammy Awards and reached quadruple-platinum status.
2000’s Breach went gold with the Top 40 hit “Sleepwalker,” and also
included additional radio tunes “Letters from the Wasteland” and “I’ve
Been Delivered,” while 2005’s Rebel, Sweetheart, produced by Pearl Jam
cohort Brendan O’Brien, put the band into the Top 40 yet again, with
“Beautiful Side of Somewhere.”

NEW COLLECTION
Now, in addition to frontman Jakob Dylan’s own solo effort (Seeing Things,
which was released in May of last year), The Wallflowers are offering fans
a new retrospective set titled Collected: 1996-2005 that will bring
together songs from all of the albums mentioned above, plus two previously
unreleased tracks.
Dylan himself oversaw the production and tracklisting for the set, which
serves as a terrific overview of the band, from their more polished and
produced tracks to their grittier, more rootsy songs.
In promotion of the new compilation, The Wallflowers are hitting the road
for an extensive summer tour set to run through August, including stops in
Chicago, Seattle, Philly, Aspen and Denver, among other stops; and of
course right here in Northern Michigan, at Interlochen Center for the
Arts, the perfect outdoor locale for their expansive sound.
If you can’t make the June 30 Interlochen show, or would like to see the
band twice, you can also catch The Wallflowers the day before in Grand
Rapids on June 29 at the beautiful Frederik Meijer Gardens; it’s a great
summer concert either way, as even those not familiar with The Wallflowers
as a separate entity will likely recognize many of the band’s
singalongable tunes from their ubiquitous presence on radio.
For all shows, Dylan will be helming the stage on vocals and guitar, as
usual; accompanying him will be Rami Jaffee on keyboards, Greg Richling on
bass, Stuart Mathis on guitar, and Fred Eltringham on drums and backing
vocals. San Diego rockers Augustana, who are planning the release of their
third album later in 2009, will open the Interlochen show.
The Wallflowers’ Collected: 1996-2005 hit stores on June 16, with the band
hitting Interlochen on June 30; they’ll appear on the Interlochen stage at
8 p.m. with opening act Augustana.
For more info on The Wallflowers, check out www.wallflowers.com, and for
the complete schedule on this show and others, visit www.interlochen.org.