The 2015 Acoustic Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan

Today I received an email about the 2015 concert at Sacred Heart at the beginning of Duluth Dylan Fest. It was indeed a very. special event, with Mayor Don Ness making a proclamation that it was Scarlet Rivera Day here in the town where Bob Dylan was born and continues to be celebrated. 

Scarlet Rivera and Jim Hall in rehearsal

The event was titled Acoustic Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan.

For me it was a privilege to be part of it, with Marc Percansky as MC, the late John Bushey performing magic like the master entertainer he was, and a fabulous array of musicians and performers.

Here's the setlist along with hotlinks to the segments from each of the three segments of this wonderfully crafted event.

ACOUSTIC SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF BOB DYLAN (Part 1)

Marc Percansky - My Life In A Stolen Moment

John Bushey with assistants Lisa Berg and Zane Bail - Magic

Mayor Don Ness - City of Duluth Office of the Mayor PROCLAMATION Scarlet Rivera Day

SET 1

The Boomchucks - Paths Of Victory / Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie

The Boomchucks - It's Good To Be A Rolling Stone

SET 2

Kenny Krona - She Belongs To Me

Gaelynn Lea - Let It Go

Rob Wheeler - Dignity

Kenny Krona - Someone To Let Me In

Gaelynn Lea - All The Tired Horses (You Are Alive)

Rob Wheeler - Dreamers Waltz

ACOUSTIC SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF BOB DYLAN (Part 2)

SET 3

Jim Hall with Scarlet Rivera - Tears Of Rage

Ed Newman and Elliot Silberman - One Too Many Mornings

Courtney Yasmineh - You're A Big Girl Now

Jim Hall - Problem Tune

Ed Newman - What Good Am I?

Courtney Yasmineh - Hang On For The Ride

INTERMISSION

Nelson T. French - Remarks

SET 4

Sam Miltich - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

Todd Eckart - Lay Lady Lay

Barbara Meyer with Lonnie Knight - Autumn Leaves

Sam Miltich - Girl From The North Country

Todd Eckart - My Sweet Friend

Barbara Meyer - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

ACOUSTIC SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF BOB DYLAN (Part 3)

SET 5

Billy Hallquist - Subterranean Homesick Blues

Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo with Scarlet Rivera - Born In Time

Lonnie knight with Scarlet Rivera - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

Scarlet Rivera with Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo - Every Grain Of Sand

Billy Hallquist - Buddah's Rosary

Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo with Scarlet Rivera - Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)

Lonnie Knight - All Along The Watchtower

Scarlet Rivera with Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo - One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

Billy Hallquist with Lonnie Knight - Tomorrow Is A Long Time

Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo with Scarlet Rivera - Listen To Your Heart

Lonnie Knight with Barbara Meyer - This One's For You

Scarlet Rivera with Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo - The Sacred Wheel Of Give And Take

ENCORE

All - I Shall Be Released

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Here's my 2015 review of the concert. In it I include details about the thoughtful rationale for how the concert was arranged.

Another Memorable Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan

The two songs I performed can be found on Part 2 at 8:15 (One Two Many Mornings, with Elliot Silberman) and 19:34 (What Good Am I?)

 

A Visit with Lonnie Knight, Opening Act for the Rolling Thunder Reunion

Saturday July 23 the Rolling Thunder Reunion will be rolling into town with a show featuring Eric Andersen and Scarlet Rivera, accompanied by Steve Addabbo and Cheryl Prashker. Lonnie Knight is on the docket to get the evening rolling as the opening act.

Knight has been playing professionally since high school. His first bands included the Castaways, the the Rave-Ons (with Dick and Larry Wiegand and Harry Nehls), then Jokers Wild. He was attending the University of Minnesota when the folk boom caught him and he began performing in coffee houses and college clubs around Minnesota, eventually joining up with the Bitter End circuit out of New York City and traveled the country for a few years. When that scene dried up Knight went back to electric guitar, working with City Mouse, the Neilsen-White Band, the Hoopsnakes, and his own band Big Shoes. He was also on staff at Sound 80 Recording Studio as a session guitarist and producer, gaining some serious cred in the Minnesota music scene along the way.

The past several years he's been active with the Guitars for Vets free concerts in the Twin Cities as well as the fund raising concerts for the Duluth Armory. As it turns out, when it was mentioned to Knight that Eric was coming to perform here in Duluth this summer he said "Eric's Blue River album in 1972 was a huge influence on me." He also said he will have died and gone to heaven if he could open for Eric Andersen. On July 23 that is about to happen.

EN: Your early groups, especially Joker's Wild.... when you look back on the "look" with the psychedelic clothes, what do you think now? Also, where did you and Clapton and the rest BUY those threads?

Lonnie Knight: I really wish I still had some of that stuff. It fit with the times... the only outfits that make me laugh are those sequined wizard suits. Impossible to play in, extremely hot, etc. I couldn't stand them back then, but I got outvoted.

EN: You did recording with record labels. They assumed the risk, correct? I mean, they covered the costs. Nowadays it is totally different. Everyone rents studio space and makes albums. How did this change occur and what's your take on all that?

LK: I think we paid some of the studio time on the Rave-Ons and Jokers stuff. Label paid all other costs (recoupable).

My solo albums, "Family in the Wind" and "Song for a City Mouse" were paid for by Symposium Records. I'm pretty sure that major labels still pay for everything, but they get it all back before the artist sees dime one.

Protools and the digital revolution made it much more affordable for anyone to record without financial backing. That has provided great opportunities for many artists to get their stuff out in front of people. But it's still a one-in-a-million shot at getting anywhere... and big money still talks in terms of achieving big success. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

EN: I once heard someone say they felt Townes Van Zandt was the greatest musician of our generation. I see that you worked with Townes. What made him so special?

LK: I think that Townes was one of the best songwriters of our generation. He was at the forefront of the Texas songwriter explosion, which included Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, and later, Lyle Lovett, etc. Townes and I did a week at a place called the Rubaiyat in Dallas, TX in 1973.We were both pretty heavy drinkers at the time. I remember him as pretty quiet, but pretty open. We sat up until dawn one night and he taught me "Pancho and Lefty."

EN: You performed in the Armory in 1969. What was the band you were with and what was that experience like?

LK: I know I played the Armory with Jokers Wild, and I think with the Rave-ons as well. I loved the Armory gigs. All that natural echo...

EN: What are your interests outside of music. Clapton had cars, for example.

LK: Photography has always interested me. I can spend days lost in Photoshop...

EN: We've experienced a lot of change in our culture over a lifetime. In what ways has the information age and Internet transformed music, live performance and the industry over all? 

LK: Well, it's all good and bad. I think the major impact has been in recording and distribution. Music has become too easy to access, and as a result has lost a lot of its mystique and a lot of its value. Sales of hard copy (CDs, etc.) have diminished, virtually everything that's ever been recorded is available on iTunes for ten bucks a month.

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Learn more about Lonnie at his website, www.lonnieknight.com.
The concert will be at Weber Hall on July 23. Tickets can be purchased here at Eventbrite.com.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Engage it.

Gary Rue Joins The Travelons and Todd Eckart for This Weekend's Winter Dance Party

This coming Saturday the Armory Arts and Music Center is playing host to another Winter Dance Party. For this special occasion Gary Rue will be joining Lonnie Knight & The Travelons for a special evening of music to move your feet and make you smile. Here are just a few highlights from Gary's very special career:

~ Composer and songwriter for many artists (There are 2 compilations of Rue material, with performances by The Honeydogs, Helen Reddy, Nick Lowe, Butch Thompson, Laura MacKenzie, Maria Jette, The Rose Ensemble, Leslie Ball, Dan Chouinard, Bradley Greenwald, Christina Baldwin, Rio Nido (featuring Prudence Johnson), Jennifer Baldwin Peden, Debbie Duncan, Pat Donohue, Arne Fogel and many others).

~ Founder of the internationally acclaimed pop quartet Rue Nouveau

~ Creator and co-creator of more than 85 music theater scores with over 2000 regional, national and international performances.

And much, much more.

EN: You've had an impressive career. Who are the most interesting people whom you have worked with over the years?
Gary Rue: Gene Pitney, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, the Shirelles, Ben E. King, Dion., the Crickets (yup), Billy Joel's horn section, Curtiss A, ALL of my musician friends, too many to name, but God bless 'em.

EN: What years were you band leader for the Platters, Shirelles, Coasters and Marvelettes? (I ask because I saw them all in a Rock n Roll Revival with Chuck Berry, and Sha Na Na among others at Ohio U in the early 70s)
GR: My first music directing gig was at the DECC in Duluth in 1979 with the Shirelles. No rehearsal, no sound check. The first we saw of the Shirelles was when they were introduced to the stage. 3000 people. I gave a loud 'Ahem!' Doris Jackson turned around and said, "Everything is in (the key of) Bb, honey, just watch me." From there, I guess it was opportunity by association, all the bands that did the circuit, I got passed around. Not working with any of them on a regular basis, but I certainly did meet some great talent. I imagine that's partly how I came to music direct for Gene Pitney on a permanent basis.

EN: What did you learn from this experience?
GR: That I had an innate sense of how to organize and direct, even though I had very limited experience as a music director, per se. My success within this framework was mostly due to having my brain hammered with these songs when I was very young, so I had all the parts, stops and starts burned into my brain.

EN: When did you first realize that music would be your life?
GR: Beatles. Ed Sullivan, 1964. Period.

EN: How did you connect with The Travelons?
GR: I got a call from Mike Boterman (whom I had worked with many years before) of The Smokin' Section. They needed a sub for performance. I said, "Heck yeah, I'll do my best to keep up to Lonnie Knight." (Lonnie was one of my guitar heroes in the 60s. When I was still too young to gain entrance to a Tracy armory concert (my home town), I remember looking at tall, lanky Lonnie through the back door summer screen. Loud and proud, he was. Now, Lonnie and I hope to work together more frequently, and I seem to have secured a somewhat regular slot with that quartet.

EN: Where does your inspiration come from when creating something new?
GR: My career has been mostly based on commissions, so I rarely have the time for my own initial inspiration, but when it does, well, I read a LOT, I love history, especially Paris in the time of Chopin (1840 or so) and the Belle Epoch (again, Paris, 1890 or so). My most recent labor of love is called Chopin's Heart, about a brave little start-up cabaret in Warsaw, Poland, immediately before the Nazi invasion... August, 1939. We received a MN State Arts Board grant to present that show. Oops. Got to finish the review report for the Arts Board the morning I get home from the Winter Dance Party!

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Gary, Lonnie, The Travelons and Todd Eckert promise to get the joint rockin'. It's the 100th Anniversary Year for the Armory, and 57th anniversary of the original Dance Party. (See yesterday's blog post on that ill-fated tour.)

FWIW, this is a dress up event. That is wear your Fifties Finest.... even if you weren't born yet. There will be prizes for dancing and best costume.

Check out this story from last year's intro to the Dance Party, a little history about the Day the Music Died.

For more details about Gary Rau's career and achievements, visit garyrue.com.

As for next week, hope we'll see you on the dance floor.

One More Night: Five Minutes with Musician Lonnie Knight

A couple weeks back Lonnie Knight helped make A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan a memorable event for everyone present. This Friday Lonnie will be at Amazing Grace in Canal Park for an intimate evening of original tunes and select covers from 8 to 10 p.m. He always brings something special to his solo acoustic guitar work and vocals and the $5 cover will be worth every penny.

EN: Do you make your living as a musician? If not, what do you do primarily to support your family/yourself?

LK: I do make a good portion of my living as a musician. I am also a graphic artist and web designer.

EN: Are you also a songwriter or do you primarily play covers?

LK: It depends on the gig. In my shows, it's usually a 60% original 40% cover blend. Some venues don't pay the BMI-ASCAP licensing fees, then it's all original. I've always loved arranging and interpreting other people's music, and I think it gives the audience a frame of reference. Throwing in a few covers gives the listener a comfort zone, particularly if they've never heard you before.

EN: Who’s songs do you primarily like to cover? How do you choose?

LK: I don't have a set method... the song has to speak to me, and it has to challenge me. Sometimes it's the lyric, sometimes it's the melody. I tend to choose songs that fit well with the original stuff that I do, so I gravitate to the writers who have inspired and influenced me.

Besides just being great songs, I do "Still Crazy After All These Years" by Paul Simon because it's one of the most intelligently crafted chord progressions I've ever heard, "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn because I wanted to see if I could interpret that piano part on guitar. Townes Van Zandt taught me "Pancho and Lefty" in Dallas decades ago, I recorded it on my first album, it's still in my repertoire and it's one of the most requested songs I do.

EN: What is it that turns you on about performing?

LK: When I'm working in an ensemble, and the band is clicking, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. We establish a groove, the groove becomes an entity, and then we're just along for the ride... thought gives way to feel, it's a transcendent experience.

Working solo is similar, on a more subtle level. On a good night, if the audience engages, they become as important to the music as my guitar, my voice and the song. It's difficult to explain the feeling, but there's a synergy that ties everything together.

EN: Do you have a website where people can follow what you’re doing?

LK: All of my music, photography, etc. is at lonnieknight.com, some of my design stuff is at www.lonnieknight.net (the site really needs to be updated, I work for other folks and tend to forget about my own site)... I just set up a site for my quartet, Mosquito Shoals, www.mosquitoshoals.com (it's still under development, but there are a couple of audio and video things there)... then there's Facebook, and a YouTube channel.

EN: Looks like you're not too hard to find. What has been your personal career highlight?

LK: I've been lucky, there are a lot of them... working for a week with Townes Van Zandt, touring in Japan last year (we're negotiating for a second tour this October), recording in Nashville with Pig Robbins and some of the top Nashville session players, working in Don Nix's band with some pretty heavyweight Memphis guys... I was staff guitarist at Sound 80 Recording Studio for a number of years, I've been fortunate to play with a lot of the best musicians to come out of Minnesota... the Dylan show we did at Sacred Heart the other night ranks right up there, the audience gave back so much. I'm still spinning from that one.

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Lonnie Knight Talks About His Life as a Musician and a Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan

Lonnie Knight is yet one more exceptional musician who will be joining a full line-up for A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan at Sacred Heart two weekends from now, May 17. His career in music has earned him noteworthy attention and praise from critics.

EN: How long have you been playing music professionally and how did you get started?
Lonnie Knight: I've been playing professionally since high school... It started with Dick Roby and I playing guitar in his basement. We met a bass player (Roy Hensley) and a drummer (Denny Craswell) and decided to start a band.

EN: Can you briefly run through your career path?
LK: I started in the Castaways, the Rave-Ons (with Dick and Larry Wiegand and Harry Nehls)... then Jokers Wild. I was attending the U of Minnesota when the folk boom caught me, and I began to do some solo work in coffee houses and college clubs around Minnesota... joined up with the Bitter End circuit out of New York City and traveled the country for a few years. When that scene dried up I went back to electric guitar, working with City Mouse, the Neilsen-White Band, the Hoopsnakes, and my own band Big Shoes. I was also on staff at Sound 80 Recording Studio as a session guitarist and producer.

These days I work solo, in a duo with Reid Papke on bass, in my new quartet Mosquito Shoals (Reid, Gary Haberman on percussion and Laura Owen on vocals.) I play once or twice a month with the Smokin' Section (Mike and Andy Boterman and Paul Mayasich), and occasionally with ROTU (Return of the Unexpected - Scott Sansby, Larry Wiegand, Dale Strength and Gregg Inhofer).)

EN: Your guitar work seems to get high praise from the critics. How would you describe your style?
LK: Working at Sound 80 for all those years, and the constant switch between acoustic and electric has probably shaped my style more than anything. Working as a session player, you never know when you walk in what's going to be played, so you need to develop at least a passing understanding of a number of different styles and genres. My biggest influences were probably Jeff Beck and Chet Atkins on electric, Bert Jansch and any number of fingerstyle guitarists on acoustic. I gave up the flat pick around 2003, everything I do now is fingerpicked, and that does make a big difference in approach to solos and rhythm patterns.

EN: How long have you been playing with Mosquito Shoals? What kind of music do they play?
LK: Mosquito Shoals has been together for about a year now. It's a hybrid acoustic/electric band. Gary plays everything from full drum kit to congas, djembe and hand percussion. Lots of original songs, and covers from artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Toto, Mark Knopfler... anything that strikes our fancy.

EN: In what ways has Dylan's music made an impact on you and your life?
LK: Dylan has been a huge influence, more as a lyricist than anything else. He opened the door to a whole new world of songwriting.

EN: How did you get hooked up with A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan
LK: I was working at Sound 80 when Dylan came in to record "Blood on the Tracks." Kevin Odegard and Dylan's brother put the band together, using the Sound 80 session staff and a few other people. As luck would have it, I was on the road doing concerts when the album was recorded. Kevin and Billy Hallquist are long-time friends of mine, and when the shows began to branch beyond just the original session players, I was invited to step in. It's been great fun ever since.

EN: Do you have some favorite Dylan songs or a favorite album?
LK: Too many good songs to name. I think my favorite albums are "Highway 61 Revisited," "Blood on the Tracks," "Blonde on Blonde." I also still love his early acoustic solo stuff.

EdNote: This blog entry and others like it have the aim of raising awareness for the upcoming Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan concert which will kick off the 2014 North Country Dylan Celebration in Duluth and Hibbing. Sacred Heart Music Center, May 17, 2014. For tickets to this great event visit dulutharmory.org/events.

If you wish to help, visit the Salute Facebook page and share with your friends by clicking the Invite button. 

A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan is a presentation of the Armory Arts and Music Center and Magic Marc Productions.


Photos Don J. Olson Photography, Town Green Amphitheatre in Maple Grove, Minnesota during last summer's A Salute To The Music Of Bob Dylan.