Another Memorable Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan

Duluth Dylan Fest: Day Eight

Mid-day rehearsal.

It's Bob Dylan's birthday today. He's performing in Germany this weekend, so he'll miss the birthday bashes taking place in various parts of the country here. That's O.K. The music will go on.

Last year's Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan here at the Sacred Heart Music Center was so exceptionally received that the Armory Arts and Music Center (AAMC) decided to do it again, only with a twist. This year it would be an Acoustic Salute. And the event was stellar.

The assembled performers included many of last year's cast from the Salute, but also included a number of new names from our Northland region including The Boomchucks (Brad Nelson and Jamie Ness), Gaelynn Lee,  Rob Wheeler, Sam Miltich, Todd Eckart, lliot Silberman and myself. Returning faces (or voices) included Kenny Krona, Jim Hall, Courtney Yasmineh, Barbara Meyer, Billy Hallquist, Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo, Lonnie Knight and headliner Scarlet Rivera.

The show began with a couple of students from the AAMC performing music while the crowd sauntered in. A few minutes before showtime host/MC Marc Percansky introduced a special guest, Mayor Don Ness, who was one of the people who played a central role in bringing Bob Dylan Way to fruition. Mayor Ness was there to make an unexpected Official Proclamation. For her continuous support for our city and its history and the preservation of our resources and future, this day, this Perfect Duluth Day, would be henceforth remembered as Scarlet Rivera Day in Duluth.

This proved to be a really nice touch to make an even great day more special.

Backstage with Todd Eckart

The Boomchucks then kicked in with a pair of songs performed in their inimitable style, I Threw It All Away, and a nine minute version of Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie.

The manner in which the concert was produced proved interesting. Rather than have setups after each performer, the various groups would come out in sets. This would allow a more efficient production. All the sound arrangements had been made during a mid-day rehearsal session.

While The Boomchucks' equipment was being torn down John Bushey, host of KUMD's Highway 61 Revisited, performed a bit of magic... and as always, blew a few minds.

The second set featured Gaelynn Lea, Kenny Krona and Rob Wheeler, Wheeler opening with Dignity. Krona played She Belongs to Me and Gaelynn Lea performed Let It Go. Many of us have been familiar with Ms. Lea's violin work, but the use of looping technologies produced some incredible sounds, especially when she performed a stunning rendition of All the Tired Horses. I think there were people picking their jaws off the floor after that. Kenny Krona also did Someone Let Me In and Rob Wheeler did Dreamer's Waltz in this set.

Scarlet working out her parts with Jim Hall

Jim Hall opened the third set with Tears of Rage (accompanied by Scarlet) and Courtney Y concluded it with one of her own songs, Hang On For The Ride. In between Elliot and I sang One Too Many Mornings. When Courtney was playing You're A Big Girl Now I badly wished to put in that harmonica lick I was hearing in my head, but I didn't know what key she was in. Alas....

As the night wore on the sets kept getting better, if that's at all possible. Set four featured Sam Miltich (Don't Think Twice and Girl from the North Country), Todd Eckart (Lay Lady Lay and My Sweet Friend), and Barbara Meyer (I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and Autumn Leaves.)

Mayor Ness proclaiming this to be Scarlet Rivera Day.

Highlights of the last set for me included Billy Hallquist's tender Tomorrow Is A Long Time, Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo's Born In Time, Lonnie Knight's All Along the Watchtower and Scarlet Rivera's Every Grain of Sand. And of course any time Scarlet performs something from Desire, such as One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below), there's electricity in the air.

So, in short, thank you to everyone involved in this stellar fundraising event for the Armory... too many to name, including sponsors.

Oh, and hats off to Bob Dylan. Happy 74th Birthday. Thank you for what you have inspired in us.

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A few quick reminders. There's a Bob Dylan Birthday Brunch at Tycoon's Alehouse this morning from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. and Bob Dylan Birthday Cotillion featuring Scarlet Rivera, Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo tonight at the Clair Nelson Community Center in Finland.

If you're inclined to stay in town, the 19th Annual Battle of the Jugbands is taking place today at Amazing Grace from 1 - 8 p.m.

Music, music everywhere. It's a beautiful thing.

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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A Brief Review of Last Night's Stellar Dylan Fest Kick-Off Concert at Sacred Heart

Last night the Northland was given a treat: a concert billed as A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan. If you were there, you know you were glad you didn't miss it. I know it exceeded my expectations five-fold.

Marc Pecansky, Billy Hallquist and Nelson T. French were the principles behind this event which was again designed to raise awareness the Armory Arts and Music Center building fund. Percansky is a a Twin Cities magician and producer known as Magic Marc. Hallquist a musician central to the Blood on the Tracks performances that this event morphed from. French is, of course, one of our local advocates serving on the board for the restoration of the Armory.

The Sacred Heart Music Center is a former Catholic Church which has gained a reputation as an exceptional music and arts venue. Last night's concert demonstrated once again why. The stained glass windows, pillars, ornate woodwork and balconies and fabulous acoustics conspire to produce a wonderfully full surround-sound experience.

Magic Marc: It's Showtime

The doors were opened early in the day so that the musicians could set up their gear, do their sound checks and get everything in order. Late afternoon found everyone getting away for a spell to either rest for the long night or get costumed for the bash to come. At seven the show would start.

A good crowd had ambled in by seven as the sun had begun its descent with a flourish of illumination behind the variegated stained glass symphony of color. The event opened with Marc Percansky, decked up in showman style, introducing us to the evening with some magic he had prepared, after first acknowledging the unexpected recent passing of one of our local artist performers, Gary Reed.

John Bushey, host of the Dylan-themed KUMD radio program Highway 61 Revisited, shared some of his own magic, tying it to Dylan in this manner. Bob Dylan's favorite magician was Harry Houdini. Like Houdini, both men were born with other names -- Erich Weiss and Robert Zimmerman -- and both men were of shorter stature physically, but both men became giants in their field: the world's greatest magician and the world's greatest singer-songwriter.

The tricks Bushey performed were, he claimed, favorites of Harry Houdini. And he performed each while saying, "This is the way Harry Houdini would have done it." The rope tricks and ring tricks were a special treat for those near the front whose mouths were agape with wonderment.

Next, two students from the Armory Arts and Music Center (AAMC) were introduced to play some original music. From a show production perspective this permitted latecomers to slip in to continue filling the room while sharing one of the underlying motives for this event. When the boys were done, the band made its entrance: Matt Fink (keyboard), Bill Hallquist, Gary Lopac, Lonnie Knight, Chico Perez, Stan Kipper and Ralph Dacut.

At this point it would be useless to try to convey how fluid they were, opening with Chimes of Freedom. The various musicians each took a verse on some of the songs, and on other songs a single musician was featured as when Stan Kipper sang High Water (for Charley Parker). Seven songs into the concert my only thought was, "How could one man write so many great songs?" My Back Pages, Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You, It Ain't Me Babe, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, and Tangled Up in Blue formed a seven-star studded opening crown of spendid musicianship and rockin' stimulation.

Jim Hall

Local musician Jim Hall then took center stage to perform Simple Twist of Fate, and one wonders what its like to have such a strong backup band. In fact, the band was so tight you's think they were a regular touring company.

Jamie Ness gave us Maggie's Farm next, in the style of The Freewheelers. Man they were rocking now, and into it. So was the audience as dancing had begun in the aisles.

Kenny Krona did his Quinn the Eskimo , followed by Barbara Meyer's engaging version of Blowing in the Wind.

The backing musicians left the stage and Courtney Yasmineh did a heartfelt solo rendition of The Times They Are A-Changin', which gave some people goosebumps.

Showman Paul Metsa then grabbed the stage for a solo production of She Belongs to Me, and you knew this was no ordinary night. Just Like a Woman closed out the first half of the show.

Hallquist & Geno work out second half details backstage

After an interlude/intermission Nelson French made a brief presentation on the AAMC, his passion that he hoped would be ours. This Armory project is only one of the restorations he is working on. In his day job he is active the restoration and preservation of the St. Louis River and other waterways feeding the Great Lake of Superior.

After the intermission the band gave us a heat-producing Not Fade Away, the one cover here that Dylan did not write. The song is credited to Buddy Holly, whom Dylan claims to have stood within three feet of at Holly's second-to-last concert, here in Duluth's Armory.

Troubador Paul Metsa

The second portion of our show saw continued to feature various singers with From a Buick 6 (Barry Thomas Goldberg), I Wanna Be Your Lover (Steve Grossman) and Watching the River Flow (Arnie Fogel)... all leading up to the introduction of that very much respected red-headed lady who debuted with the Rolling Thunder Revue and was dynamically captured on Dylan's Desire album. With Gene Lafond singing, Scarlet Rivera's electrically charged violin playing sizzled with power that utterly mesmerized the room. Upon completion of the song everyone leaped to their feet to offer a standing ovation. 

Scarlet herself introduced the next song by stating that this was the one cut on that Desire album that was recorded in one take. Upon completion of One More Cup of Coffee, the crowd was again on its feet demonstrating their appreciation.

After Forever Young, featuring Hallquist, Lopac and Lafond on vocals, James Loney came out to sing Serve Somebody, accompanied by his Ghostettes. Lonnie Knight gave us Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, then the opening bars of Like a Rolling Stone filled the room. It's All Over Now Baby Blue became a group sing and the evening closed with I Shall Be Released.

The evening began with magic and it ended with magic. Here are a few more photos, but I would rather give you the music.... It was a very special night.

Jamie Ness, center stage.

Barbara Meyer in the spotlight.

Soulful solo by Courtney Yasmineh

Hurricane brought the crowd to its feet.

One More Cup of Coffee.... 

The after party lasted till three a.m., but I had been sleeping more than three hours by then, needing to conserve my strength for the week ahead: our North Country Dylan Fest. Tonight it's Dylan Trivia Night at Cormody's Irish Pub. 9 PM.... Test your wits against the best, and the rest.

Scarlet Rivera Shares From the Heart: Bob Dylan “brought out a higher part of myself that I didn’t know existed.”

In preparation for this year’s Dylan Fest, the Armory Arts & Music Center is presenting A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan. One of the highlights will be a return visit to the Northland by Scarlet Rivera, the violinist who brought Dylan’s Desire album to life and provided an especially mesmerizing zest to Dylan’s road show, The Rolling Thunder Revue.

Many people do not realize what a world-renowned performer Scarlet is. In addition to doing a pair of road tours with Bob Dylan, she has multiple CD's as a composer in numerous styles including instrumental, New Age, Celtic and world music. Besides performing in the US, Europe and Japan with her Celtic group she has also recorded or performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls, Kori Linae Carothers, and Keb Mo among others. She’s been a soloist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and the Carnival of Venice, Italy and continues to be an active recording artist, performer and composer. She has just completed a California tour with Cindy Cashdollar and Sylvia Tyson.
Most inspiring of all is that she is just a good-hearted person. I for one look forward to her return to our region. If you can't make it to Saturday's May 17 event at Sacred Heart downtown Duluth, she will also be performing May 23 at The Green Door in Beaver Bay with Gene LaFond.

EN: What are your favorite Dylan albums and songs?
Scarlet Rivera: My favorite Dylan albums / short list of songs.
Freewheelin’
Bringing it all Back Home
Shot of Love
Oh Mercy
Desire - gotta be one, too!

Love Minus Zero
You're a Big Girl Now
Every Grain of Sand
Where Teardrops Fall
Series of Dreams
Gates of Eden

EN: You keep coming back. What attracts you so strongly to our Northland?
Scarlet: I sense the deep history from the early immigrants and visionaries who built industries from the fur traders of the 1820's, to commercial fishing, lumber, breweries grain and flour mills to steel companies and ship building. Music and culture also flourished in Duluth in the many elegant old theater and opera houses. I read about the Spalding Hotel with stunning architecture and interior design, a dear friend of mine is from the Spalding family...and how the Flame Restaurant with strolling musicians after being a fixture for 50 years was demolished and the same location is now the Great Lakes Aquarium which I visited. I also love the people and the rugged natural beauty of the Northland, and finally will have a chance to greater see and experience this year... I plan to go to International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center, as I am a big animal advocate and environmentalist.

EN: Did you meet Geno on the Rolling Thunder Revue? What was he like at that time? 
Scarlet: Larry Kegan and Geno drove in Larry's van with his helper to the Rolling Thunder Revue. After the afternoon rehearsal Bob found me and said, I have a friend I want you to meet. So he and I took a walk outside to a big van and hopped inside. Bob introduced me to Larry Kegan as an old friend, and his friend Geno. Larry was a paraplegic from a diving accident, but Bob did not prep me on his condition before we met, as I think he felt I would 'see' and understand Larry for the free spirit and great person he was, and not the condition. We all talked for a while but the most animated talker was Larry... and Bob let him take center stage. Geno was not as gregarious, a bit more shy, but so was I. From that day onward, Larry, Geno and I remained the best of friends, and I went to visit and perform with them whenever they invited me.

EN: How was your life changed by Bob Dylan?
Scarlet: To properly understand the answer I would need to give you the context surrounding my life at the time we met. Although what I seemed to project on stage was this powerful commanding persona, off stage I was beyond painfully shy... to the point of clinically withdrawn. A raven with a broken wing, remote like a lone wolf... a bit of a tortured soul... in many ways a broken little girl shattered into a million pieces (which would take years to put together.) I believe he saw right through me, troubles and all, which is probably why he embraced me more, knowing this kind of pain may bring something unique to my playing... and I guess the consensus from listeners says that it did.

There was a silent understanding between us. His deep understanding and acceptance was like an anchor that comforted me amidst a raging sea.

Travelling and performing Bob Dylan’s music live with him lifted me to a place that brought out a higher part of myself I didn’t know existed, but that would be a part of me that I would carry into everything I have done since. In fact, what I gained from Bob has grown greater and deeper with the passing years. I have been deeply grateful for how much he lifted me up and embraced not only my playing but me personally.... and I say it’s effect is growing with time because while it would still take many more years to put the shattered pieces together again, it was Bob’s kindness and appreciation that eventually helped me fix that broken wing and put the pieces together. When I listen back and see photos and videos of what we did together, it is undeniable how powerful and magical it was.

I’ve gone on to work with many different songwriters and artists over the years, and I feel I bring a piece of what I created on Desire and the Rolling Thunder Revue to each situation. It is the wellspring that I perpetually draw new inspiration from. While I work with musicians of all ages, it seems many young musicians have sought me out. An example is I was hired by a young rock group in Japan to be on their record and when I played live with them in Tokyo to thousands of their fans, we performed Hurricane together! I felt Bob would be pleased to see me perform Hurricane to a new young audience in Japan.

In short, although there will never be an end to this question, is that nearly every musical situation or relationship I’ve had leads back home to Bob Dylan as the source. It is an endless wellspring of inspiration, warmest feelings and a gratitude I repay in my way by continuing to be the truest musician and artist I can be.

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EdNote: Thank you, Scarlet, for returning once again to share your talent and spirit with us here in the North Country. Your list of "favorite albums" very much overlaps with my own. Keep making your music and the world will be a better place.

Addendum: 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.

Courtney Yasmineh Returns for A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan (Interview)

When Courtney Yasmineh joined Scarlet Rivera and Gene Lafond last year at Weber Hall, there was a certain amount of risk as she was accustomed to performing with her own band and not Gene's backup band The Wild Unknown. On top of that, an hour before showtime Courtney and Scarlet were shaken up in a car accident on the way to getting ready for the concert. Despite the distractions, both performers never let on -- they were cool like ice, like fire -- and a stellar concert ensued.

Once on the stage Yamineh holds nothing back. You can feel the energy she projects, even from the farthest corners of the hall. It's exciting to have her here again for the upcoming kickoff event of our North Country Dylan Days Celebration which is now just a month away.

EN: You recently had to perform at SXSW. How’d it go?

Courtney Yasmineh: SXSW was such a growth experience for me and for my band. We were so pleased to be invited, first of all, for the first time in my career. We played two prime time evening shows on the main street of Austin where most of the action is for up and coming artists. We were part of the Red Gorilla Fest which is a subdivision of the scene down there that really caters to new artists. We played on rooftop stages at two different venues to enthusiastic crowds.

I felt like I really got to see how the American SXSW audience, who are mostly young people from around the country who love new music, responded to my songs and my band's presentation. I knew going in that this could be discouraging for me if it didn't go well, but honestly, I was not prepared for how well we were received! I feel so inspired and full of conviction as a result of our efforts there, and that is a great gift!

EN: Last year you told me of a book you wanted to write. How’s that going?

CY: I have written about 200 pages of the story of my adolescent experience. I ran away from Chicago to Northern Minnesota when I was seventeen mostly because my parents were getting divorced and I was extremely disillusioned with everything about my young life there. I went to live on Lake Vermilion in a cabin my Grandfather had left to our family when he died. And that winter I learned as many Bob Dylan songs as I could, and began performing with my guitar. I had already started writing songs, but that winter provided much new inspiration and I wrote many songs about my experience.

EN: What is it that so attracts you to Dylan’s music?

CY: The joy for me in singing songs that Bob Dylan has written is that he is my greatest hero and his body of work and his career are such an inspiration to me.

EN: What are your favorite Dylan songs that you like to sing?

CY: I like to sing Dylan's song "Sara"... I like when he says lines like "staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel writing 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' for you." Staying up for days!!!! Love that!!!

I also like "Times They Are A-Changin'" because it's so brilliant and I think it takes a lot to deliver it with the right tone… not too strident… not too sentimental… and especially coming from a female, those words have a lot of power and can be off-putting.

My favorite might be "Tom Thumb's Blues." A better folk rock opening line has never been written than..."When you're lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Easter time too..." When delivered right, that line can make you feel like a real bad ass on the microphone!

EN: What have you learned about yourself through your experiences performing?

CY: I've learned a lot about myself over the last few years of performing for people in other cities, other countries, and at home in Minnesota. I've learned that I am a people pleaser and I want to see people's eyes light up. I've learned that I do not have to be loud to be heard. I've learned that my most helpful attribute in performance is how much I care about the meaning of the words. I've learned that I have to really feel good about the level of quality of what I'm offering in order for me to relax and put on a fun show.

EN: What kind of thoughts are you thinking when you look at an audience at the beginning of a concert?

CY: At the beginning of a concert, I am usually already playing the first song, watching people, feeling their level of acceptance of my band, feeling how the band likes the situation… the sound quality, the circumstances of how we've been treated so far....and if all's well, about half way into the first song, I start thinking...'okay, we've got this' and then I relax and start having the time of my life.

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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. 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. 

This weekend it's Easter time, and whether you're lost in the rain in Juarez, or wherever you are, remember... Meantime, life goes on all around you. Embrace it.

Backstory on A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan and a Reminder of Dylan's Fondness for Duluth -- Introducing Magic Marc Percansky (Part I)

Magician and Promoter Marc Percansky

Marc Percansky has been in the entertainment business since his youth. Early on he used to do magic shows, entertaining not only friends and family but also taking his act out to the world outside. In short, he has been a lifelong extrovert, easy to talk with and wholly engaging. He is currently the producer/promoter for Duluth’s upcoming A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan.

Sunday evening he spoke with me from his mother’s home in St. Louis Park, beginning with a quote from Douglas Brinkley’s May 14, 2009 Rolling Stone interview with Bob Dylan. Percansky wanted to immediately demonstrate to naysayers that Dylan has now and always had a heart for Duluth. But whatever the question, his heart overflowed with things he wished to share and stories to tell.

“Listen to what he [Dylan] said in Rolling Stone magazine,” Percansky said, reading an excerpt from the interview:

I [Brinkley] asked Dylan if he minds people visiting Hibbing or Duluth or Minneapolis searching for the root of his talent. “Not at all,” he surprisingly says. “The town where I grew up hasn’t really changed that much so whatever was in the air before is probably still there. I go through once in a while coming down from Canada, I’ll stop there and wander around. As for Duluth where his grandparents lived, he said thinks it’s one of the country’s forgotten gems. You’ll never see another town like Duluth, he says. It’s not a tourist destination but it probably should be. It depends what season you’re in there. There’s only two seasons, damp and cold. I like the way the hills tumble to the waterfront and the way the wind blows around the grain elevators. The train yards go on forever, too. It’s old age industrial. You’ll see it from the top of the hill for miles and miles before you get there. You won’t believe your eyes. The air is so pure there. The brooks and rivers are still running, the forests are thick, and the landscape is brutal. And the sky is still blue up there. It’s still pretty untarnished, it’s still off the beaten path.”

Marc Percansky: You can only be born in one place. He does have a strong affinity for where he came from. He spent twenty years there. That shaped him. He’s talked about that and I can see that. That’s the thing with this show. It’s hard to figure… The whole state, we have a different connection than the rest of the world to him. When he says “Twilight on the frozen lake, North wind about to break, On footprints in the snow, Silence down below…”  (Never Say Goodbye, Planet Waves)

We know about that frozen lake. We’re from here. We feel the same as him.

EN: What’s your background?

MP: I grew up in the Cities, a suburb called St. Louis Park. I spent most of my life here, except ten years out of here. Five years on the east coast, New York City, and five years on the west coast, Los Angeles. I know like with Bob, I’ve seen it first hand, he’s most proud of his newest work. I remember one time he had a cassette or something and he said, “Wait till you hear this.” It’s funny, because it’s like he’s never done anything great in the past. He’s got this great body of work but he’s most proud of his newest things. That’s the sign of a great artist so they can keep creating till the end.

He’s doing six or seven Tempest songs now. That’s as good an album as any of them. And I think we’ll get a few more out of him, too. He looks healthy and he’s going good. 100 dates a year.

EN: What’s the history of these concerts and how did the first one come together?

Magic Marc funnin' with Dan Israel

MP: There have really been three people that made this happen and kept it going. That would be Paul Metsa first, who convinced Kevin Odegard back in 2001 to get the original session players of Blood on the Tracks together and do a concert. It was at First Avenue here where Prince shot Purple Rain. And I went to that show, it was great. There were sixty bands. It was an incredible thing. They did the songs and that was the first time since 1974.

2004 comes along and there was a concert at the Pantages. Paul Metsa asks me to do a cue card skit imitating Don’t Look Back and go on stage during Lily. Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. O.K. so I did that. That’s the video I sent to you. That’s the night I met Kevin Odegard. We became friends instantly. I felt like I’d known him forever, a great guy.

2005 comes along. I go with Kevin Odegard and Chris Weber to St. Cloud where they were inducted into the St. Cloud Hall of Fame. I ride out there with Kevin, his father and Chris Webber and I induct them. They do a few songs. There’s a museum there, the Stearns History Museum if you’re ever in St. Cloud.

2009 comes along…. There were a couple concerts I wasn’t involved in. I think they went to Hibbing. Kevin had been asking me to be more involved. I did this at my home base in St. Louis Park where we’ve had these outdoor venues every year. They’ve been benefits for Guitars for Vets, which Kevin brought in that cause. My role has increased through the years. Kevin Odegard for several years, then Billy Hallquist became involved. So it’s really those three guys. Billy has kept it going and really, my role just got bigger and bigger, and we’ve done it every years since. We added Maple Grove. They’re always in the summer, outdoor concerts, which is why this show feels a little different. It’s indoors and not really the heart of summer. There’s a different feeling about it. Also it’s not for Guitars for Vets. It’s for the Armory.

That’s where it’s at right now. And now we have a fourth person to really thank, and that’s Nelson. This wouldn’t happen without them.

The name changed because none of the original BOTT people are involved.

TO BE CONTINUED

EdNote: The full article from which Dylan's remarks about Duluth can be found in David Brinkley in-depth interview titled Bob Dylan's Late-Era, Old-Style American Individualism.

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. For tickets to this great event visit dulutharmory.org/events.

Introducing Barbara Meyer, Another Highlight in the Upcoming Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan

This article is third in a series of interviews highlighting some of the musicians and performers who will be a part of A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan, May 17 at Sacred Heart in Downtown Duluth.

According to ReverbNation.com Barbara Meyer’s pedigree lists a Master’s in vocal performance from the University of Iowa, where she also studied opera before redirecting toward jazz. Meyer still sings jazz standards around the Twin Cities with several groups, and also sang Afro-Cuban Rock as a member of Minneapolis’ seminal ensemble One World. Her musical roots further encompass Broadway show tunes, gospel, and rock & roll. She has been compared to such vocalists as Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Erykah Badu, and Lucinda Williams, and draws as much critical praise for her live performances as she does for her work in the studio.

In speaking of her second album, the review stated Meyer's "wildly talented band, anchored by international world beat drummer Stan Kipper (4 time Minnesota Music Award winner and double Rock and Country Hall of Fame inductee), joins her to create a truly magical sound." Based on everything I've seen and heard, she is a stellar addition to the upcoming concert here next month.

EN: Where did you grow up and who were your early musical influences?

Barbara Meyer: I grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, in the 1960s and 70s. Early (and continued, really) influences included Dylan (of course), Joni Mitchell, CSNY, the Beatles, Laura Nyro... Man, how to even list them all?!? But that's a start.

EN: How did you get into performing and what kinds of work have you done as a musician/artist?

Meyer: Music was encouraged in me from a very young age. I was given a plastic ukulele when I was about 5, and according to my mother I sang before even I spoke. I have a Master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Iowa, where I studied opera. Currently I have my own band (the Barbara Meyer Band), which includes Stan Kipper (New Primitives, worldwide rhythm monster) on drums, Bill Hulett on bass, Park Evans on guitar, and Andy Shaffer on sax, plus I front a number of jazz/cabaret groups here around the Twin Cities. I am also in the process of recording a collection of Harold Arlen songs with world-renowned pianist Phil Mattson. My musical roots further encompass Broadway show tunes, gospel, and rock & roll, and I also sang Afro-Cuban Rock as a member of Minneapolis’ seminal world beat ensemble One World (again, with Stan Kipper).

EN: When did you first take an interest in Bob Dylan's music? What was it that you especially responded to?

Meyer: Again, I must have been about 5 or 6 when I first started digging Dylan. My sister, who is 7 years older than I, exposed me to him and the others. I think that what first truly drew me in was the simple, straightforward storytelling style of his tunes. I liked (and still do) being able to hear the words and the guitar - the open, intimate feel of it all. Plus the evocative nature of his tunes taught me the special magic of music: transporting the listener out of the moment and into the soul. (Not to get all ethereal or anything...) ;- )

EN: How did you connect with Stan Kipper?

Meyer: I was working at a restaurant in the late 1990s with bass player Tom Peterson. Tommy played sometimes with Stan, who was looking for a singer. Tom suggested me, and Stan heard me and hired me on to sing lead female vocals with One World - a world beat/reggae band that was big around here in the 90s.

EN: You have an older sister… were you the baby of the family? Any particular personal traits that you can share pertaining to your birth order?

Meyer: Yes, I'm the youngest. Hmm... I think my sister and I are pretty typical, from what I've observed in others: she is more introverted, structured, and rule-following, while I tend to be more carefree and spontaneous. I think it's because my folks had relaxed a bit by the time they had me, so I was given more wiggle room. It certainly informs my songwriting, to be more free-spirited, as it were.

EN: Have you always made a living through your music?

Meyer: No, and (sadly) I still don't. It's my career and my life, but I have to supplement up the wazoo to make things work. Yet I love it!

EN: What is it that has enabled Dylan to connect with so many people, not only in the Sixties but around the world and over several generations?

Meyer: Ah, that's a great point: his connection to (and of) people. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he's "every man," in a way - he just lays his heart out in his songs, and folks relate to that. Sometimes he's very straightforward, other times poetic and provocative - just like people are, just like life is. He's larger than life, yet totally accessible. We gravitate to that kind of modest power.

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You can hear the Barbara Meyer Band at soundcloud.com/barbarameyermusic

A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan is a Magic Marc Productionhttp://www.magicmarcproductions.com/a-salute-to-the-music-of-bob-dylan-2014-duluth/ and the kickoff event for this year's North Country Dylan Fest, May 17-25 in Duluth and Hibbing.  Tickets here. 

Dali, Dylan and the Tombstone Blues

“The lyrics fit the surreal style of the era, while being scathing of society and authority.” ~Wikipedia

In September 2009 I explored the question of whether Salvador Dali was madman or genius. What brought this to mind was the Wiki statement above which I came across while looking for additional insights on Dylan's Tombstone Blue. While I disagree with the statement as regards fitting "the surreal style of the era", I totally agree that many of Dylan's songs of the period were surreal, and therefore can be compared to Dali. First, let's correct the word "fit." The surrealism injected into rock and pop music of the Sixties most likely emerged as a result of Dylan. He wasn't fitting it in. He preceded it. At this point in time, the summer of 1965, it did not yet exist. The Beatles were still recording Help.

But this blog note is more concerned with the comparison between Dylan and Dali.

There are tens of thousands of artists, but very few who become household names, and even fewer who have done it during their lifetimes while still above the sod. Picasso, Dali and Warhol are certainly on the short list. Each of them carefully mapped a path to the fame they craved. Both Warhol and Dali crafted a distinct public face while surrounding themselves with an aura of ambiguity. And though there were countless surrealists in the movement, it is only Dali who became a household name.

Dali's paintings are noteworthy for a variety of features. Besides their masterful execution, the content included grotesque distortions, optical illusions, elongated legs on elephants and other body parts, sensuality, eroticism, flies, grasshoppers, melting watches, historical references, and inexplicable juxtapositions. An in-depth analysis of the three albums that established Dylan as the iconic figure of his time -- Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde -- likewise contain numerous songs that coincide with Dali's oeuvre.

Tombstone Blues, second cut on Highway 61 Revisited, is a suitable example of the surrealistic method of storytelling that would re-appear in various forms over the next forty years. While the Beatles were singing Twist and Shout in Shea Stadium, August 15 1965, Columbia was preparing Dylan's "Shot Heard Round The World" for its August 30 release.

While screaming teen-aged girls drowned out the lyrics of "You make me dizzy Miss Lizzy" other minds were being jolted awake by "Once upon a time you dressed so fine, you threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you." Opening cut. Followed by this jangling jam-blast...

The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course
The city fathers they’re trying to endorse
The reincarnation of Paul Revere’s horse
But the town has no need to be nervous

The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits
To Jezebel the nun she violently knits
A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits
At the head of the chamber of commerce

Mama’s in the fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
He’s lookin’ for the fuse
I’m in the streets
With the tombstone blues

Huh? What's this? It's surreal, but not meaningless. It's not dada. This song and many of the others are a mirror of the chaotic subterranean zeitgeist of that moment in time.

Like Dali, the song explodes with images. The images contain strings of historical references, allusions and illusions, literary distortions and eroticism.

The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
Screaming she moans, “I’ve just been made”
Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade
Says, “My advice is to not let the boys in”

Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride
“Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
You will not die, it’s not poison”

What is it that Dylan is here "laying between the lines"?

Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, “Tell me great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?”

The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
Saying, “Death to all those who would whimper and cry”
And dropping a barbell he points to the sky
Saying, “The sun’s not yellow it’s chicken”

The Biblical references add up all throughout, distorted and used to -- at times -- to torpedo sense, yet teasing the mind with promises of meaning. This can't be all nonsense, but there's work involved to gain a handhold. Parents walk away scratching their heads while their young ones hook on to fragments of meaning and catch a bigger picture. In the midst of all this madness, "I'm in the streets with the tombstone blues."

The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo’s math book to get thrown
At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter

Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after

Something's happening, but you don't know what it is, do you Mr. Jones?

The march of imagery continues and the suggestive geometry of innocence reaches a climax with....

Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps for the soul
To the old folks home and the college

Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That could hold you dear lady from going insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge

Ma Rainey was one of the first recorded blues singers, Beethoven one of the greatest composers at the dawn of the romantic period of classical music. Their passion for making great music has been replaced by an articifice, tuba players around a flagpole. It's madness, but when you see it and understand it, you know why this generation ended up in the streets with the tombstone blues.

Enigmatic is a word that applies equally well to both the art and the man, whether speaking of Dali or Dylan, whether it's the Hallucinogenic Torreador or Tombstone Blues. In both pictures the images are riveting, and add up to something.

Mama’s in the fact’ry
She ain’t got no shoes
Daddy’s in the alley
He’s lookin’ for the fuse
I’m in the streets
With the tombstone blues

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Saturday May 17 join us for A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan as we kick off this year's North Country Dylan Days at the Sacred Heart in Duluth. To stay current on the events of Duluth Dylan Fest, visit the Facebook page and Like. Also, be sure to bookmark Hibbing's Dylan Days schedule.

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For a more comprehensive exploration of this song, read John Hinchey's Like a Complete Unknown. For an entertaining exploration of interpretations of the song's elements, visit Songmeanings.  

Sleights of Mind and a Reminder to Get a Ticket

Magic is about entertaining audiences. Young magicians should not focus on methodology at the expense of theatrics.

In Houdini's Right Way To Do Wrong the great escape artist gives attention to the matter of "performance" in the magic arts. It's not just technique, though technique has great value. Presentation is equally important. Though part of the magician's creed is to never share one's secrets with non-magicians, there is a second rule that is part of the creed. Never perform a trick badly. That's paraphrased, but is essentially the nut of it. Don't botch a trick so badly as to give it away.

So, I have been reading a fascinating book about magic, but from a different angle. It's called Sleights of Mind, by Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde. The book is by scientists, not entertainers and its subtitle is What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions.

It's a novel approach to brain science. Much of what neuroscientists are now learning has already been learned by magicians more than a century ago. The hand is quicker than the eye? It's much more than that. Now you see it, now you don't.

People who go to magic shows get a thrill from being deceived. But there are reasons the tricks fool us, and the master magicians get away with mental mayhem. Part of the reason is that our brain's ability to take in data has many flaws. Yes, it is a remarkable organ, but it has an amazing variety of shortcomings. The ways in which afterimages, perspective, inattentional blindness and viewers' expectations get manipulated are each demonstrated and spelled out.

In an early part of the book the authors share how scientists were fooled by Uri Geller and his spoon-bending, which they called the Geller Effect. The reason why scientists were so gullible is that scientists are honest people and not aware of how low magicians are willing to stoop to deceive them. The better the scientist, the more gullible.

I am immediately reminded of Houdini's efforts to unmask frauds and especially those who bought into the notion of communicating with the dead through mediums. But another historical moment comes to mind as well. When the duck-billed platypus was discovered, the scientists in England thought it such a bizarre creature that it had to be a hoax. The reason for this incredulity has to do with context. Some international travelers had come home with other strange creatures which indeed had been hoaxes. Sailors were sold miniature "mermaids" in which the upper half of a monkey would be sewn to the lower half of a fish. English scientists assumed the platypus was of similar "creative" origin.

If I were a better magician with words, this would not be such a sloppy segue, but alas, let's cut right to it.

I don't know anyone who doesn't like to be dazzled now and then. That's one reason I look forward to a great evening of entertainment on May 17 for Magic Marc's production of A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan. Evidently Marc Percansky is a magician in addition to event promoter. Both he and professional magician John Bushey will keep us entertained while musicians change up their sets. A bit like a three ring circus, except it's magicans instead of clowns.

Percansky is an independent concert, music and event promoter based in the Minneapolis / Saint Paul, Minnesota area. His interest in the music of Bob Dylan isn't an isolated phenomenon. President Obama said, when awarding him the Medal of Freedom, "There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music,"  And though his cross generational fame has been cemented by means of his half century career as a performer, it was his songwriting that garnered him a Pulitzer Prize in 2008. (Was that really already six years ago?)

So Percansky has assembled a top-notch crew for another over-the-top kickoff of another North Country Dylan Fest Celebration. At the end of the week's events, on May 24, Bob Dylan will turn 73.

Like the great magicians of old, Magic Marc seems to be a master of entertaining audiences. It should be an event to remember.

Just a quick reminder that tickets are now on sale so join me in snapping them up. It should be another spectacular event.

Billy Hallquist Shares the Backstory on Salute To The Music of Bob Dylan and How Dylan Became Significant to the World-At-Large

For the past several years the North Country Dylan Celebration has included a kickoff concert event as a fundraiser for the Armory Arts & Music Center. It was at the Duluth Armory where young Robert Zimmerman saw Buddy Holly's second-to-last concert and, as the legend goes, made eye contact with the evening's star and felt a spark, sensed something had transpired between them.

This year's concert will held at the Sacred Heart on Fourth Street in Duluth's Central Hillside. The show is called A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan, including Scarlet Rivera once again, who seems to be falling in love with our little town on the Big Lake. This will be a fantastic show.

Marc Percansky is the Marc of Magic Marc Productions, the organizer of the event. Another central player is Billy Hallquist, a Twin Cities musician of more than forty years, performing or recording with the K.O. Band (not KO as in Knock-Out, but as in Kevin Odegard, or maybe both) and other musicians through the years. Odegard was co-author of A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks, written from the insider's perspective, as he was one of the musicians who recorded portions of the album including Idiot Wind.

I've been very recently introduced to Billy Hallquist by Nelson French, who serves on the board of the AAMC. Nelson said, "Billy and I met throughout the Guitars for Vets benefit concerts that he has helped organize for 3 or 4 years now. Turns out we have mutual friends, including Kevin Odegard. Billy was a member of the KO Band."

Well, enough for introductions. I asked him to share a little bit about the backstory for Salute. You can read more about Billy Hallquist in this blog post at It's Psychedelic Baby.

EN: How did Blood on the Tracks get started (the show that is now Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan)?

Billy Hallquist: Initially, of course, there were the Sound 80 sessions in Dec. of 73* where Dylan re-cut a number of tracks for Blood on the Tracks (chronicled in A Simple Twist of Fate by Kevin Odegard and Andy Gill) with the rush to release resulting in the MN musicians not receiving liner note credit (still uncredited).

Flash forward to 2001. Paul Metsa throws a Million Dollar Bash 60th birthday party event at First Avenue. Tons of bands and artists appear (including The K.O. Band). Headlining is a reunion of (most of) the musicians from the BOTT sessions performing cuts from the album. To promote his book Kevin reassembles this group on a number of occasions over the years. (Blood on the Tracks Live).

In 2009, Blood on the Tracks Live (BOTTL ) now called Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan, performs at Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in Wolfe Park, St. Louis Park, MN. I participate via a K.O. Band reunion that opens the show and sit in for a couple Dylan/Byrds songs. Bill Berg and Chris Weber are unavailable. Additional musicians added.

By 2010, Kevin, Gary Lopac and I are actively working together to develop a show and opening set of original material. Greg Inhofer is unavailable. Billy Peterson has another commitment and can only participate briefly.

In 2011, Peter Ostroushko is unavailable. Kevin wants to focus on his career at Apple and turns over reins to me. New artists, acts join fold. Town Green in Maple Grove, MN added to schedule.

2012. K.O. performs final gig and officially retires. We introduce the Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan moniker. More new musicians join the family.

2013. BOTTL officially becomes Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan (STTMOBD). We now have more people offering to participate than we can accommodate.

EN: What are the biggest changes you have seen in the forty years you have played music professionally?

Hallquist on guitar, second from right.

BH: Technology and widespread digital delivery has really changed "the business." Sgt. Pepper was recorded on a 4 track, requiring multiple mixes and generations of recording in order to achieve the final result. The transition from 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 and 64 track analog recorders allowed for far more control of sound and instrumentation. The introduction of digital and computer technology had another profound impact. There are now millions of home studios with virtually unlimited capabilities vs. a relatively small number of professional studios manned by an equally small number of talented engineers.

Digital downloading has brought about the near obsolescence of CDs and brick and mortar stores. Although there is a resurgence in vinyl interest among audiophiles. There are now a small number of radio programmers controlling what is played on radio. The other side of that coin is the proliferation of multiple internet radio formats/stations playing everything from a to z. This results in the lion's share of listeners are exposed to a relatively small universe of music choices and the more discerning consumers are diluted among a virtual infinite array of choices.

EN: How is it that Dylan's music became so influential?

BH: There are multiple reasons for the phenomenon that is "Dylan." Among them:

Timing. He came along at a right time. His music captured the attention of a large number of trend setters.

Drive. He was driven to become a success.

Ability. There have been few artists, if any, with the ability to generate a mystique about themselves that created such an avid fan base.

This doesn't even take into account that he is one incredible songwriter and a unique performer. The music had to be there and appeal to people or none of the drive and self promotion could have taken it to where it is.

EN: In what ways has Dylan's music made an impact on you and your life?

BH: When I first heard Dylan at 15, his voice, lyrics, mystique resonated with me like nothing before or since. I can't find adequate words. Admittedly, I am a huge fan of everything up to Blood on the Tracks. In later years, I was busy being a breadwinner and dad and didn't follow him like when I was young. Therefore, I am less familiar/invested in his more recent material.

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* or around that time