Bob Dylan is, to put it charitably, a mercurial character. Some might characterize him as “squirrely.” But he is Bob Dylan, after all, so he can get away with plenty.
Details are scarce, but it has been reported that guitarist Bob Britt abruptly quit Dylan’s band a few days ago. Britt is being kind of cagey – and who can blame him? – releasing a statement proclaiming, “I was not fired but left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private. I will miss my band mates and crew.” Gee, no mention of missing Zimmy too?
Dylan’s new guitarist is Joel Paterson, a musician based in Chicago, who is probably approaching his new gig with some trepidation. Working for Dylan must be tough. I am reminded of a Houston Press interview with guitarist Duke Robillard, who toured with Bob in 2013. Robillard said, “I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden, the stuff that he liked that I played on the last tour, he seemed to hate…and he was saying really rude things to me. I said, ‘You know what, I’m 65 years old, and I don’t need this shit.’ I just don’t know how it went so south. Bizarre things were happening those last few days. My wife asked me, when I called her up, ‘Where are you playing tonight, the Twilight Zone?’”
Ticket Alert
Most music fans who have lived in Houston for any amount of time have seen a ZZ Top show. But what the hell, why not see another one? The next opportunity to groove with “That Little Old Band from Texas” is on Saturday, October 3, at the Cynthia Woods Pavilion. Cheap Trick is set to open, and it appears that other bands will be added to the bill at some point. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
When the Indigo Girls showed up on the radio in 1989 with “Closer to Fine,” the song represented a refreshing contrast to the hair metal that was holding sway at the time. Many years and many albums later, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are still at it. You can catch them on Thursday, October 15, at the Smart Financial Centre. Presales today, general sale on Friday.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Pete Yorn will play the Heights Theater on Monday, October 23, and tickets for the show are on sale now. It may not seem that long ago, but Yorn’s tour is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut album, musicforthemorningafter. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Yorn wrote the score for the 2000 Jim Carrey comedy Me, Myself and Irene.
I don’t really know if the band name Dinosaur Jr. has anything to do with J Mascis’ guitar tone, but I do know that he can make a roar come out of his speakers that sometimes resembles that of a T-rex. Macsis and crew will crank it up at the House of Blues on Wednesday, November 4, and ticket are on sale now.
What’s in a name? In the case of Bowling for Soup, the band’s name comes from its modification of the title of a Steve Martin comedy bit called “Bowling for Shit.” I’m assuming that this name was not run past a focus group. But what would you expect from a band that was influenced by the Ramones? Catch Wichita Falls’ native sons on Thursday, November 5, at the House of Blues.
Concerts This Week
Houston’s Kam Franklin (lead vocalist for the Suffers) is gearing up for the release of her first solo album, Land of the Neon Sun, which will drop at the end of August. Franklin is performing at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge (just a couple of doors down from the Continental Club) on Thursday. Don’t miss this chance to see one of the bayou city’s greatest talents up close and personal.
There are certain guitarists who inspire other guitar players. And by “inspire,” I mean that, after hearing them play, people say things like, “Jeez, I gotta practice more.” Or “I suck.” Monte Montgomery falls into this category. You can hear him tear up the fretboard on Friday at the Mucky Duck.
Austin gets Willie Nelson’s traveling Outlaw Music Festival on the Fourth of July (the date when many of his legendary “picnics” were held), but Houston, by gad, gets him on Sunday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. In addition to Willie, the bill features Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Wilson Jr., Margo Price, Lukas Nelson and Lily Meola. That’s a lot of music to fit into one day, so things will get underway early, at 2 p.m. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: the first picnic was held in 1973 on a ranch near Dripping Springs, with Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Doug Sahm, Sammi Smith and Tom T. Hall gracing the stage along with Willie. It was kind of a mess, and a fine of $1,000 was assessed for a violation of the Texas Mass Gatherings Act.
