October 12, 1999 ABC-TV--(Tuesday) Appearance on the "Dharma & Greg" TV show Title: Play Lady Play Show #3ABD04 Broadcast Time: 9:00 PM (eastern); 8:00 PM (central) Length: 30 minutes Bob plays guitar on 2 instrumental songs with a band. Dharma is auditioning for her friend's high school band and plays drums. Band members: Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett, John Field, Tony Gilkyson and Joe Henry. Tony Gilkyson by BY JOSHUA MILLS While X's old-school L.A. punk pays the bills, guitarist Tony Gilkyson has quietly formed his own self-named group, and they've been delighting audiences at their regular Wednesday night haunt at The Mint for the last few months. His band (which also features X's D.J. Bonebrake on drums and Dan Brownfield on bass) plays an invigorating mix of rock, country, folk and blues - as you might expect from X's latent tendencies and the subtle guitar licks that have earned him respect in that band. And so it is here: classy showmanship, no boundaries, no expectations, not even a set list. "I lose focus playing with anybody [else]," says Gilkyson on the genesis of this project. "Whether it's with X or whomever, I start to get paranoid that whatever little bit of individuation there is is being lost. When I'm playing with X, I also get really paranoid that the audience is wishing for the band of old. Mostly, however, it's to get some creative satisfaction for something I am responsible for." Gilkyson's personal yearning to break free of X's shadow is consistent with his partners. Each member devotes time to separate creative outlets during their hiatuses, which allows for artistic growth both individually and collectively. Just as John and Exene's attraction to old-style country led them to create The Knitters in the mid-'80s, so Gilkyson's band was created out of a love of roots music - between originals, they cover old Dylan folk songs and Flaco Jimenez Tex-Mex, as well as honky tonk. "I got into country music as a reaction to bad rock and roll." But he quickly hit his limit. "Country has a lot of rules. You're more inclined to play the same thing every night. "I got really sick of all the country guitar players becoming homogenized. I'll listen to something and think, 'he sounds just like somebody I heard on another song two minutes ago.' It's very sophisticated and knowledgeable but not particularly interesting." What is interesting is that while Gilkyson's live shows seem very straightahead (he has yet to record any solo material), he himself is looking to tweak perspective, moving toward the future of music by reinventing the past. "I'd like to do something that has a great guitar sound that's really weird, that nobody has done before. Good ambient noise is fascinating to me. I may be hoop-jumping, but people respond to it without really knowing why. Ambient noise is what made a lot of pop hits from the '60s great." Until then, he'll satisfy himself by occupying a curious niche between country and punk. When asked if a slot opening for Dwight Yoakam were to suddenly open up, would his band fit that bill? "Hell, yeah. I love that guy," he laughs. "But, then again, I think it would be great if we could open for Babes in Toyland."