Subject: WALLFLOWERS CRAP From: (TIMHRK@AOL.COM) Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 20:13:22 -0400 Early Days The Wallflowers began playing in 1990 in Los Angeles clubs and hot spots like the Kibitz Room of Canter's Deli. During the early gigs, the group wrote "Ashes to Ashes," "Sugarfoot" and "Be Your Own Girl," songs that would appear on their first album. "The Wallflowers," released in 1992, received fast praise and was awarded 3 1/2 stars by Rolling Stone. Musician Magazine wrote that the album was an "impressive debut by a real rock n' roll band," and The Wallflowers were on their way to rock respectability and success. Actually, it wasn't quite so easy. The band's relationship with Virgin Records broke down when their contacts at the label left. At around the same time, The Wallflowers' drummer quit to pursue a career with Natalie Merchant's group. (Natalie's a proud Wallflowers fan herself.) "We didn't feel like anyone was behind the group," said singer/songwriter/rhythm guitarist Jakob Dylan, in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. "They all say 'We're in it for the long haul, we're all behind you.' We learned the hard way it wasn't true." Like any other fledgling rock group, The Wallflowers had to set their own goals and fend for themselves. The shake-ups prompted a lot a soul-searching among the band members, and a fine-tuning of their songwriting skills and process. The New Wallflowers Three years later they signed a deal with Interscope for a new album titled "Bringing Down the Horse." Dylan's bandmates now included guitarist Michael Ward, bassist Greg Richling, and Rami Jaffee on Hammond B3 and piano. (Drummer Matt Chamberlain was later replaced by Mario Calire.) The album featured such soon-to-be hit tracks as "6th Avenue Heartache," "One Headlight," "The Difference," "Josephine" and "Three Marlenas." "It's been three years since our first record and this time out we tried to do something a little different, something a little more forward," said Dylan. "Bringing Down the Horse" is driven by what the Tribune describes as, "Dylan's simple, yet revealing songwriting style and lyrical wordplay [accompanied by] clever instrumentation." When the videocassette featuring the "6th Avenue Heartache" clip first appeared in the mail at VH1, it immediately began receiving heavy rotation on the office VCRs of the channel's music department. The hallways rang with Dylan's aching vocals, Ward's soaring guitar riffs, and the echoes of various VH1 executives exclaiming uncontrollably, "This is a GREAT song!" They weren't alone in that sentiment. The band received two Grammy nominations this year including Best Group Rock Performance for "6th Avenue Heartache." The Wallflowers' Future After surviving a challenging start in the music business, The Wallflowers hope to stick around and earn some Grammys in the future. But Dylan knows that it won't necessarily be easy to make it to the top - it takes hard work, and The Wallflowers demand as much from each other. "It's not enough just to be in a group," he said. "You have to want to be good too. If you want this to be your job, then everybody has to play well." Jakob has also achieved enough musically to get past the early comparisons to and questions about his famous and talented father, Bob Dylan. "The baggage doesn't disappear," he said. "But you can't create and still think about that kind of thing. You do the best you can." He's driven to do his best by the sheer joy of songwriting. "It's great," he told React Magazine. "You get addicted to that feeling: 'If I did that one, I can do another one.'" Millions of new fans are eagerly awaiting the next one, if it lives up to the beauty and power of "The Wallflowers" and "Bringing Down The Horse." Want more Wallflowers? Check out some of the best Wallflowers sites on the web! The Wallflowers Home Page (http://www.kelloggcreek .com/wallflowers.htm) Claiming to be the "first Wallflowers site on the web," this is a terrific page filled with pictures, lyrics and news on the band. The Wallflowers on KMBY (http://kmby.com/artists/wa llflowers.html) This page features a downloadable live clip of the band as they performed on KMBY radio! The Wallflowers (http://www.geociti es.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/1824/) An amazing Wallflowers site with downloadable movies, sounds and tons of band info. Interscope Records: The Wallflowers (http://www.intersco perecords.com/lrwallbio.html) The official Wallflowers site on Interscope Records. This page features some cool sound files and a comprehensive look at the band. Bringing Down The Horse: (Interscope Records, 1996) One Headlight 6th Avenue Heartache Bleeders Three Marlenas The Difference Invisible City Laughing Out Loud Josephine God Don't Make Lonely Girls Angel On My Bike I Wish I Felt Nothing The Wallflowers: (Virgin Records, 1992) Shy of the Moon Sugarfoot Sidewalk Annie Hollywood Be Your Own Girl Another One In The Dark Ashes To Ashes After the Blackbird Sings Somebody Else's Money Asleep at the Wheel Honeybee For the Life of Me Transmitted: 3/31/97 7:10 PM
