The Wallflowers Tickets

The Wallflowers

The Wallfowers have a lean sound, moderate hooks and Jakob Dylan's made-for-MTV face. Although he's the son of Bob Dylan, Jakob's musical father figures are the illegitimate sons of Dylan: Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. The Wallflowers' crafted roots-oriented rock adds a populist dash of commercial sheen.

As part of the mid-'90s revival of roots-rock, the Wallflowers held a special connection to one of the original inspirations: vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Jakob Dylan. Though he is the son of a legend, Jakob's similarities to his father are occasional — in fact, the Wallflowers are more influenced by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers than original '60s folk-rock, though lyrically, Jakob remains a close companion to the original Dylan.

"I kind of stumbled upon writing a record this time," says Wallflowers singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jakob Dylan, explaining the origins of Red Letters Days. For the dual Grammy Award-winning band, their fourth album gradually took shape last year in the midst of an extensive tour schedule in support of 2000's Breach.
"I kind of needed a distraction from the road so I naturally started writing," says Dylan, 32. "I really took advantage of the schedule and by the time I looked down there were a bunch songs. I just woke up one day and realized we had a record."

As the itinerary rolled on, the band likewise seized the opportunity to document the fresh-from-the-oven material. Along with original member, keyboardist Rami Jaffee, bassist Greg Richling, and drummer Mario Calire, Dylan recorded a series of free-flowing demos in backstage dressing rooms, closets, and arena loading docks - "pretty much anywhere there was a power source," says Jakob with a laugh. "It got to be pretty entertaining. We even set up microphones in a shower."