Bayou Beats: Dylan Uncovered

On May 18th of this year, the Dylan Birthday Jam celebrated its 8th annual round-up of talented North Louisiana musicians on a rearranged Enoch’s patio.

Article by Vanelis Rivera and photography by Andrew Bailey

At the peak of what is authentic and real in music sits the hauntingly influential American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Purveyor of visceral sounds, his unruly, raw vocals lend to the richness of his songwriting. He has considered his songs as living “on the fringes” and his sounds as “traveling on hard ground.” Designated either ahead of his time or behind it, most of his early songs still carry an eerie weight to this day. Since his debut album released in 1962, Dylan has received as much anger and perplexity as he has love. Critics have said that he mangles his melodies, slurs his words and talks through his songs. His response has always been one of indifference, saying, “I don’t really think I do that. I just think critics say I do.” Regardless of vocal range or prettiness of sound, the devastating truth of his songs is unquestionable. A plethora of artists have covered his songs, and many others have credited Dylan with their draw to music, whether it be picking up the harmonica or venturing into songwriting. This giant of an artist left his pulse in the collective consciousness of music lovers everywhere, and Monroe, Louisiana has tapped into this beat.

In 2011, with Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday approaching on May 24th, well-known local musician Josh Madden had an idea. He thought it would be a cool homage to play Dylan songs all night for about three to four hours at Enoch’s Pub and Grill. A small group of about eight performers took the stage. At the time, Madden’s intention was for anyone who wanted to play Dylan to join the jam session. But owners Doyle and Yvette Jeter, along with Enoch’s patrons, loved the performance so much that an encore was requested. The blow-up jam occurred on their third year with about eighteen musicians participating. Traction was building quickly, resulting in the event becoming something more than just a Dylan tribute.

On May 18th of this year, the Dylan Birthday Jam celebrated its 8th annual round-up of talented musicians on a rearranged Enoch’s patio. At one point, Madden walked to the back entrance of Enoch’s, blocked off for musicians. About seven groups of musicians were socializing, but none of the groups were a whole band. A significant reunion had formed, one that most of the attending musicians look forward to since as working musicians they don’t get to see other performers play. Josh Love, local guitarist and singer, notes that “no other gig in town does that.” The increased comradery of the event energizes the night. Amy Madden, official poster designer for the event and bassist accompanying husband Jamie Madden, says, “No one holds back, because the audience is made up of a bunch of musicians and they’ll have all the support.” James Earl Simpson, seven-year veteran performer at the event and singer-guitarist, agrees and adds, “For everyone to be under one roof, hanging out backstage and swapping war stories, it can be a complete mess in a good way. It’s borderline debauchery when we’re back there. We all have that common bond.” A collective sentiment is that the location inspires the groundwork for said bonding. “[Enoch’s] is the only place that show should ever be. Enoch’s is ground zero for live music,” says Simpson.

At this point, the reunion and comradery is what Madden is going for. This year 63 musicians, mostly local, played at the Dylan Jam. It’s a great exchange; musicians are asked to play 2-3 songs and then they get to hang out all night and playfully heckle. Madden makes it easy to set-up: the house band is available for any musician and everything is plug-in-and-play ready. There’s no telling whether a musician will join another group or what will happen during a set, as Madden experienced this year: “At the end of the night, Doug Duffey closed the show. I went up there to say ‘thank you’ and ended up playing two more songs.” For the last three years, some of the musicians and Enoch’s staff have stayed at Enoch’s until 6 a.m. after the event, taking pictures, rolling cables and talking about the performances that stuck out.

“Astro Motel did great. I love the vocal effect that Joel put on his voice,” recalls Madden. “It was brilliant, because it did make them more memorable.” Joel Jordan, lead singer and guitarist of Astro Motel, was hard to miss, walking on stage freshly shaved, hair-sprayed curls and a polka dot button-up. “He looked exactly like Bob Dylan. I thought it was kinda cool,” says Joe Haydel, guitarist-singer and first year participant of the jam. Each year, every performer tries to one-up their performance. “As soon as the first one is over, I start to think of what I want to do next year,” informs singer-guitarist Jesse Grinter from Golddust Mannequins, performing the event on his fifth year. Another appeal of the event is the varying spins the bands will put on Dylan songs. Jordan Sheppard and wife Stacey Sheppard’s rendition of “Things Have Changed,” a modern Dylan song, got thrown back to a soulful 70’s sound. Madden admires The Vidrines having their own original take on Dylan every year with their “new wave punk meets Tom Waits” sound. Nobody plays the same song, so throughout the night, you’ll hear approximately fifty different Dylan songs.

Musicians tend to choose songs that meld with their sound aesthetic or their personal relationship to a song. The Josh Love Band, known for their groovy, R&B soulful sounds, played “I Want You” and “Seeing The Real You at Last.” Doug Duffey, who loves “doing the 80’s Dylan stuff,” usually focuses on Dylan’s gospel, soul-based songs, says Madden. Astro Motel’s take of “Ballad of a Thin Man” really highlighted the band’s partnership. “I really love how we play together, and I love Ricky’s solo at the end,” says Jordan. While Dylan’s songs are easily adaptable, capturing his delivery is another story. “You really have to believe the words coming out of your mouth. You have to really put the time into learning those songs and understanding what those songs mean,” says Simpson. Jordan tapped into this nerve in his solo performance of “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”: “The first time I heard it, it just disabled me for a couple of hours. I feel like it’s very prophetic for the times that we live in, as it probably has been prophetic for every decade.”

Very few can attest to grasping Dylan’s full body of work. If you think you’ve heard all the Dylan you’re going to hear, attending the Dylan Jam may sober that idea up. “All of a sudden you hear some song that you’ve never heard before from thirty years ago. And that happens almost every year. Someone asking to play a Dylan song I’ve never heard of,” says Madden. A majority of Love’s exposure to Dylan has been through the Dylan Jam, many of those songs becoming songs in his band’s set. Haydel, also a novice to Dylan, started realizing the songs that Dylan had actually written: “[Dylan] wasn’t a huge influence on me, but he was an influence on all of my influences. John Mayer is one of my biggest influencers. I know his remakes.”

For the musicians that have been galvanized by Dylan, the reaction is resolute. “Oh my God. I could talk about Dylan for eight hours,” emphasizes Grinter, as he compares Dylan to Picasso, noting “what he does for culture is beyond music at this point.” Mason Howard of Twin City Roots would try to sound like other singers starting out and credits Dylan with becoming a more audacious musician: “He’s kinda teaching us to be our own self. To not have to sound or play like anyone except for yourself. It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to face.” Most will agree that Dylan’s lyrics never cease to amaze. Poems in their own right, they are mind-blowing displays of the human experience. “He doesn’t just stick with anything, he just writes. I would like to be like that when I grow up,” says Amanda McDowell, singer-songwriter and five-year veteran of the Dylan Jam. For Jordan, it’s Dylan’s character that has struck him: “[Dylan] continuously disappoints people. And he’s okay with that. There is a freedom in that for me.”

Some, like Yvette Jeter, are convinced that Monroe houses the best “pound for pound” musicians in the state. The only way to find this out for yourself is to attend next year’s Bob Dylan Birthday Jam, the only night you’ll see so much local talent and creativity from veterans in their late 60s to the new generation of virtuosos. The “ears, hearts, and minds” of the musicians are interlocked in an intimate setting, says Love, which is unique to the quickly growing music culture and identity of Northeast Louisiana.