I have a soft spot in my heart for Bob Dylan. He was one of the first musicians (aside from The Beatles) that I grew to truly love through my Dad.
My Dad was a fan of poetry and to this day I carry with me Alexander Pope’s notion that “hope springs eternal in the human breast,” handed down in the form of a highlighted, starred, underlined set of words in an old, enormous red volume of Pope Poems.
Dad brought this same tenderness for words to his love for Bob Dylan. I remember the first time I listened to “The Times They Are a Changin,’” with my Dad lovingly bringing my attention to lyrics like, “For the loser now / Will be later to win” and “Come mother and fathers / Throughout the land / And don’t criticize / what you can’t understand.” I was enchanted from that moment forward with the power of words and specifically the powerful impression left by thoughtful lyrics in great music.
Bob Dylan - Times They are a-Changin by michaelvanasse
Today when I hear artists reminiscent of Dylan and his “one-man-and-a-guitar” with “lyrics from the soul” style, I admit I have an immediate bias toward love. Sometimes the love wanes but with a few artists I’ve been introduced to recently I’ve been finding myself returning to their music over and over alongside Dylan’s “Positively Fourth Street” and “Like A Rolling Stone.”
The first is The Tallest Man on Earth (the moniker for Kristian Matsson) and the second is Joe Pug.
The Tallest Man on Earth received a lot of play on KCRW leading up to his killer Morning Becomes Eclectic performance that I have to admit I’ve watched about 500 times. I saw him at Coachella and was pleasantly surprised by the large group of people who had gathered in his tent to scream, “I want to be the King of Spain!”
What I love about the music that Kristian Matsson puts out is it’s marked lightness despite often dealing with themes of deep love and/or life lessons. There’s something spunky or triumphant about his songs that keeps me searching for the secret he knows - where does he give me the key to keeping it all in balance so that I’m always singing songs full of imagination through heartbreak and defeat?
More recently, Heather Browne of I Am Fuel, You Are Friends produced a very special “Chapel Session” with Joe Pug. Heather explains that she had to pleasure of hosting Joe and his musicians at Shove Chapel on the campus of Colorado College. The pictures of the recording session and her account of his music are so vivid - definitely worth a read.
I agree with Heather that Joe Pug carries the wanderer end of the Dylan-esque singer/songwriter stick. Joe’s songs beg to be played on an open road, literally and figuratively, as he croons gently about physically wandering from place to place as well as the decisions in life that move us - from person to person, place to place, choice to choice. His lyrics are accompanied by wistful melodies that sound like reminiscing feels. I find myself often caught up in thoughts of life already lived listening to Joe Pug - like a lovely trip back in time before returning to my life at present.
Joe Pug from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.
While I don’t think anybody will be able to replace my musical relationship with Bob Dylan, these two gentlemen have carved out their own special places in my heart and continue to rest there by the strings of their loved-on guitars.
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