25 Jul 14 - Dylan Jakobsen

Seattle ...it has the iconic Space Needle ...Starbucks on every corner ...and is birthplace of the 90s Grunge music scene. However, according to this artist, he mainly drinks water instead of Starbucks. "...there's no other place like it in the country," says Dylan during the interview with SouthSide, because it has "...the sea ...mountains ...seafood and a diverse music scene..." This particular Northwestern city known for its "...folk indie hipster scene..." has a growing underground country/rock scene too, blogspot readers. Something SouthSide didn't know until she met touring singer/songwriter Dylan Jakobsen. This artist, armed with his trusty acoustic guitar and fine selection of harmonicas, recently stopped in Chicago to not only celebrate his birthday but also to perform a one-night  opening set at Uncommon Ground (the Devon location). This reviewer highly recommends getting acquainted with this musician while he's currently on his east coast tour before returning home to record his next album.

 

After opening his set with a heartwarming yet lyrically vivid song about childhood, "Kids", Dylan easily captivated this reviewer with his acoustically melodic style which sometimes featured harmonic rhythms and a point of view where he's merely not just singing the song but actually immersing himself in the characters/people he's sings about. According to Dylan, he enjoyes "...painting a vivid picture..." for his audience because it's "...what inspires and/or encompasses what I do as an artist..." It's something rarely seen by SouthSide from other singer/songwriters, blogspot readers. Not only did he sing about their live but also added a touch of realism into each one to convey a complete story to your ears. During "Kids", you immediately got the sense of Dylan reliving his childhood through the wonderfully usage of vivid imagery and wording. Even while performing other songs like "One Day At A Time" or SouthSide's favorite "Working Man", this singer/songwriter painted profound picturesque scenes of a man (though still in pain) emotionally getting over a broken relationship and demonstrating the willingness to do whatever it takes to survive and provide for his family. All through either downtempo rhythm and/or heartfelt deep falsetto vocals that certainly brought out realistic emotions off the lyrics, blogspot readers. Yet it wasn't always a mellow rhythm with this artist. Dylan also delighted the reviewer with an upbeat, foot-tappin' song title "Cheating Rain" but still retaining some of that realism in this particular song's lyrics as well.

Besides, wowing her ears with his heartfelt originals, blogspot readers, Dylan performed a few cover songs as part of his set list for the evening. Again, he didn't simply sing the covers. No, this artist and his voice emphasized the realism as well as accentuated the heartfelt emotions hidden amongst the famous lyrics. For example, he didn't perform the cover version of "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" as done by the Eli Young Band but as it was originally performed by Will Hoge. It wasn't done to spite the younger band's version yet if you heard it the way Dylan sung on Friday night, blogspot readers, you would understood why he chose to the original rather than spotlight the cover version. With the rawness heard (and felt) from Dylan's voice, you immediately got the sense of heartfelt emotions being projected not only from the original composition yet also from within the musician himself personally. SouthSide literally felt the tender sadness in the words as the emotions continuously poured out of the singer/songwriter. And that wasn't the only time she felt this from Dylan when performing his fine selection of covers. Try not getting a little teary-eyed when he performs the 90s hit "Iris" by Goo-Goo Dolls or Parmalee's "She Feels Like Carolina".

The highlight of the night of Dylan's performance came when he shined covering the popular Tom Petty song "Free Falling". Yes, SouthSide has heard other bands and artists cover this particular song however not done in the way this singer/songwriter covered it, blogspot readers. This cover version literally sent chills down her spine as his deep voice touched each and every word of this song ...instantly emitting the right amount of emotion while immersing himself into the "bad boy" main character. It was touching especially when he had the men in the audience sing backing vocals (when the moment called for it). During the interview, Dylan stated he would like to collaborate with Tom Petty "...hands down..." saying it would be "...really cool to do Free Falling with him..."Why? Because he enjoys what this legendary singer/songwriter brings to the table with his songs unlike other artists and "...puts feelings into the instrumental music instead of his lyrics only..." Something to which this reviewer instantly noticed throughout Dylan's own performance, blogspot readers.

Blogspot readers can look for his new singles "More Than You Know", "Love of Mine" and "Working Man" to appear in his upcoming album that he will begin recording in the fall after the tour is over. And speaking of his tour, Dylan wanted to say the following to his fans "...it's Day 5 [at the time of the interview] and it's going okay..." but you have until August 10th to catch him on the road. "...expect to hear 'Working Man' and 'More Than You Know' and a couple more..." during his live performances.

For more information about Dylan Jakobsen and where he'll be performing next on his tour, visit http://www.DylanJakobsen.com.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide