Jakob Dylan & The Gold Mountain Rebels, Hot Town, Summer in the City

by Sam Frank

"The heat wave is following us," Jakob Dylan told the enthusiastic crowd at New York City's Blender Theatre. Although this was the second consecutive night that Jakob and his band, The Gold Mountain Rebels, performed in sweltering conditions it was his New York debut as Jakob Dylan, the solo artist. Backed by guitarist Audley Freed, drummer Fred Eltringham, and bassist George Reiff, Jakob Dylan is touring in support of his new album, Seeing Things, which, coincidentally, was released on the same day as this show, but you would have never guessed by the way jubilant fans reacted to the new material.

Although the songs on Seeing Things are mellow compared to Jakob's prior work with The Wallflowers, his lyrical prowess remains unscathed. "Smoke filled skies and bees in the well/Evil is Alive and Well," crooned a raspy Jakob Dylan as tiny flickering white lights from the stage's backdrop resembled stars sparking in an open sky. The ambiance of "Evil is Alive and Well," the opening track on Seeing Things, was further accentuated by the overhead red and blue tint that slowly crept in during Eltringham's hypnotic drumming.
"It's not just about the new songs, I like the old ones too," Jakob

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