By Gillian Brunette
“Great show,” “Terrific band,” “Wonderful music,” and “You must bring them back.”Those were just some of the words heard from departing patrons following the Dylan Tree concert at the Algonquin Theatre in January.
That was the first time the group had performed here and few people knew what to expect. By intermission, the audience not only knew, they were impressed. By concert’s end, they were standing up and shouting for more.
The Huntsville Festival of the Arts has listened to the demand for more Dylan Tree and is bringing the band back this Friday, Aug. 14, as part of its summer lineup. Dylan Tree is a celebration of the words and music of one of the world’s greatest songwriters, Bob Dylan, said guitarist and band founder Richard Kahl. “We are not a tribute band. We prefer to call our show a celebration of the Bob Dylan songbook.”
ROOTS MUSIC: Drummer Doug Inglis, left, and Dylan Tree founder and guitarist Richard Kahl stop for a photo in the upstairs lobby of the Algonquin Theatre. The five-piece band takes to the stage Friday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m.
The Dylan Tree, featuring five well-known Toronto musicians, has put together its own retrospective of the Bob Dylan catalogue. The show features material spanning Dylan’s career from the 1960s to the present. Some of the songs are presented in the style of the popular original recordings (Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door), others in the style of well-known covers, such as Tambourine Man, All Along the Watch Tower, Blowin’ in the Wind, Simple Twist of Fate and The Mighty Quinn.
“Each of the players share lead and background vocals and the emphasis is always on letting the songs speak for themselves, not on a Bob Dylan impersonator,” said Kahl, whose idea it was to form the band. The Dylan Tree consists of Matt Greenwood, who has played with Murray McLaughlin and Shania Twain; Martin Aucoin, who has performed with Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and George Straight; Doug Inglis, who plays with Classic Albums Live; and Paul Martin, who has toured with Bo Diddley, and Kahl, also a regular musician with Classic Albums Live.
With a large screen and video backdrop, creative lighting and risers, which form a second tier on the stage, the visuals are impressive and create a 3D effect. “The show within a show within a show was basically the effect we tried to achieve when we designed it,” said Kahl. “In a theatre setting (as opposed to a dance club or bar), you have to have the visuals, because five guys playing tunes after 20 minutes can get boring.”
While the show may look the same, some of the content has changed since the January performance. “It won’t be a carbon of that show,” Kahl said.
The Dylan Tree’s first official gig was in Toronto in 2006 on May 24, Dylan’s birthday. Since that time the band has played in and around the Toronto area and, since coming here, has performed in Markham, which was filmed as a one-hour special for the Sun TV network, and at a couple of blues festivals in southern Ontario.
“We have also produced a DVD/CD package of our full concert we did in Muskoka, which will be released in mid-September,” said Inglis. “The proceeds of that are going to the Wounded Warriors, a charity that takes care of the troops when they come home, whatever shape they are in.” Through the association with the charity and its founder Canadian Forces’ Capt. Wayne Johnston, the band is hoping to go to Afghanistan in the near future to entertain the troops.
It would seem the Dylan Tree is headed toward success. Even those who don’t particularly like Dylan as a singer love his songs, said Inglis, who has watched the beat poet perform at least a dozen times.
With some of the best songs of all time performed by a talented band, Dylan Tree provides a great evening of entertainment. Tickets for the show are $30 for adults and $20 for youth under 18, and are available at the theatre box office on Main Street, by calling 789-4975, or online at www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca.
