Two Louies Magazine, October 2003
from the column The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly by SP Clarke

Bittersweet - Dylan Thomas Vance
Triple M Records
This guy Dylan Thomas Vance is a quick study. In February, his record Cowboy Soul And Country Blues Vol. 1, was reviewed in these pages- sounding like a young Kelly Joe Phelps. Here, he has burst from his embryonic shell, fully formed, as a musical monster completely unto himself; the depth and complexity of which have only slightly been touched upon thus far.

Vance served his apprentice years in the local scene in the early ‘90s, with the phenomenal grunge jazz band, Tao Jones, a group which also featured the sterling vocal gymnastics of Leah Welch. Subsequently, an encounter with the Leroy Vinegar Quartet, led Dylan to pursue an interest in Jazz. He majored in music at PSU; studying with some masterful players, including Jerry Hahn, Darrel Grant and John Stowell At the same time, he played guitar with the Sweet Honey Dijon Bad Ass Jazz Quartet, which frequently appeared at Club 1201 and Jimmy Mak’s. Later he performed in the jazz fusion band, Groove Revelation.

But, having a guitar slide specially made for him piqued Vance’s curiosity in a variety of blues styles. Soon he was singing western swing and country blues numbers, his set list including songs by Hank Williams, Otis Redding and Robert Johnson, hence his release last February, a solo venture for which he intends to one day record a sequel.

For this outing however, Vance enlisted the services of a small coterie of side players to help fill out the sound; including one Griz Bear (owner of the Bear’s Den Studio, who also acted as engineer) on violin, Matt Rotchford on upright bass and David Lipkind on harmonica- all of whom add texture and color to the eleven songs (five are originals) presented here. Still, what is most noticeable is Vance’s huge strides as an individual performer.
While eight months ago he seemed to be sitting in Kelly Jo Phelps’ shadow, musically speaking; today Dylan is a true rising star in his own right, rapidly developing with astounding brevity and concision, his own highly individualized guitar style and unique vocal delivery, evidence of which is everywhere to be found here.

A strange lyric, “Silence” is a social commentary type of song disguised as a “wandering boy” ballad. Vance’s nimble finger picking and Bear’s rapturous fiddle work add depth to the performance. “George & Sarah” is a straight-forward narrative somewhat akin to John Mellancamp’s “Jack and Suzanne,” (without the latter’s strong chorus) played over a repetitive motif, reminiscent of a portion of Paul McCartney‘s “Blackbird.”

On his previous album, Dylan proved himself an exceptional interpreter of Robert Johnson’s material, and his rendition of “Come On In My Kitchen” here is no exception. Tasty acoustic slide guitar runs are augmented by Lipkind’s soulful harmonica interjections (and fine solo), which compliment the arrangement rather than intruding upon it: as so many harp players are wont to do. Vance’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Buckets Of Rain” (perhaps a requisite in order to join some secret local folk society?) is more subdued, less raucous than the original, with Lipkind adding organ-like double reed harp to the production.

Griz Bear’s hearty fiddle is the support on the jaunty “Fine Spring Day,” with Dylan’s slide gliding ever so softly on the guitar strings, as an overdubbed choir of harmony vocals hovers above the scene. The final 30 seconds, a sloppily whistled circus tune with beer-bottle calliope accompaniment is a magical fragment to behold!

Vance and Bear pair again on a variation of the gospel spiritual “I Shall Not Be Moved,” written by Homer Morris, with additional lyrics supplied by Vance. It’s a fast moving version, propelled by Dylan’s seemingly effortless slide guitar work. Bassist Rotchford joins Bear and Vance on the rousing original spiritual entitled “Rat Race,” which eventually evolves into “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” from which the former had been derived in the first place. Lipkind rejoins Dylan for the gentle “Where Are You Going,” lending a crisp solo.

Vance’s fingers dance upon the guitar strings on the traditional “The Wreck Of No.9,” with Lipkind jumping in for the occasional solo. “Did You Ever” is the kind of lonesome old ballad Jerry Jeff Walker or Townes Van Zandt might sing. Vance’s stellar guitar work adds decorous filigree to the sparse arrangement.

Dylan Thomas Vance has found his own musical identity in very short order, receiving critical and public acclaim, which will only grow with the release of this album Here he displays magnificent control of his medium, and with the aid of Lipkind and Bear, has put together a more cohesive program than with his first release. The sky is the limit for this talented young singer/guitarist. As fast he is growing these days, he is sure to become a musical giant very soon.