The Wallflowers

About The Wallflowers

The Wallflowers emerged from Los Angeles in 1989, formed by Jakob Dylan, who carried the peculiar burden of being Bob Dylan's son into every interview room and record review he'd ever encounter. The band went through early lineup changes before settling into a core group with Rainer Ptacek, Barney Hoskyns, Peter Yanowitz, and Tobi Miller. Their self-titled debut in 1992 landed with little fanfare on Virgin Records, selling poorly enough that the label dropped them soon after.

Most bands would have called it there. The Wallflowers regrouped instead, signed to Interscope, and brought in producer T Bone Burnett for their second album, "Bringing Down the Horse" in 1996. This is where things changed. "One Headlight" became the kind of song that soundtracked late nights and long drives throughout 1997, winning two Grammys and turning the band into legitimate rock radio fixtures. "6th Avenue Heartache" and "The Difference" kept them there. The album eventually sold over six million copies, which created its own problems.

Following up massive success is its own trap. "Breach" arrived in 2000 with less commercial shine but more adventurous production courtesy of Michael Penn. "Sleepwalker" and "Letters From the Wasteland" showed a band trying to move past the expectations that "One Headlight" had cemented. Critics were warmer to it than the public. Guitarist Michael Ward left after this one.

"Red Letter Days" in 2002 saw Rusty Anderson step in on guitar, with the Wallflowers working with producer Moe Z MD and the Matrix. The sound shifted toward more polished rock territory. "When You're On Top" got some airplay, but the album struggled to find the audience that "Bringing Down the Horse" had built. By this point, the band was fighting against changing radio formats and their own back catalog.

The Wallflowers went quiet after 2005's "Rebel, Sweetheart," which barely registered commercially despite decent songwriting. Jakob Dylan released solo albums and toured with a backing band called The Gold Mountain Rebels. The Wallflowers seemed done.

Then in 2012, they returned with "Glad All Over," produced by Brendan O'Brien, proving they could still craft solid rock songs when they felt like it. Another long silence followed, broken in 2021 by "Exit Wounds," their first album in nine years. Butch Walker produced, and the band included Rami Jaffee from the Foo Fighters on keys.

These days, the Wallflowers exist in that middle space occupied by bands who had a major moment but never fully disappeared. They tour when it makes sense, put out albums when they have something to say, and Jakob Dylan has mostly made peace with the family name that shadowed the early years. They remain a competent rock band that wrote one genuinely great song and a handful of other good ones.

Straightforward rock shows where people sing along to the hits without irony. Dylan's a steady presence, not a frontman in the theatrical sense. The band locks into songs with real precision. Crowds are mixed ages, lots of people who saw them on MTV back in the day mixed in with younger fans. You get what you pay for: solid rock performance, no unnecessary drama.

Known for One Headlight, 6 Underground, The Difference, Bread House, One and Only

See The Wallflowers Live