Live Music with Jessica Rhaye

Just like a Woman – Songs of Bob Dylan is Jessica Rhaye’s sixth full-length album, and first with backing band The Ramshackle Parade. This rollicking folk-rock interpretation of Dylan’s classics and hidden gems transcends the concept of a simple tribute album. The result is a fun folk-rock album with psychedelic undertones, with folkie ballads, a conversation between rockabilly and swing, and engaging new interpretations of the Master’s works.

“There is something about Bob Dylan’s songs that we connect with…the melodies and Dylan’s simple ease of delivery when singing and performing his songs, we feel like there’s an invitation, like it’s ok to feel like they can be our songs. Dylan always approached production with a minimalist hand. The real people, the noises of the shirt buttons, chairs scraping the floor or mistakes people made, these were allowed to stay in the final tracks, rather than cut out on the editing floor. These features always made Dylan’s work accessible…you could always tell, there were real people somewhere in a room playing these tunes together. That’s what we hope listeners take away from this record.”

Jessica Rhaye is an award-winning singer/songwriter/graphic artist with a career spanning 20 years, with a list of accolades including a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, multiple East Coast Music Award nominations, and Music New Brunswick awards. Jessica has graced many prestigious stages including the National Arts Centre, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Mariposa Folk Festival, Canadian Music Café, Hotel Café, Half Moon Putney and many more.

Just Like a Woman captures a hot mix of professionals performing live together – no click tracks and very few overdubs – true to the recording style of Dylan’s earlier work. With producer and multi-musician Dale Murray at the helm, it was free flow. All band members brought ideas to the floor. They imagined working in the style of Dylan in Woodstock, the days of the Basement Tapes and Big Pink, in the wake of the motorcycle crash.

The result is a fun folk-rock album with psychedelic undertones, with folkie ballads, a conversation between rockabilly and swing, and engaging new interpretations of the Master’s works.

Jessica has been performing Dylan songs since she was a child. “I grew up listening to Bob Dylan in my parent’s home” says Rhaye. “I remember lying in the back of my parent’s station wagon on the way to Judo class, listening to my Dad’s Bob Dylan tape cassettes, daydreaming of the images conjured by those lyrics.”

Rhaye began incorporating Dylan tunes into her live act, and her fans’ reaction was immediate and positive. She decided to undertake a project following a common approach to record a songbook of standards – songs considered to be the most popular and enduring songs performed from years past. There is no higher standard than the songs of Bob Dylan.

The album covers some of Dylan’s early career, some tracks from the late 60’s when Dylan was moving from the political to the mystical and the lyrical imagery was painting pictures in the minds of young fans like Rhaye. The record works into the 70s and 80s as well- still Dylan’s ‘early career’!

The album includes I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (John Wesley Harding ’67), As I Went Out One Morning (John Wesley Harding ’67), I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (John Wesley Harding ’67), Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Written for The Times They Are A-Changin’ ’63 / Released on Biograph ’85), Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Blonde on Blonde ’66), It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (Bringing It All Back Home ’65), Blowin’ in the Wind (Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan ’63), one track from the 1970’s, One More Cup of Coffee (Desire ’76) one track from the 1980’s Ring Them Bells (Oh Mercy ’89).

Who are the Ramshackle Parade?

“Our band name ‘The Ramshackle Parade’ is borrowed and bent from a tune on Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros’ Streetcore album. That name felt like a good fit for the sound that we came up with while making this record.”

The music from this band flows naturally but is also derelict, delicate and pure.

Chris Braydon plays electric guitar with the Ramshackle Parade and his melodic approach provides some of the sweet feels on Just Like a Woman. Chris uses a variety of pedals along with his mystical sense of melody to create weird and beautiful sounds, like the dual cascading melodies that chime like a waterfall on Ring Them Bells. Chris is also a gifted songwriter in his own right.

Sandy plays double bass and mandolin and sings back-up on Just Like a Woman. Over a 40-year musical career, Sandy toured widely, performed on stages and streets, did theatre work, writing and recording solo and group work, most recently on the 2015 Bonnett House release.

Clinton Charlton is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His solo releases include “These Stars We See…Are Never Gonna Fall” (2006) and “Parade” (2009) which received airplay on CBC and numerous college stations. To date Charlton has contributed to over 40 releases. Charlton is the drummer and percussionist on Just Like A Woman.

Bill Preeper has been very content playing folk songs in kitchens, coffee houses and benefits for the last forty years while working a day job at CBC and raising a family with his wife Kathy. On Just Like a Woman , Bill plays 6 and 12 string and electric guitars, accordion and sings some back-up vocals as well.

Dale Murray is an award-winning producer with Music Nova Scotia and has been nominated for producer of the year on numerous occasions at the East Coast Music Awards. Dale Murray is one of the most talented and versatile musicians on the Canadian music scene. He is one of those rare producers who’s developed his own signature ‘sound’ with his own musical talents as an acclaimed singer, songwriter, Producer, Audio Engineer and top-tier session musician in every genre.

This should be a fun night. Get your tickets ($20 per person) at the Cove for Saturday November 2nd’s performance.

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