Hard Rain & Slow Trains: Bob Dylan & Fellow Travelers

A February in NYC is cold, so let's duck out of the snow-filled Village streets and set our dial on the wireless radio to hear about a month in the professional life of Bob Dylan from 60 years ago. A 60th anniversary is a diamond anniversary, so this week, and throughout the year, we will periodically take a trip on "a highway of diamonds," exploring the events of Bob Dylan's c...

This episode explores the meaning and the music of MASKED AND ANONYMOUS, which was filmed 20 years ago and released 19 years ago. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we remember drummer Sam Lay, pianist Hargus 'Pig' Robbins, and Ventures guitarist Don Wilson, who all passed away in the past week, we get a reminder about Dylan's Spring tour tickets that are now on sale, and we get...

This episode kicks off an intermittent series that will feature a single song in order to both reveal how Dylan's performance of it changes over the decades and also to hear how the song changes in the hands and voices of fellow travelers. The song for tonight is "The Times They Are A-Changin'," written in September of 1963, recorded in October of 1963, and released on January...

They say that the 60th anniversary is the diamond anniversary. This week, and throughout the year, we will periodically take a trip on "a highway of diamonds," exploring the events of Bob Dylan's career sixty years ago. This week, we take a walk through the Greenwich Village of January 1962 that Bob Dylan knew, listen to what influenced him, and hear the music that he was making 60...

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Nelson's first studio album, so why not now to feature one of the most prolific and poetic song craftsmen and singers to be included as one of Dylan's fellow travelers: Willie Hugh Nelson? This episode focuses on Nelson's collaborations with Dylan. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, which inclu...

2022 says hello as a stranger, but it will go out an acquaintance, hopefully as a pal and not a nemesis. This episode plays Dylan songs & those of fellow travelers featuring strangers & looks expectantly to the new year. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, which includes speculation about what Bootleg Series we may see released in 2022. In &...

Our third annual end-of-year, year in review episode of HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS: BOB DYAN & FELLOW TRAVELERS looks back "in the smoke of the twilight" to a year highlighted by the SHADOW KINGDOM concert film and the commencement of the "ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS": WORLD WIDE TOUR 2021-2024 tour. We remember those who we lost in 2021 and also review 2021 highlights from the w...

Our third annual Christmas episode of HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS: BOB DYLAN & FELLOW TRAVELERS. Enjoy the "Nativity" music of some fellow travelers while you either travel or stay indoors this holiday season. This episode includes "20 Pounds of Headlines" where we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, including news about an upcoming online concert of Dylan songs by C...

The sixth episode featuring fellow travelers who first recorded in the 1950s and who are still with us (the previous ones are from 7/15/2021, 6/3/2021, 9/3/2020, 5/14/2020, and 5/7/2020). This episode features Mavis Staples, surveying her music both with The Staple Singers and as a solo singer, as well as her relationship with Bob Dylan. After the newsworthy month of November with Dylan's Fal...

In November, Bob Dylan returned to the stage for the first time in 23 months. He performed 21 concerts, his last one wrapping up last week in Washington, DC. Join HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS: BOB DYLAN & FELLOW TRAVELERS for a postgame review of the Fall 2021 Tour with guest correspondent, author of SURVIVING IN A RUTHLESS WORLD: BOB DYLAN'S VOYAGE TO INFIDELS, Terry Gans, who was feature...

Join Mike Hermes of Ocean City, Maryland as he reflects on the three (about to be four) shows that he has caught from Dylan's Fall 2021 tour; of course, we will play for you a heaping helping of some of the Fall tour performances from the past week-and-a-half: New York City from 21 November, Boston from 27 November, and Philadelphia from 30 November in particular. In "20 Pounds of Headli...

Get some extra stuffing with HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS this Thanksgiving! As Peter Jackson & The Beatles debut THE BEATLES: GET BACK on Disney+ over the American Thanksgiving holiday, we conclude our two-part series on Bob Dylan & The Beatles with a special over-stuffed double-length Thanksgiving episode! In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to tell us who did "My One and On...

As Peter Jackson & The Beatles debut a new 3-part, six-hour documentary THE BEATLES: GET BACK on Disney+ over the American Thanksgiving holiday, we are going to visit the relationship between Bob Dylan & The Beatles in two consecutive episodes. This episode predominantly covers the Sixties. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, including a sum...

This episode covers the second week of Bob Dylan's Fall 2021 tour, focusing on his Sunday, November 7, 2021 performance in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to performances from the Bloomington concert, this episode features the music of Bloomington native John Mellencamp who attended the concert, the music of Bloomington resident Kenny Aronoff who has played with Dylan, commentary on the tou...

This episode introduces the music of Dylan's newest band members, Charley Drayton & Doug Lancio, & features performances from Milawaukee (November 2, 2021) & Chicago (November 3, 2021), & includes a phone interview with our correspondent Bryan Lookatch, who called into KEPW to offer his impressions after attending both shows. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you to tel...

This Tuesday, November 2nd, Bob Dylan returns to the stage for the first time in 23 months...his longest span of time without performing in front of an audience since 1969-1971! Join HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS: BOB DYLAN & FELLOW TRAVELERS for a pregame review with guest correspondents, co-founder of HARD RAIN & SLOW TRAINS Jeff and author of SURVIVING IN A RUTHLESS WORLD: BOB DYLAN'...

This week we wrap up (for now) our celebration of the musicians that Dylan celebrates by playing the musicians that Dylan and his partner Eddie Gorodetsky played during the three-year/three season run of THEME TIME RADIO HOUR from 2006-2009 (including both an unbroadcast 101st episode, "Kiss," and a two-hour episode from 2020, "Whiskey"). This week we feature the musicians that...

This week we continue to celebrate the musicians that Dylan celebrates, playing the musicians that Dylan and his partner Eddie Gorodetsky played during the three-year/three season run of THEME TIME RADIO HOUR from 2006-2009 (including both an unbroadcast 101st episode, "Kiss," and a two-hour episode from 2020, "Whiskey"). This week we feature the musicians that Dylan played eig...

Let's celebrate the musicians that Dylan celebrates. In this and in upcoming episodes of this series, you will hear the musicians that Dylan and his partner Eddie Gorodetsky played during the three-year/three season run of THEME TIME RADIO HOUR from 2006-2009 (including both an unbroadcast 101st episode, "Kiss," and a two-hour episode from 2020, "Whiskey"). And we do not b...

Last Monday, Bob Dylan announced that he will resume touring on November 2nd. The tour, called "'ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS': World Wide Tour 2021-2024" will initiate Dylan's first live performances in 23 months. To mark the occasion we offer tonight a choice selection of 2019 live performances. In "20 Pounds of Headlines," Miss Lucy stops by to help us understand wher...

Bob Dylan's SPRINGTIME IN NEW YORK: BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 16 (1980-1985) has arrived. This episode is the third and final of a three-part series featuring the music of the fellow travelers who play with Dylan on that set. Tonight, we feature the players from 1984 and 1985 who appear on the fifth disc of the five-disc deluxe set, which primarily consists of the sessions for EMPIRE BURLESQUE. In...

Bob Dylan's SPRINGTIME IN NEW YORK: BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 16 (1980-1985) arrives tomorrow. This episode is the second of a three-part series featuring the music of the fellow travelers who play with Dylan on that set. Tonight, we feature the players from 1983 who appear in the third and fourth discs of the five-disc deluxe set, which compose the sessions for INFIDELS. In "20 Pounds of Head...

As we continue to expectantly await the September 17th release of Bob Dylan's SPRINGTIME IN NEW YORK: BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 16 (1980-1985), this episode is the first of a three-part series that will feature the music of the fellow travelers who play with Dylan on that set. Tonight, we feature the players from 1981 who appear in the first and second discs of the five-disc deluxe set. In "20...

We conclude our four-part series exploring Dylan's use of horns on record and in concert by covering 2004 to 2017. This series delves into the producers, arrangers, and musicians with whom Dylan worked when adding horns to his song arrangements. This episode features Dylan's new millennium exploration of jazz and, with it, more sophisticated horn arrangements. In "20 Pounds of Headl...

We continue our four-part series exploring Dylan's use of horns on record and in concert. Part three covers 1986 to 1994. This series delves into the producers, arrangers, and musicians with whom Dylan worked when adding horns to his song arrangements. This episode features Dylan's televised performances with horns and his recording efforts with horns in the studio in both 1986 and 1992....