Last summer, the Carolina Chocolate Drops played a one-off opening slot at a Bob Dylan concert in Kettering, Ohio. Band member Dom Flemons commented at the time,
"We are very excited to be opening for Bob Dylan. I have been a great admirer of his, and his music is one of the major reasons I got into folk music which lead to the traditional music I perform now. "
In a later interview, he told me,
"People know I've been into Dylan for years, and now it's come full circle. It was a wonderful experience. People told us that he's been a fan for a while, and he never has anyone on the bill that he doesn't like."
The Drops also had a short meeting with the man himself.
The band just contributed a cover of "Political World" to the benefit album, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.
I just interviewed Flemons after his return from Europe, on one of his off days before returning to the road tonight.
When people are associated with Bob Dylan in any way, it often leads to good fortune. How has the band's career changed since you shared the bill with Dylan last year?
I think the prestige of having opened for Dylan has had a great affect on a "street cred" level, but I can't say it has changed anything in our career so far. If Bob has put a good word behind for us is hard to tell, but that is the best way I could answer that question. I don't know. I will say on a personal level, and for fans of ours knowing we opened for Bob, it is a great thrill and another great feather in the cap. A big one at that.
You recorded a Dylan song for the new benefit album, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. How did that come about?
Well, we got asked to do the album. Our manager Dolphus Ramseur, I believe, got the call. He manages the Avetts (who played with Dylan at last year's Grammys), who contributed a track as well, so I think we were at the right place at the right time with that.
How did you decide to cover "Political World" for the album?
There are two tracks that we recorded for the project. One is "Political World," and the other one is "George Jackson, " which will be a digital bonus track for our coming album Leaving Eden . I'll break the story down in a few ways 'cause it was very interesting how this all came together.
I'm a pretty big Dylan fan, so I wanted to pick some obscure cuts just so that we wouldn't have to do any of the well-known tunes. As a Dylan fan myself, it's a real drag to hear a Dylan cover of, say, "Like A Rolling Stone," and not like it, just because I would rather hear Dylan's definitive version. There are times when artists are able to transcend, but that's not usually how I like to do things.
Also (band member) Rhiannon is not much of a Dylan fan. I needed to pick something that was not too Dylanesque for her to be interested, so I picked out some different pieces I thought the group could tackle. I picked stuff from "Dark Eyes" to "Golden Loom" to "One More Night," and figured maybe she'd go for one of these. As it turned out, she picked out "George Jackson" because of the words. I had never looked up who George Jackson, the person, was. When I did, I knew this would be a great fit. We strip the song down to just the skeleton of the melody and worked from there, creating an arrangement with just banjo, patting juba, and vocal bass, along with Rhiannon and I passing off vocals.
This is the original list of songs I thought would be neat to rearrange with our group:
1. Black Crow Blues
2. I'll Keep It With Mine (from Biograph)
3. Abandoned Love (from Biograph)
4. Tangled Up In Blue (from Blood On The Tracks and Real Live for the alternative lyrics)
5. Eternal Circle
6. Santa Fe
7. Golden Loom
8. Black Diamond Bay
9. Dark Eyes
10. Nobody 'Cept You (Live version from Genuine Bootleg Series Vol. 3)
11. One More Night
12. Went To See The Gypsy
13. Where Teardrops Fall
14. Man In The Long Black Coat
15. Turkey Chase
16. On A Night Like This
17. George Jackson (Big Band Version) (from Masterpieces)
After having worked up the piece, we were need of a producer, and to our great fortune we were able to book a studio date with the legendary producer Jac Holzman. Nonesuch Records is of course an off-shoot of Elektra, and was started by Jac, so Nonesuch president David Bither reached out to him. Last February, we met up with Holzman at the Folk Alliance conference where he laid a great compliment on us, and even told an interviewer that we were a current band that he enjoyed listening to, and that he'd like to work with us someday.
Holzman gave the okay to record, but he was not impressed with the thought of us doing "George Jackson." He had heard Dylan do the song at the Bitter End when it had first been written, and proclaimed that it was not one of Dylan's best songs and suggested several others. These songs were "Political World", "High Water" and "Spirit on the Water". We were most drawn to "High Water" and "Political World" and finally chose "Political World" because we all felt the words were a bit more poignant in the world now than ever before.
I love the arrangement. It retains the integrity of the original, yet it still sounds like the Drops. Did it come together quickly?
Rhiannon wrote the melody "break" as we were working the tune out to section out the verses, but besides that, it was again trying to strike that balance between interpretation and doing the original justice. It was pretty quick working the piece up.
Are there any plans on playing "Political World" in concert?
There are plans to play it live. We just haven't gotten the words all down. That was the hardest part. There are a lot of words and they come on very fast. Also that song come from a period when Dylan's writng was very much set to a certain phrasing, so trying to break that when performing it was hard too. But the short answer is, "Yes, we will do it live at some point."
Have you had a chance to hear the Amnesty album yet?
I haven't yet. I can't wait though. I've heard several different reviews, and the names on the albums are of interest. I can't wait.
The Drops have a new album coming out soon. What can you tell us about it?
Our new album, Leaving Eden, is a new phase in the group's career. We will have a new line-up and the music is taking another step forward because of it. There is a wide variety of tunes, from old-time to blues to jazz. There's a South African tune, a few recent compositions (one by Rhiannon), and several surprises along the way.
Any other plans?
Just to keep on touring. With the new album we'll put in another big year of touring, and see how far we can with the new ensemble. We're also hoping to cut another album in the next year if it all works out.
I've got a few different projects coming along myself that are of note. I have an album called The Uptown Strut coming out, which I did with Sule Greg Wilson, who worked with Rhiannon and I, early on, as Sankofa Strings. The group on this album is called just Sankofa. That will be coming out Kingswood Records in late March.
There is another album I have that features me backing an older blues songster by the name of Boo Hanks. That will be coming on Music Maker Relief Foundation in late March as well.
The Chocolate Drops will be making an appearance on Voice of Ages, which is the 50th anniversary CD for the Chieftains.
Also the Chocolate Drops are featured in a recent PBS documentary on the history of the banjo called Give Me The Banjo. The show premiered on PBS in November, but the expanded DVD will be coming out in April.
I think that's it. I'm excited to see what the next year brings.
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