Jessica Rhaye
& The Ramshackle Parade

Just Like A Woman *Songs of Bob Dylan*

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.

Just Like a Woman captures a hot mix of professionals - 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.

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).

SINGLES

Jessica Rhaye & The Ramshackle Parade’s version of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind has generated millions of views on YouTube!

ALBUM REVIEWS:

ABOUT 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.”

JESSICA RHAYE / Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
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.

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.

CHRIS BRAYDON / Vocals, Electric Guitar
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 MACKAY / Vocals, Double Bass, Mandolin
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.

BILL PREEPER / Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
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.

CLINTON CHARLTON / Drums + Percussion
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.

“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 and the Ramshackle Parade

THE LIVE SHOW: 

Just like a Woman - Songs of Bob Dylan live with Jessica Rhaye and backed by The Ramshackle Parade is an evening of folk-rock interpretations of Dylan's classics and hidden gems, professional musicians performing live together - true to the recording style of Dylan’s earlier work in the style of Dylan in Woodstock, the days of the Basement Tapes.  The result is a fun folk-rock show with psychedelic undertones, with folkie ballads, a conversation between rockabilly and swing, and engaging new interpretations of the Master’s works. The music from this band flows naturally but is also derelict, delicate and pure.

WHat presenters are saying about the show:

“Thank you Jessica and band for an amazing show, one of our best of 2019!” - Evergreen Theatre, NS

“Loved everything about the night. Come back!” - The Cove Country Inn, ON

“Great show friends!” - Astor Theatre, NS

“Jessica and the band sounded great!” - National Arts Centre, ON

“The show (Just Like a Woman - Songs of Bob Dylan) tonight - a total success!” - The Carleton

“Great concert!  The audience loved it!” - Lansdowne Concerts, promoter of Charlotte Street Arts Centre

UPCOMING SHOWS

Media Tools:

www.scoutmusicgroup.com

PLACES WE’VE BEEN SO FAR:

EAST COAST (CANADA)
Imperial Theatre - Saint John, NB
Charlotte Street Arts Centre - Fredericton, NB
Capitol Theatre - Moncton, NB
The Carleton Music Bar - Halifax, NS
Evergreen Theatre - Margaretsville, NS
Astor Theatre - Liverpool, NS
The Osprey Arts Centre - Shelburne NS
Trailside Music Hall - Charlottetown PE

ONTARIO
National Arts Centre (4th Stage) - Ottawa, ON
Red Bird Live - Ottawa ON
Hugh’s Room Live - Toronto, ON
The Dakota Tavern - Toronto ON
Doghouse Studios - Napanee, ON
The Cove Country Inn - Westport, ON
The Station Theatre - Smiths Falls ON
Mills Hardware - Hamilton ON
Aeolian Hall - London ON

QUEBEC
Casa Del Popolo - Montreal QC

Behind the Songs and Making of…
Just Like A Woman - Songs of Bob Dylan:

Just Like a Woman – Songs of Bob Dylan 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.

Ring Them Bells (Oh Mercy - 1989)
Our version of this song takes on a gospel rock groove. When Dale played the piano and organ parts, he followed the approach of ‘organist’ Al Kooper on “Like a Rolling Stone”. Kooper, who was not an organ player but wanted very much to be on the record, didn’t know how to play the song and played late on all the chord changes, creating a signature sound. “I didn’t learn the chords,” says Dale, “just kinda played along - that was my approach on the organ and piano on everything here.” We loved watching Chris prep and play the guitar break on this track - an eel’s nest of cables and pedals to create the dual guitar lead that sounds like a waterfall and the result is a great take with a fun loose feel! The intro is a short guitar piece of Dylan’s “Duquesne Whistle” from ‘Tempest’ - played by Bill and distorted by Chris.

Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Blonde on Blonde - 1966)
The original is 5 verses long and takes up the whole side of Dylan’s ‘Blonde on Blonde’ album. We trimmed it down to just the first 2 verses. Originally, we tried for an old-style folk sound, but that was too close to Joan Baez’s arrangement. Clinton came up with this pop arrangement, breathing new air and a unique feel on a song that Dylan says was the best song he ever wrote.

As I Went Out One Morning (John Wesley Harding - 1967)
Chris introduced us to Wovenhand’s tenor guitar version from a live performance he found. From Wovenhand, we borrowed and adapted the “Hey Ho Na Di Do” lyric and then put a dark psychedelic spin on the whole thing. This tune captures a moment in time as the protagonist agrees to help a slave flee, and they’re caught before a single step is taken. When we first played this tune live, we were starting to spread our rock’n’roll wings and nervous about alienating some of our folky fans. One of our fans came roaring up to us after the show, saying “I love that song, what was that, where did that come from?! I love it!”

I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (John Wesley Harding - 1967)
“This is the first Bob Dylan song I fell in love with as a kid, while lying in the back of my parents’ old station wagon driving to early morning Judo class. I always picture Van Gough’s ‘Starry Night’ when I listen to this song” says Jessica. Chris’ beautiful guitar solo, along with the delicate cymbal work and bowed bass gives our version of this epic song a lush dreamy feel. Dylan talks about the John Wesley Harding album, and his increased interests in painting and his work to sharpen the imagery in his lyrics at the time.

It's All Over Now Baby Blue (Bringing It All Back Home - 1965)
Someone said, “Let’s rock this out like a Traveling Wilburys' tune!” and so we did. Bill and Dale played dueling 12-string and 6-string acoustic guitars around 1 microphone in the recording studio to get that feel, and we all did hand claps. Like many Dylan tunes, there’s a wealth of lyrics with crazy images and characters challenging the singer to remember everything!

One More Cup of Coffee (Desire - 1976)
Clinton kicked off this cut with a slinky rhythm to give this song a seductive gypsy, psychedelic feel. The organ adds a touch of Phantom of the Opera. There are 2 versions of this song. The short version is on vinyl and the full version can be picked up in the virtual world.

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (John Wesley Harding - 1967)
We enjoy the flirtation that happens between Chris’ rockabilly electric guitar and Dale’s old time country pedal steel. It’s like a conversation going on between these two instruments, each one bringing a voice from a different era. This is another tune we had to trim to fit on vinyl so there are 2 versions - short version on vinyl and full version on digital.

Blowin' In The Wind (Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan - 1963)
“This is the first song my mom taught me to sing and play on guitar,” said Jessica. “ When kids in Jr. High were lip-synching to the latest radio hits at school variety shows, I was singing ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ and strummin’ my guitar.” Bill, Sandy and Jess recorded this song ‘live off the floor’ in one room, all instruments and voices in one live take (well, it took a lot of takes but you get the drift), then the bass was added afterwards. We wanted to get a live folk vibe for this tune.

Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Written for The Times They Are A-Changin' - 1963 / Released on Biograph - 1985)
To wrap up this record, we wanted a fun Sunday gospel-feel-good tune. Some say this song represents Bob Dylan’s shift from politics to mysticism. Jess, Sandy and Bill share the verses and by the end of it, everyone’s in on the chorus in a big noisy party fashion. This tune features Bill on accordion - he learned his part on his grandmother’s 100-year-old button accordion. This was the last tune we recorded and it captures perfectly how excited we were feeling by the end of these sessions.

CONTACT:

MANAGEMENT:
Scout Music Group

BOOKING (CANADA):
Scout Music Group
Mark Marshall