Dylan Patrick Ward is a folk misfit from Vermont’s dirty south. He played his first venue show here at Stage 33 Live and he's been going gangbusters ever since, earning respect in the worlds of folk and indie music for his imaginative and poignant songs steeped in irreverent dark humor about outcasts, oddballs, and people on the brink. He’s been compared to musical humorists John Prine and Loudon Wainwright, and indie-rock / antifolk legends the Mountain Goats and Paul Baribeau.“He’s funny. He’s also as serious as an ax handle.” – Peter MulveyIan Galipeau, who produced the album, is also on the bill. An indie songwriter for hopeful cynics who cry at It’s A Wonderful Life, despise TV news, and are anxious about climate change, he doesn't just write simple love songs. Although he could. 

BY JOE MILLIKEN The Vermont Journal | November 26, 2024

BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – A local musician from Bellows Falls, singer-songwriter Dylan Patrick Ward, will be releasing his newest collection of songs on Dec. 7, which will be available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and digital downloads will also be available for purchase on Bandcamp.“I’ve released a lot of music since I first started out in 2020,” Ward said in a recent interview. “I released a few rough, home-recorded albums that year, and since then I’ve released three more albums produced by some friends of mine.”In July, he released The Porch Collapses, recorded with The Loveable Losers, and Ward’s latest release is titled Ne’re-Do-Wells. It was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Keene-area singer-songwriter Ian Galipeau at his home studio. Ward had met Galipeau a couple years prior, through the regional live music scene, and asked him to produce this album because he was really impressed with the production values he heard on Galipeau’s own recordings.“When I first heard Dylan’s music, what jumped out at me was his incredibly unique perspective as a songwriter,” Galipeau said in a recent interview. “I’ve always loved writers who explore unusual territory, such as Randy Newman, Ben Folds, and Josh Ritter are among my favorites. And like those artists, Dylan leans into some oddball characters in his songs, examining their worlds with humor and empathy.“As a producer on this album, I had it fairly easy…when the songs are this well-written, they could stand on their own with just a voice and a guitar. My job was to find ways to add elements to fill in the sonic space, without interfering with his voice and lyrics.“Dylan’s earlier albums were mostly stripped down to a voice and guitar. With Ne’re-Do-Wells, we ended up with songs that are piano-driven, some banjos, a lot of drums and electric bass, some horns, and slide guitar. Even with a wide range of sounds, Dylan’s voice and lyrics holds it all together as a clear and cohesive album.”The two artists started working on Ward’s album a little less than two years ago, and Galipeau played most of the instruments on Ne’re-Do-Wells. He will also be opening Ward’s upcoming show on Dec. 7, at Stage 33 Live, located at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls. It will be Ward’s first live performance in which he will be performing his new songs.“I play shows all around New England and upstate New York,” Ward added. “I would like to continue to gradually grow my range, and eventually get to a point where I’m touring nationally.“The show at Stage 33 Live is my final show of the year, and I’m hard at work booking shows for next year. I grew up in Bellows Falls, so it means a lot to me to play this show in my hometown, at the venue where I played my first-ever show.“I see this show and these new songs as a culmination of all the things I’ve been working on the last few years. I encourage people who are interested in coming to purchase their tickets ahead of time.” To order tickets, please visit www.stage33live.com.

Happy Thanksgiving! We're grateful for every single one of you. Thank you for coming to shows, or even thinking about coming to shows.

Your faithful correspondent stayed home and sipped soup, recovering from the extraction of a pair of hidden-under-the-gums wisdom teeth, top and bottom, on Tuesday afternoon because they both started poking out and managed to get infected. The pain of pulled teeth and root canals is a known pain, and the double-teaming of over-the-counter Tylenol / Advil generic equivalents approach always worked fine in the past. Not this time, buddy! No sleep that night, so hurty and so tired but not tired enough to defeat the pain. Begged for the strong stuff the next day, and they called in a scrip. Much better. Got some actual sleep last night, and looking forward to more. 

Here's a timely video from a recent show:

John John Brown - On Black Friday I Met Jesus (Stage 33 Live; October 19, 2024)