Dylan Triplett, center, lead singer of the band, Little Dylan, performs on Friday, July 31, 2020, as drummer Marcus Webster and guitarist Mitch Montaldo accompany for Blues at the Arch, a virtual concert series recorded at the Gateway Arch Visitor Center. In addition to Little Dylan, three other performers' sets, all recorded on the same day, will stream weekly at 6pm at archpark.org and on the Gateway Arch Park?s Facebook page beginning August 7 with Uvee Hayes. Second will be Little Dylan, Kingdom Brothers and Carolyn Mason. The series was produced by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation in partnership with the National Blues Museum and the National Park Service and presented by Emerson. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
St. Louis blues music sensation Little Dylan will bring in 2021 with a bang at Blue Strawberry.
Fans of the 20-year-old powerhouse should expect nothing less. He’s been performing since age 16, and since emerging on the music scene has played at venues including Broadway Oyster Bar and the National Blues Museum and has been a regular at events such as the Big Muddy Blues Festival, Baby Blues Showcase, the Blues at the Arch series, the Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl and even Blues games.
On New Year’s Eve, Little Dylan says, his band’s first set will be “nice and easy” (referencing Tina Turner); the second set will be “where everything changes.”
He and bandmates Mitch Montaldo (guitar), Johnnie Robinson (keyboards), Lonnie Poe (bass) and Dajuan Lester (drums) will do standards they’re known for from greats such as Bobby “Blue” Bland, Otis Redding, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Junior Walker and Robert Johnson, along with some Motown and even a few spirituals.
He’s also bringing some original material.
“I’m really gonna take it there,” says Little Dylan (Dylan Triplett), who grew up in Cahokia.
Little Dylan
Little Dylan Band
In addition to the New Year’s Eve show, he’s also part of a Johnnie Taylor tribute concert with Skeet Rodgers, Terry Rogers and Bird Williams. The show is Dec. 27 at BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups.
“It’s just gonna be a night full of love songs, tales and tunes from Johnnie Taylor,” Little Dylan says. “We’re going to pay homage to the man, the myth, the legend.
“I know a thing or two about Johnnie Taylor. I was taught to learn about everybody — how they lived, how they played, how they performed and how they died. I grew up hearing his stuff.”
He remembers his grandmother playing Taylor’s songs, including “Last Two Dollars” and “Disco Lady.”
“I used to say, ‘OK, that’s old-folks music. I never knew it would hit me like this, that this would be what I do now.”
Not being able to perform and get close to fans during the pandemic has been tough.
“I’m such a people person,” he says. “I love to connect with people. When you can’t do what you love to do and what you’re paid to do, you kind of feel robbed. But it is what it is. It was an act of God, and you can’t control that. But it did take the footing out from under me, and now I gotta regroup.”
Little Dylan has played a number of virtual and private shows, including a filmed set for Blues at the Arch. He finds performing for online viewers “slightly uncomfortable. I like to get into the audience and do what I do. Live and virtual are two different vibes. You can’t do online for three or four hours.”
He was able to book some outdoor, socially distanced concerts during the summer months.
In July, he gathered with a small group of young blues performers in Waterford, Mississippi. The oldest was 29-year-old Marquise Knox of St. Louis, who is like a big brother to Little Dylan.
Together, they learned about blues culture and history while fellowshipping through laughter and tears.
“We went through a little bit of everything during the week — the whole ringer,” he says. “It was about understanding where we come from and reconnecting with where we come from.”
Little Dylan, already a strong vocalist, was the only one who didn’t know how to play guitar; Knox told him he needed to learn. When Little Dylan returned to St. Louis, he bought an acoustic guitar.
“I said, ‘I’m going to learn how to play this guitar.’ I saw the others playing and wondered, ‘What can I add to this?’ says Little Dylan, who taught himself to play. “I never thought I would be able to do what I do.”
Little Dylan promises a lot of exciting things are in store for 2021, including more original music.
“I’m always working on original stuff,” he says. “I have nothing to do but write music. ... It’s time for people to hear what I’m about in my rawest form with my heart on display.”
What Johnnie Taylor Tribute 2 • When 7 p.m. Dec. 27 • Where BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 South Broadway • How much $25-$150 • More info bbsjazzbluessoups.com; eventbrite.com
What Little Dylan Blues Band • When 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31 • Where Blue Strawberry, 364 North Boyle Avenue • How much $20-$70 (dinner option available); $15 for livestream • More info bluestrawberrystl.com
December 23, 2020 at 11:00PM
https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/kevin-johnson/little-dylan-s-new-years-eve-show-starts-nice-and-easy-and-then-everything-changes/article_836661ef-1934-5bcc-afb5-92a9873d2643.html
Little Dylan’s New Year's Eve show starts ‘nice and easy,’ and then ‘everything changes’ - STLtoday.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=easy&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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