Stephen Kellogg Does Dylan

Any of us who have been around SK for a minute already know that he’s a big Dylan fan. His latest release as of this writing is this cover of Buckets of Rain. This is a collaboration with Boots Factor, who many of you know primarily from his work with Stephen in the past during the Sixers era. You can read here what Boots had to say about this.

While this is Stephen’s first release of a Dylan cover, you may not be surprised to hear he’s done a bunch of Dylan covers over the years. Let’s have a look back through some of these before we talk about another Dylan cover that SK has teased is also in the can, hopefully awaiting a future release.

YOU AIN’T GOIN’ NOWHERE • Stephen has covered this one a handful of times during his shows over his career, most recently with Adam Duritz and David Immerglück in New York City in November of 2020. This one was streamed online at a time most of us weren’t going to concerts.

MASTERS OF WAR • Stephen did a stirring cover of this one during a streaming show in 2020. This clip talks some about what Dylan means to Stephen as well.

KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR • The Bob Dylan song that I grew up thinking was a Guns N Roses song showed up in a couple of SK sets around 2015-2016. He played this in Myrtle Beach, SC, and in Dardanelle, AR, both times with John Daly.

RING THEM BELLS • Stephen Kellogg played this Dylan song a handful of times across his 2013 Countdown to Blunderstone tour, opening his encore with it each time.

LIKE A ROLLING STONE • This is another song that SK has covered a number of times over the years. Here is him performing it with the Sixers in 2009 at The Bowery Ballroom.

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER • Watchtower was a staple of the earliest era of Stephen Kellogg live shows in the mid- to late-1990s, especially when he was part of The Stephen Kellogg Band.

BOB DYLAN TRIBUTE SHOW • Stephen participated in a Bob Dylan tribute show in 2002 at Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. At this show he covered a couple of Dylan songs, including Tombstone Blues, while backing up some of the other artists who appeared on their covers as well.

TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE • In a comment responding to a Tweet about the release of his new cover, SK has suggested that he’s also recorded a cover of this one. With any luck, we’ll see a release of this as well!

In the mean time, check out Buckets of Rain on Spotify or Apple Music!

The Open Heart Episode 6: Bulletproof Heart

I sat in the pews of a small chapel at the back of St. Mark’s Evangelical Church in Basking Ridge NJ, on June 24th 2023 and talked about 2003 and 2004 with Stephen Kellogg. We discussed the album Bulletproof Heart, which came out February 10th, 2004. Some of Stephen’s favorites among his own songs appear on this album, and some of mine as well. This was the first Stephen Kellogg album where he shared billing with his band at the time, The Sixers.

The ambient hum of the overhead fans in the chapel are present throughout this recording, as I could not remove them without losing some of the conversation. Thanks for joining us on The Open Heart. I’m Stephen Munn.

The Open Heart from SWNE

Tremendous Brunettes by Mike Doughty

Longing for the Dawn [demo]

Scorpio [demo]

Thirteen [demo]

See You Later [demo]

Cradle [demo]

When You’re King [live from GCTV studio, 16 Sep 2002)

Summer [live unknown 2010]

Diamond [demo]

Diamond [Andy Zulla mix 2011]

Diamond / Fool in the Rain [live World Cafe Live Philadelphia, 2011]

Hurt and Heart [demo]

Pedal Steel [demo]

It’s Only That I Miss You [demo]

Español Song [live in Reading, PA, 19 Feb 2004]

All Things [live in Vienna VA, 24 Oct 2003]

Sarah and Lisa [demo]

Jolene [live Orlando FL, 14 Apr 2005]

Smoke [by Stepanian feat. SK]

Hardest Break [by Brian Jarvis feat. SK]

You Can’t Always Get What You Want [from Fez Under Time Cafe, NYC 16 Apr 2004]

LEAN ON ME [Bill Withers] City Winery NYC • July 2022

Stephen Kellogg, Boots Factor, David Chalfant, Eric Donnelly, and Jason Wexler perform Lean On Me at City Winery in NYC

At City Winery in New York City at the end of July this year, Stephen Kellogg closed the show with this cover of Lean On Me by Bill Withers. The song has appeared at several of his shows since, and has evolved some over that time.

Kellogg says of the song, “We didn’t write this one, but I’ve wanted to sing it all my life, and I’ve never needed it more than I do right now.”

Thanks to James Mershon for the assist in acquiring this.

The Open Heart Episode 4: South of Stephen

Back we sail to the year 2000, when Stephen Kellogg released his album South of Stephen, which featured enduring iconic tracks like Southern State of Mind and The America Song. Stephen played a private show in Massachusetts recently and before he took the stage, we sat down to talk about all the songs on the album and a whole lot more.

Featured:

South of Stephen album tracks:
Southern State of Mind
Take Me Into Town
The Way She Is
Fading In
Another Midas Story
BE
I Know Why
The America Song
Nailed Inside His Blues Again
The Dark Side of the King

Unreleased songs:

Now I’m Not So Lost
The Child and the Liar
15 Years
Worthy of Love

Improvised:

Brown (with Chris Soucy and Sally Taylor, from Club Helsinki in Great Barrington MA, 2001)

Cover songs:

Stand By Me (Ben E. King cover with Sinclair “Skip” Jennings, from Iron Horse in Northampton MA, 2000)
Pakaloa Blues (Deep Banana Blackout cover from Mollie’s Pub, Wellesley College MA, 2001)

Theme music:
The Open Heart by Stephen Kellogg

If you’d like to buy this great old album, it’s available digitally direct from the Kellogg Family Store.

Thanks to Stephen Kellogg for this interview, to Shady Katz for making the time possible on a busy day, to Jeffrey and Sarah Rothenberg for use of the recording space, and to Maggie Credeur for her feedback on the end result.

I'VE HAD ENOUGH • August 2021

Stephen Kellogg • I’ve Had Enough

“I’ve Had Enough” is one of a small handful of new songs that are in rotation now at Stephen’s live shows. He debuted this one during last year’s virtual tour, but I was excited to see it appear in a full band set this summer. He joined Eric Donnelly, Jason Wexler, Boots Factor, and David Chalfant for this concert at the Whistlepig Pavilion at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont.

I’ve called this a protest song in the past but I think the feeling at the heart of it is frustration, coupled with the resolve expressed at the end of each chorus: I’ve had enough, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up.

video: Stephen Munn

IN FRONT OF THE WORLD [with Sophia Kellogg] • April 2021

Stephen and Sophia perform “In Front of the World” at City Winery

Stephen and Sophia perform “In Front of the World” at City Winery

On April 25th, Stephen performed two sets at City Winery in New York City. His oldest daughter Sophia joined him on a performance of “In Front of the World,” which originally appeared on his 2007 album Glassjaw Boxer.

Audio captured and mixed by Christopher Jones. Still image above from a video of the performance, taken by Stephen Munn.

Glassjaw Boxer at the Kellogg Family Store

I DON'T WANT TO DIE ON THE ROAD • May 2021

Stephen’s last live stream show was themed “The Saddest Songs I’ve Got,” and one of the highlights of this beautiful and emotional set was this performance of “I Don’t Want to Die on the Road,” which he introduces with some backstory on the songwriting and its debut performance in November of 2012 at the last Sixers show.

This song appears on his album Blunderstone Rookery from 2013. That album and the debut performance he discusses are both available for purchase in the Kellogg Family Store.

Blunderstone Rookery at the Family Store

SK Live Shows 20 Pack at the Family Store