Bob Dylan Hired a New Guitar Player, But Big Questions Linger
Bob Dylan‘s June 29 show at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas, was supposed to just be a standard stop on a long tour that’s scheduled to run through the end of the year. But after guitarist Doug Lancio left the band two weeks ago, replacement Julian Lage had a prior commitment in Brooklyn, New York, that night, and second guitarist Bob Britt suddenly quit the group with a “Sayonara Bobby” Facebook post a couple of days earlier, nobody knew who may be joining Dylan, bassist Tony Garnier, and drummer Anton Fig that night.
In the fan community, speculation ran wild: Might Jimmie Vaughan step into the void? Would Lancio return? Was there any chance that a beloved past member of Dylan’s group like Larry Campbell or G.E. Smith would come back for an encore run? Was there a scenario where Dylan, Garnier, and Fig play as a Ben Folds Five-style trio? Could Britt pull a reverse “sayonara” and come back to help Dylan out of his jam? And would Dylan have just one guitarist in the band for the first time since the John Jackson days of 1991, or might we see the debut of two new members?
The answer came when the lights dimmed and Chicago-based blues guitarist Joel Paterson walked onto the stage to make his debut with Dylan’s band, and faced the difficult task of handling all the guitar parts by himself. Paterson is hardly a household name, but he has a long history on the Chicago blues scene and has recorded with Dave “Honey Boy” Edwards, Wanda Jackson, Cactus Blossoms, and JD McPherson.
Up until this week, Paterson played every Monday with his Jazz Quartet at the historic Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago, which seats just about 150 people. He last performed there Saturday, June 27, two days before his debut with Dylan.
Hours before Paterson made his debut with Dylan, his Joel Paterson Quartet bandmate Natalie Scharf wrote on Facebook that he’d would be absent from the Monday gig for the next two or three weeks, and guitarist Andy Brown would take his place. She didn’t mention that he was about to play “All Along the Watchtower” and 15 other songs with Bob Dylan at a 5,000-seat amphitheater in Austin.
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According to early fan reports, Paterson did a stellar job with Dylan, and seemed remarkably confident. It’s unclear how much time he had to prepare for the gig, and when he learned that Britt wouldn’t be up there to help him. It’s also unclear how familiar he was with Dylan’s music, but he did play pedal steel on four Dylan songs (“If Not for You,” “To Ramona,” “When to See the Gypsy,” and “Tell Me That It Isn’t True”) on the 2022 Cactus Blossoms EP Bob Dylan Songs Vol. 1.
Not long before showtime, Britt posted a more detailed explanation of his exit from Dylan’s band on Facebook. “Apparently there are quite a few threads out there with people speculating about my departure from the Bob tour,” he wrote. “I’d like to clear it up. I was not fired but left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private. I will miss my band mates and crew. I am looking forward to getting back to doing sessions (give me a call) and also finishing up [my wife] Etta’s gospel record. As far as any touring goes, we will see what the future holds. Meanwhile, I have some flower beds to weed.”
He hasn’t written anything else, but his wife Etta has revealed slightly more on her Facebook page. “Yes, but not because of Julian [Lage],” she wrote when asked if Bob left the band. “Julian has gone back to his tour. He enjoyed playing with him and said he’s a great guy.” Later in the comment thread, she wrote “word is he’s coming back” in reference to Lage.
We have also learned that Lage indeed plans on playing additional dates with Dylan this year when his schedule permits. He couldn’t make the show in Austin because he was booked at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York, for an hour-long Q&A with the New Yorker’s Alec Wilkinson followed by an acoustic performance. Throughout the entire event, Bob Dylan’s name was never uttered once. It seemed to take place in an alternate universe where Lage didn’t just wrap up a surprise stint with one of the most important artists of the century.
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(I was in the front row and put my hand high into the air during the Q&A portion. I was going to ask a multi-part question that went something like, “You just spent a couple of weeks on tour with Bob Dylan. How did that come about, what was the experience like, and do you plan on going back?” But they never called on me. I felt like Tracy Flick in Election, desperately trying to get the attention of the teacher, and failing miserably.)
Dylan’s tour resumes Tuesday night in New Braunfels, Texas. The U.S. leg wraps up Aug. 1 in Nashville. Lage’s schedule makes it possible for him to make every show besides the July 4 gig in Kansas City. Things get trickier when Dylan goes to Europe in October since Lage is booked up solid that month in America.
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Bob Dylan Loses Yet Another Guitarist After Bob Britt Abruptly Quits Band
Nobody knows exactly how this will play out. Paterson could be a temporary replacement and will soon be back to his Monday night gig at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. He might stick around as the sole guitarist. Dylan might hire a replacement for Britt, keep Paterson on a permanent basis, and return to the standard two-guitar lineup. Lage might parachute in and out when his schedule allows, leaving Paterson to handle the show by himself some nights.
We simply have no idea. What we can say is that the Never Ending Tour hasn’t seen this much drama in a very long time.
Phil Mickelson’s Wife Amy Got Him Removed From Prestigious Club Amid Cheating Claims: Report
Amy Mickelson reportedly took matters into her own hands after her husband, golfer Phil Mickelson, began “regularly” sleeping with another woman.
Phil, 56, is accused of “having at least one woman who was not his wife spend the night in his condo” at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California, in a piece published by journalist Alan Shipnuck for Skratch Golf on Friday, June 26.
According to “multiple members and employees of the Madison Club,” Amy was not on the club’s premises at the time.
In 2021, Phil abruptly left the Madison Club after nearly a decade of membership.
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Shocking allegations have been made against golfer Phil Mickelson after the six-time major champion was kicked out of a country club over a misconduct claim. Journalist Alan Shipnuck spoke to 19 sources for a stunning investigative piece focusing on Mickelson, 56, published by Skratch Golf on Friday, June 26. The story came on the heels […]“He wasn’t necessarily kicked out,” a senior member of the Madison Club’s management team told Shipnuck. “It was more of a demand by Amy. We got a call from [Phil’s and Amy’s] wealth management firm: ‘We need Phil’s place sold, gone, right now. Phil will no longer be a member at the Madison Club.’”
Amy and Phil have been married since 1996 and share three children: daughters Amanda, born in 1999, and Sophia, born in 2001, and son Evan, born in 2003.
After leaving the Madison Club, Phil began spending most of his free time at The Bridges golf club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where he allegedly began cheating on Amy again with another woman in a property near the club.
“Phil would give his phone to a young man in the pro shop and pay him $500 to drive around the course for three or four hours,” a club member told Shipnuck. “Amy was tracking his phone; that way, she would think he was out on the golf course. That gave Phil the time to sneak over to this guy’s house and have his secret rendezvous.”
The club member said he found out about the allegations from “the kid from the pro shop.”
“Everyone at the club knew what was going on and eventually Amy found out, too,” the member claimed.
Prior to the alleged incidents at the Madison Club and The Bridges, a former friend of Mickelson’s told Shipnuck that “things began to change” with Phil around 2015.
“He began drinking more on the road,” the friend claimed. “Lots of red wine. He had always been devoted to Amy but that also started to change.”
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Ashley Perez, who accused golfer Phil Mickelson of propositioning her after showing her an unsolicited naked photo of himself, spoke out in the wake of her shocking claims. “I will rise up and stand next to the millions of women who have been silenced to protect the evil and darkness that lurks amongst us,” Perez […]In a statement to Skratch Golf via Phil’s attorneys, the golfer’s spokesperson addressed the claims made in the article.
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Deal of the Day
Deal Alert! This 44%-Off Throw-On Mini Dress Is Too Good to Leave in Your Cart View Deal“Throughout their 35-year relationship, his wife, Amy Mickelson, has supported Mr. Mickelson and their family with extraordinary grace, unwavering love, and the belief that people are measured not only by their failures, but by what they do to make them right,” the statement read. “Mr. Mickelson’s priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves. Right now, that means giving his full attention to a private family health matter. He understands that parts of his life are public, but his family’s private matters are not.”
Phil’s lawyers called out some “false” accusations in the story — which included Phil allegedly showing a naked photo of himself to another golfer’s wife — while acknowledging “others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately.”
“Stacking the disputed claims next to the ones he has owned does not make them credible,” the statement added. “It instead contributes to a false and misleading narrative. No person, no article, and no book can present an accurate, complete, or personal story of the life Mr. Mickelson and his family have lived. His story, struggles, and recovery belong to him and to the people who have shared it closely alongside him.”
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Aaron Lazar’s Family Shares GoFundMe Amid ALS Battle to Help Relieve ‘Enormous Financial Burdens’
Actor Aaron Lazar’s family has launched a GoFundMe amid his battle with ALS.
“Aaron Lazar has inspired audiences as a singer and actor,” a message read via a newly launched GoFundMe. “But to those who love him most, Aaron is a devoted father to his two teenage sons, a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend.”
The statement shared that Lazar has been “in the fight of his life against ALS” since 2022, adding that the “terminal neurological disease that progressively steals a person’s ability to walk, speak, eat, use their hands, and breathe on their own.”
“There is currently no cure for ALS. Most people would see this diagnosis and its burdens as the end of a dream. Yet Aaron has chosen a different path, dedicating himself to what he calls ‘The Impossible Dream,’ his commitment to living with hope, determination, faith, and love,” the caption read. “But determination alone cannot overcome the heartbreaking realities of ALS.”
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Aaron Carter’s mom, Jane Carter Schneck, has launched a GoFundMe to honor his music legacy with a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. Schneck noted in the fundraiser description that her late son, who died at 34 in November 2022, wore many hats as a “singer, rapper, actor, and entertainer who rose to […]The message continued, “Aaron has lost the use of his legs, arms, and hands. He requires a BIPAP machine to breathe and a full-time caregiver at his side to help him throughout the day and night. With his increased needs, the cost of full-time caregiving, medical equipment, and specialized therapies has grown to more than $300,000 every year. Aaron’s ability to generate income for his family is severely limited. He needs help to stay in the fight.”
The statement shared that the GoFundMe aims to help provide Lazar and his children “with stability, comfort, and peace of mind while ensuring these enormous financial burdens do not stand in the way of his journey.”
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Deal Alert! This 44%-Off Throw-On Mini Dress Is Too Good to Leave in Your Cart View Deal“Every donation directly supports Aaron’s medical care, allowing him to focus on what matters most: spending meaningful time with his children and the people he loves, and empowering Aaron to continue his brave, hopeful fight,” the caption read. “Please join us in supporting Aaron.”
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Aaron Carter had dealt with his fair share of ups and downs through the years. “I learned there’s a very valuable lesson in growing up as a young star and then being about to come out on the other side,” the “I Want Candy” singer exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2017 of when he started performing […]The fundraiser has a goal of $500,000, with more than $290,000 raised at the time of publication. The GoFundMe was created on June 21, the same day that Lazar celebrated his 50th birthday.
“I’m 50 and more grateful than ever for my amazing friends!” he wrote via Instagram at the time, sharing clips of Josh Groban leading a singalong with another video showing Norm Lewis and Michael Minarik with the same idea. “Thank you @joshgroban @thenormlewis @mayajominarik I love you boys! Thank you everyone for all the birthday love!”
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