The New Dylans

Paul Evans

“Hailing from Warren Pa, James Reilley and Reese Campbell craft folk-rock so fine that their quartet’s name seems less playful hubris than fact. The New Costellos, however, might be more apt, their tunes take on a melodic buoyancy that recalls Elvis’ pop rather than Bob’s blues. But their themes-cold war paranoia (“Sleeping With The Missles”), the pathos of history (“Old Overcoat”), mark them as originals. Intricate narratives poetically rendered, these songs have the makings of offbeat classics. “

--Paul Evans/ ROLLING STONE

Robert Christgau

“Backed by bass and drums from 10.000 Maniacs, James Reilley and Reese Campbell make songs out of the shopping malls and bad marriages of their shitty little town (well, that’s what they seem to think). Their Byrds-y hooks (out of R.E.M. by 10,000 Maniacs) decorate dense yet literal lyrics. Like Bobby, they read too much poetry-But enjoy a saving gift for the cogent chorus. “

-- Robert Christgau/VILLAGE VOICE

Dan O'KAne

“James Reilley and Reese Campbell released a notable album as The New Dylans back in 1987, with Jerome Augustyniak and John Lombardo of 10,000 Maniacs backing them on bass and drums. Now they’re back with a new band andm ore inspired pop/folk. They draw inspiration from their namesake, but they’re obviously familiar with the obscure cool stuff. This is unaffected music that’s refreshing-that is unless you’re a jaded fashion dog.”

--Dan O’Kane/CD REVIEW

Scott Pulse

“The New Dylans continue to deliver open-hearted, buoyantly melodic folk/rock on their sophomore effort “The American Way”

--Scott Shinder/PULSE

Townes Van Zandt

“You boys are alright”

--Townes Van Zandt

Stipe

“One of my top 5 favorite albums of 1986”

-Michael Stipe/R.E.M.

Cooper Boston Globe

“If there’s any justice, the tuneful truth of “The American Way” will bring The New Dylans a legion of fans. They’d be joining R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe who heralded a 1986 EP by songwriters James Reilley (guitar) and Reese Campbell (piano) then backed by John Lombardo and Jerome Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs. Reilley and Campbell found a new rhythm section for 1993’s much-praised “Warren Piece” and again for this year’s new album, which puts the bloom back on pop-sown rock a la Gin Blossoms, Bodeans (particularly the vocals) and R.E.M. Reilley and Campbell’s smart lyrics lean towards irony, both poignant and pointed: “Mr. Parking Tickets” is a sly Cajun rave-up about a slick attorney, “Wal-Street USA” laments the demise of small businesses in a town where ‘no one dare holler Sam I am’, and the briskly mournful title song recalls a time ‘when TVs laid the world out Perry White’. “The American Way” saves the day.”

- -Jeanne Cooper/BOSTON GLOBE

David Sprague

“The New Dylans share a predilection for the sweet open tones of California country rock’s heyday…the quartet exudes a warmth it’s post hippie peers would have to ignite a crate of incense to match.”

--David Sprague/REQUEST

Mike Bieber

“The New Dylans, upstate New York’s best kept secret, combine literary smarts with melodic-dare I say “jangly” roots rock. In fact their prose is elegant enough to outweigh their music, but it doesn’t. Reese Campbell and Jim Reilley excel at creating soundtracks for their 11 great American novellas, which address the plight of the working class, corporate greed, environmental issues, and basic human dilemmas. Campbell and Reilley are in protest mode much of the time: “The Most Evil Man In The World” takes aim at corporate polluters and the wheels in their machines who live otherwise virtuous lives, while “Wal-Street USA” with a line like ‘Man where’s your hardware store/look at you now boy/stocking screws on the selling floor’, is a pretty obvious shot at the controversial chain store. Listening to “The American Way” after you’ve watched 60 Minutes is not recommended, yet it’s exactly this kind of honesty that makes The New Dylans way more than just a good band with decent songs. The music is compelling but their words more so, and this kind of verite makes The American Way genuine.”

--Mike Bieber/AUDIO

Steve Simels

“This is first rate American rock from a Pennsylvania band with something of the calmly reflective feel of 10,000 Maniacs and a poetic bent that doesn’t dishonor their tongue-in-cheek namesake. Pick hit: the title tune “The American Way” whose metaphorical conceit is that relationships can best be understood in terms of lines from the old Superman tv show. Worth hearing!

--Steve Simels/STEREO REVIEW

Formed in 1986 in Warren, Pennsylvania, The New Dylans (James Reilley and Reese Campbell) recorded their eponymous debut EP in 1986 with the help of John Lombardo and Jerry Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs. Pressing up 1,000 vinyl copies, the duo sent the EP to names on a borrowed 10,000 Maniacs press list. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice ranked the EP among the top 5 EPs of 1987 in the prestigious Village Voice Pazz and Jop Poll of that year. R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe chose The New Dylans as one of his favorite bands of 1987, and the band was also featured on BBC Radio One and MTV shows 120 Minutes and The Cutting Edge. The New Dylans played a handful of live shows in 1987 before breaking up at the end of that year. Reforming in 1992, James and Reese recorded demos of new material (Fester) before signing a record deal with Minneapolis based Red House Records in 1993. The New Dylans released two critically acclaimed albums on Red House (Warren Piece 1993) and (The American Way 1995). Demos for a possible third album were recorded in 1996 (Joe 6 Track), but the band never completed the actual album. The New Dylans earned rave reviews in Rolling Stone, Spin, Stereo Review, Audio, Pulse, CMJ New Music Report, Goldmine, Cd Review, Request, Sing Out, Dirty Linen and Leak magazines, and received generous radio airplay on the then burgeoning AAA/Americana radio format. The New Dylans were also featured on NPR’s All Things Considered with Noah Adams, World Cafe, Acoustic Cafe, Vin Scelsa’s Idiot’s Delight and several guest spots on ex-Partridge Danny Bonaduce’s Chicago Radio show on WLUP. Touring extensively throughout the 1990’s, The New Dylans shared stages with The Band, Townes Van Zandt, Shawn Colvin, Richie Havens, The Fleshtones, Syd Straw, The Silos, Steve Forbert and 10,000 Maniacs.

After breaking up the band in 1998, Reilley moved to Nashville and signed a songwriting deal Curb Publishing. Reilley’s songs have been recorded by many artists most notably Tim O’Brien, Sam Bush, Hal Ketchum, Vince Gill, and Jack Ingram. Reilley’s music has also been featured in several movie soundtracks. Reilley released his first solo album “The Return of Buddy Cruel” in 2003. The album spent 3 months in the top 20 on the Americana Album Chart. The Return Of Buddy Cruel also garnered significant airplay on Acoustic Café, BBC Radio 1, BBC Scotland, Radio Golden Flash in Belgium, Real Roots Cafe Network in Central Europe, and BRTO’s Crossroads in Bergen, the Netherlands whose host Jos Van Den Boom placed the album in his top 10 of 2003. Performing Songwriter and Paste magazines also ran feature articles on the album and The Tennessean called “The Return of Buddy Cruel” one of the top 10 albums of 2003 and the track “Won’t Let You Make Fool Of Me” one of the top 10 songs of 2003 in their year-end critics poll. Reilley recorded a second solo album with Ken Coomer (Wilco), Al Perkins (Gram Parsons), Audley Freed (The Black Crowes), Jen Gunderman (The Jayhawks) and Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick). Reilley’s song “The Man Who Had Everything” was named to BBC Scotland tastemaker Karen Miller’s “Best Of The Decade” list.

After The New Dylans split, Reese Campbell formed The Billups (alternately known as The Hopheads) with 10,000 Maniac alum John Lombardo and Scott Miller. In 2007 Campbell formed a new band called “The American People” featuring Dan Warmbrodt, John McGuire and Paul Liuzzo.

In January 2014, The New Dylans (now including Ken Coomer and Chris Autry) began working on a new album of all original material, their first in 18 years. The new album entitled “Meta” was released in US on April 7^th 2015 and in Europe in summer 2015. Nashville’s newspaper, The Tennessean, has documented the entire process of writing and recording of “Meta”.