Thirty-eight years after his dad went electric, Jakob Dylan and his Wallflowers are going acoustic. Well, not exactly. "The Carter Family might have played acoustic, but I don't know if anybody has since," says Jakob. "Once you plug in that first cable, y'know . . . "

Regardless, on their cross-country theater tour this month, the Wallflowers -- keyboardist Rami Jaffee and bassist Greg Richling along with touring guitarist Yogi and drummer Fred Eltringham (on loan from Ben Kweller) -- will be sporting wood. Dylan says that in addition to acoustic interpretations of Wallflowers hits, the band may throw in its cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" (it appears on this summer's American Wedding soundtrack, due July 22nd).

So will the young Dylan be blowing a harmonica? "No," he says, laughing, "I couldn't tell you I have a knack for that instrument."

Wallflowers tour dates (with Dean Delray):

7/11: San Diego, 4th and B
7/12: Las Vegas, House of Blues
7/13: Phoenix, Nita's Hideaway
7/16: Anaheim, CA, House of Blues
7/18: Ventura, CA, Ventura Theater
7/19: Los Angeles, Fonda Theater
7/20: San Francisco, Fillmore Theater
7/22: Seattle, The Showbox
7/23: Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
7/24: Portland, OR, Roseland Theater
7/25: Boise, ID, The Big Easy
7/26: Salt Lake City, Club DV8
7/27: Boulder, CO, Fox Theater

AUSTIN SCAGGS
(July 3, 2003)