After Jakob Dylan dropped out of Parson's School of Art and Design in New York City, he discovered that music was his true love and that he wanted to pursue it. So he moved back to Los Angeles and started a band with some of his friends. In fact, Rami Jaffee was the last member to join the original band, after hearing their demo tape and finding it amazing. After a few dead-end gigs resulting in boos and less-than-desirable objects thrown at them on stage (something every new band must endure), the Wallflowers, whose sound was described as soulful and rootsy, earned a weekly job at Canter's Deli, playing in the Kibitz Room. At the time (1989, 1990), the joint was not exactly popular and was known for featuring older artists who weren't expecting to get a big break. In keeping with this tradition, the Wallflowers signed with Virgin Records and made an album in 1992 that unfortunately, at the fault of the record company, did not receive much airplay or publicity, despite critics' rave reviews. Jakob also found that Virgin seemed more interested in promoting the name "Dylan" instead of "The Wallflowers" and he became desperate to somehow break his contract with the company. Virgin eventually agreed, but this fiasco gave the band a false reputation for being difficult and uncooperative. Without a record deal or virtually any hope for the band's future, what used to be known as "The Wallflowers" slowly began to crumble. Jakob has said that some band members were unwilling to practice their instruments in hopes of improving, and others simply had lost the initiative to continue the band. As a result, (three musicians the lead guitarist, the drummer, and the bassist) quit the band, leaving a frustrated Jakob to try to create a new band with only a keyboardist remaining. However, Jakob and Rami did put a new band together and managed to sign another contract with Interscope Records. Still, problems were not far away, as current drummer Mario Calire was substituted for Matt Chamberlain shortly after the release of Bringing Down The Horse. Mario, thus, is the third drummer. Jakob had to deal with the loss of Leo le Blanc, a pedal-steel guitarist who was often referred to as the sixth Wallflower, and Jakob has admitted that I Wish I Felt Nothing, the last song off the album, was subconsciously inspired by Leo. Nevertheless, the Wallflowers have persevered, evolving from an unknown garage band into the makers of a triple platinum selling album. The Wallflowers are truly deserving of their stardom, and we will undoubtedly witness more of their talent in the future.
