[Cover photo features Steve Bardwil Band, photo credit to Claire Wildbill]
We celebrate the 50th anniversary of 1976’s Desire album by Bob Dylan, which included the important Top 40 hit “Hurricane” about the falsely accused boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, featuring violinist Scarlet Rivera. The 8-minute masterpiece that Dylan and Rivera created helped to raise awareness and ultimately led to a federal judge overturning Carter’s wrongful triple murder conviction. Rivera’s violin was featured throughout Dylan’s album, and she was a key musician on his mid-1970s Rolling Thunder Revue Tour.
Rivera’s Violin Violin album is planned for release next February, and so far, two singles have been released ahead of it, “Blessed” and “Lifeline.” On the new album from Ali Handal, Slow Burn, Rivera’s violin is featured on the song “Perennial.” On the new album from the Steve Bardwil Band, Stardust in Disguise produced by Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli, Rivera is heard on the songs “The Way You Look at Things” and “Scarecrow Dreams.” Wildfire spoke with Rivera and Bardwil about these songs and more, including the influence and impact of Dylan on both artists.
Warren Kurtz: Your Stardust in Disguise album opens with Max Butler’s Farfisa organ sounds on “Falling for Forever,” along with Aaron Leibowitz’s flute, on this ‘60s/early ‘70s pop song about imagining falling in love.
Steve Bardwil: Max and Aaron added a lot to this song. With our music, I write the lyrics, melodies, and chords, and I take them to the band and talk about what we want to do with each song. Aaron plays flute and saxophone and had the idea to play flute on this song. Max has a Nord Stage 2 keyboard with different kinds of sounds, and he tried the Farfisa organ selection, and it sounded cool. Once the entire band put their instrumental parts together, including Johnny Stachela on guitar, Frank Coglitore on bass, and Vince Fossett on drums, then our producer Joe Chiccarelli would listen to our songs in rehearsals and would suggest different tempos and drum fills. “Falling for Forever” is about a guy falling in love with someone he hasn’t met yet. I remember when I was a kid thinking that there was somebody out there that I would be with and I wondered who she was, where she was, and what she looked like.
WK: In addition to my music journalism pursuits, I am on the board of Habitat for Humanity in Daytona Beach, Florida. When I heard your opening lyric line on “If I Had My Way” of “If I had my way everyone would have a home,” I was immediately drawn to the song. I shared the song with the Habitat team. Our CEO Lori called it a perfect song. Our Homeowner Program Manager Kris said, “Each word in the song reflects our mission. It is beautiful.” Our board President Scott added, “I love the lyrics. All I can say is, I wish he had his way; wouldn’t life be so much better?” I enjoy Catherine Jayne’s co-lead vocals and the harmonies on this melodic positive message song.
SB: Thank you. When I played the song for Joe for the first time at his studio with just me and my acoustic guitar, he almost had a tear in his eye and said, “Wow! People don’t write songs like that about what is important anymore.” It reminded him of the ‘60s and ‘70s when artists used to sing about real issues versus fluff.
WK: Scarlet, I first heard your violin on Bob Dylan’s song “Hurricane,” one of my favorite songs of the mid-1970s, and then a couple of years later when I was working at Peaches Records & Tapes, we would play the solo album debut from David Johansen of the New York Dolls, and I loved hearing your violin on his song “Lonely Tenement,” along with your own album Scarlet Fever over our store’s speakers. I hear that ‘70s violin sound on Steve’s new song “The Way You Look at Things,” along with Max’s electric piano and Catherine’s harmonies.
Scarlet Rivera: I was struck by Steve’s words, which are my kind of lyrics. I have always appreciated tremendous lyrics, of course, starting with Bob Dylan. The subject of Steve’s lyrics is very meaningful, how things you look at change. I am very much involved in peace, wildlife, and conservation organizations.
WK: The deluxe edition of the album has just been released with an extended version of “Scarecrow Dreams,” adding a two-minute instrumental finale to the song filled with violin, Johnny’s guitar, and Aaron’s saxophone. Like “Hurricane,” I enjoy long songs where there is a lot going on musically, and this song has a Dylan inspiration, too.
SB: Having Scarlet play on this album was like things in the universe aligned and this was meant to happen. I watched the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and that inspired me to begin writing songs for this album. After writing the lyrics for “Scarecrow Dreams,” I did more Dylan research and I watched Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, and Scarlet was such a big part of that concert film. I was so blown away with her playing, and I said to Catherine as an aside, “How cool would it be to have Scarlet Rivera play violin on ‘Scarecrow Dreams.’”
A week later, I was playing at a charity event and that morning I received an email of the artists performing and the times we were going to play. I looked at the list and Scarlet was on the list. I called up Joe and said that I had written “Scarecrow Dreams,” and I asked if he knew Scarlet. He said he knew of her and would certainly like to work with her. I told him that I was thinking of asking her to play on this song if he was OK with that and he said, “Absolutely! See if she will do it.” Scarlet and I started talking that night at the event and we hit it off. I learned that we have a lot in common. I asked her if she still records and she told me that is her favorite thing to do. After she got to the studio, Joe also suggested to have Scarlet on “The Way You Look at Things” too.
SR: I based my violin playing on Steve’s lyrics to determine how melodic I was going to be and the emotion that I would try to bring to it.
WK: Scarlet, your album Violin Violin is planned for a February release. There are two singles released from it already, which are very different from each other. “Blessed” is an edgy blues number, where you sing about warding off trouble.
SR: The song was originally going to be called “Trouble” because my early life in my twenties and thirties was nothing but trouble, with the exception of meeting Bob Dylan, which lifted me out of the trouble, because he tried to help me artistically and personally. I co-wrote “Blessed” with a tremendous songwriter, Jeff Silbar, who co-wrote the Grammy winning song “Wind Beneath My Wings.” He switched the title and theme from “Trouble” to “Blessed.” I am blessed to be here with the help of so many people along the way who helped me rise above the trouble.
WK: “Lifeline” is a catchy up-tempo country song. I can envision people line dancing to your lyrics, “You came along at the right time.”
SR: I credit this to Bob Dylan again as he was one of the most important people to come along at the right time. When I was sinking down, about to drown, he came along at the right time. In addition to being a Dylan fan, I was a struggling musician in New York. I woke up one morning in the ‘70s to go to an audition for an unknown band and I was playing Dylan music before I left my apartment. I was walking down 13th Street in the East Village with my violin over my shoulder and this green car cruised by very slowly. The guy rolled down his car window, lowered his sunglasses, and asked, “Hey, can you play that thing?” My time with Bob Dylan began.
WK: In addition to Bob and Steve, you have played with a wide variety of people including Ali Handal on her new album Slow Burn. I enjoy your violin on her new song “Perennial,” which begins with the line, “I’m an 8-track girl in a digital world.” That certainly caught my ear.
SR: I like supporting women artists of all ages and lo and behold, that’s the subject of her song, that women of all ages still have something of value to offer. It was a good fit for me to jump in on that song. Thank you for listening to and enjoying my music for all these years. On that note, I’ll say, “Forever Young!”
SB: Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you and chatting with you, and if Habitat for Humanity would like to use “If I Had My Way” for promotion of support, I would be happy to grant them permission.
Warren Kurtz, a long-time music journalist and author, can be contacted at fabulousflipsides@yahoo.com
