Dixon trio goes back to musical roots for new album

Go ahead and forget whatever it is you know about Gabe Dixon.

Of course, it's a difficult task. So instead at least try to suspend you're your past inclination in regard to Dixon, and instead refocus on the trio now known as The Gabe Dixon Band.

Dixon, Winston Harrison, along with Jano Rix, have been playing together for years. However, only in the past couple of years has the group re-emerged as a trio in the sense of being a full fledged group. In the past, the focus of attention was all on Dixon.

"We realized when we were all living in different states, that there was too much musical chemistry going on between us to give it up," Dixon recalled.

Until then, it was Dixon who was signed to Warner Bros. records, and it was Dixon who — believe it or not — passed on an opportunity to join Paul McCartney on tour as part of McCartney's band, because Dixon's own album was forthcoming. But it was the Dison's trio that collectively felt equal disappointment when that album never materialized.

Dixon has released three albums — "More Than It Would Seem" (1999), "On a Rolling Ball" (2002) and "Live at World Café" (2005) — but it's his latest offering from The Gabe Dixon Band that the singer/songwriter views as his debut effort.

"We love great songs and real musicianship," said Dixon, describing the onetime jam band, "and we take the time as a band to come up with something that isn't typical, because the arrangement and performance can be just as impactful as the song itself.

"We've become more refined and to the point, making the impact direct and immediate. The idea is pretty simple, really: We're dedicated to playing music people like, that we like, too."

And the people — critics and fans alike — seem to appreciate the group's efforts.

In fact, a critic at The Tennessean, Dixon's hometown newspaper in Nashville, wrote that he "deserves to join the ranks of Jackson Browne and early Elton John in the pop pantheon."

That's a heavy compliment for any artist, but the trio took that with them into the studio with producer Neal Cappelino (Alison Krauss/Mindy Smith/Jonny Lang) and created what has since been heralded as a classic rock album.

"The music we heard growing up, listening to our parents' record collections," Dixon said, "(was) mostly '70s LPs by Elton John, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Carole King and James Taylor.

"It was a magical era, the pinnacle of pop, rock and folk in terms of songwriting and musicianship.

"That came from my mom," said Dixon, who noted his biggest influence was The Beatles, "As a teenager, she was kicked out of a Beatles movie for screaming too loud."

In band bio, Dixon likens the new album to a "collection of songs" filled with romantic and spiritual metaphors, which in turn led the trio back to their roots.

Be that as it may Dixon summed the latest album by penning a poem that he recently posted online:

"After years of / writing, arranging, performing, recording, / in late nights and early mornings, / driving, laughing, sweating, bleeding, / flying, crying, spying, teasing / loving, shoving, blaming, using, / stopping, going, winning, losing, / grinning, boozing, sinning, schmoozing, / singing, winging, drumming, strumming, / running, moping, / despairing, hoping, / meeting, greeting, starving, and eating / waking, dreaming, / forgiving, / redeeming: / today... The Gabe Dixon Band album is released.

Keith Ryan Cartwright is a Colorado-based freelance entertainment journalist.