Craic On

Originally posted in June 2011.

Jacques Mees

Last year Dylan Radio ran a competition, that took several months, to find out the world’s best Dylan Cover act.

There were over 100 allowed to compete.

Listeners voted and them a panel of experts picked the winners taking into account the votes.

Winners

They brought it down to a final 50 and then to 32, 16, 8, 4 and 2.

Jacques Mees got knocked out in the semi finals and then won the ‘play off’ for 3rd place.

He might even be 2nd best in the world as he lost out to the eventual winner.

Even Al Diesan, star of DylanFest 2010, didn’t get that far.

Practice

So what does Jacques think of his achievement?

“Just luck I think, I don’t like competition in Music”.

As Arnold Palmer once said “The more I practice the luckier I get”.

This camaraderie is very true of Dylan musicians.

They appreciate each other rather than wish to put one over on each other.

Sixties

It was the same in the sixties when The Beatles, Dylan and The Rolling Stones were supposed to be rivals but were all actually friends who appreciated each other’s music and influenced each other.

Indeed Jacques, Al & Pino and the Slow Train Band all hope to catch each other’s performances and maybe get an opportunity to join in with them.

It’s looking to be a cracking DylanFest on the Lough this year.

I can hardly wait.