A full house is guaranteed tomorrow night when the genius of arguably the globe's greatest postwar songwriter is celebrated. The popular Red Lion Folk Club at Kings Heath welcomes The Dylan Project, an exhilarating tribute to the timeless classics of Bob Dylan. Back at the club by popular demand, organisers Della and Chris Hooke are expecting a sell-out and are urging music fans to get there early. The Dylan Project is made up of four of this country's leading folk-rock exponents and charismatic frontman and exceptional vocalist, Birmingham's own Steve Gibbons. The musicians are Gerry Conway on drums and percussion, Fairport Convention founder member Simon Nicol on guitars, another Brummie and Fairport member Dave Pegg on bass and PJ Wright on slide and electric guitars and pedal steel. Tribute bands proliferate nowadays and in the main they are all very good - but likeable Simon is quick to point out that despite the name, The Dylan Project is not a soundalike band. "We all love the music of Dylan and have done so for 40 years. "The man is a genius and you cannot really go wrong performing that sort of material. "What we try to do is interpret the songs and hopefully our respect for a master songwriter shines through. "We are all involved in different bands and we look upon The Dylan Project as an occasional, very welcome treat. "It's nice sometimes to wear a different sort of musical hat. It's like wearing a different pair of shoes - you walk a bit differently to normal that's all." The Dylan Project is far more than just a copycat act, with band members bringing their own distinctive take on the music and veteran Steve interpreting the words with great style and individuality. Gibbons manages to sound uncannily like the Dylan of yesteryear, while still managing to retain his own inimitable vocal style. Simon tells me that at the moment The Dylan Project is just getting together occasionally but next winter could see more emphasis on the band and more dates. | 
