Growing at Their Own Pace

What was one of the most dramatic rock success stories of the ‘90s doing on stage at the 975-seat Ventura Theatre on Wednesday, instead of a larger, more high-profile venue in Los Angeles?

Being smart.

Though the current album by the Wallflowers, a band featuring singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan, is racing toward the 2 million sales mark, the group is concentrating on clubs and small theaters so it can follow a normal growth curve rather than allow the sales bonanza to push it into larger halls before it is ready.

It’s an approach similar to Alanis Morissette’s effective strategy in 1995 when her “Jagged Little Pill” album began its sales stampede.

It allows the act to hone its live skills in intimate surroundings, free of the pressure and expectations of a larger facility, and gives a core of fans a chance to bond with the act by seeing it up close and personal.

In the Wallflowers’ case, the extra time in the minors, if you will, is valuable because Dylan and the rest of the group are still finding their way as performers.

When Dylan came on the pop scene in 1992 with the Wallflowers, his main calling card was his bloodlines.

Who with any sense of rock history could resist checking out the son of Bob Dylan, the most influential songwriter of the modern pop era?

Well, it turned out, almost everybody could. The debut album only sold about 25,000 copies and the group was dropped by its record label.

Young Dylan could easily have crumbled, but he battled back, writing songs that frequently mirrored the self-questioning, melancholy feelings he had after being rejected. The best of them gave the group’s second album, “Bringing Down the Horse,” a far more appealing edge--and this time the pop world paid attention.

When Dylan, 27, stepped on stage Wednesday before a wildly enthusiastic crowd, the selling point was, quite rightly, the music.

On stage last summer, Dylan seemed somewhat anonymous--allowing his vocals to virtually disappear beneath the swirl of the organ and other touches in the bluesy, ‘60s-based sound supplied by guitarist Michael Ward, bassist Greg Richling, drummer Mario Calire and keyboardist Rami Jaffee.

But the months on the road have paid off. Dylan, who also plays guitar, showed far more authority Wednesday, injecting welcome bite into his vocals and relaxing enough to talk to the fans between songs.

He needs to show similar growth as a writer. For all the current album’s charm, there aren’t enough first-rate songs on it to carry a 90-minute show. On many of the songs, Dylan still seems a young writer who is throwing up random images and impressions, hoping they will stick together in an interesting or illuminating way.

By contrast, Dylan’s best songs, including the reflective, melancholy “6th Avenue Heartache” and the soulful, introspective “I Wish I Felt Nothing,” carry a passion and insight that make you feel he is an artist with a genuine and valuable vision.

The fact that he is not letting sales dictate his pace is an encouraging sign that he may be able to live up to the promise of the best songs. In fact, his biggest hurdle may be over: showing that another Dylan deserves his own place in the pop spotlight.

* The Wallflowers and Polara play tonight at the Glass House, 200 W. 2nd St., Pomona, 8 p.m. Sold out. (909) 872-6181.