“In another life I’d like to come back and be the bass player or the drummer,” Jakob Dylan says.

It’s not that the charismatic Wallflowers singer doesn’t enjoy his status as frontman of the veteran roots-pop act. It’s more that he occasionally envies the experience of his bandmates, who often are shielded from the glare of the limelight.

“I commend them for all the years they’ve done that,” Dylan says of how the other members deal with him being the focus of the band. “But I think they knew that when signing up. It’s inevitable — not just because of my heritage but it’s also because I write the songs and stand at the center microphone.”

For those scattered few who don’t know, Dylan is, of course, the son of Bob Dylan. Over the past dozen years the younger Dylan has issued nearly as many albums of fresh material as his father, occasionally outselling the elder songwriter. (The band’s 1996 effort, “Bringing Down the Horse,” moved 4 million copies.)

In May, The Wallflowers will issue “Rebel, Sweetheart” after a three-year recording drought.

“We haven’t hit a wall yet of frustration of ideas or repeating ourselves,” Dylan says in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles. “It’s really the perspective of the songs that change; that’s how a band evolves. I can’t tell you exactly how that’s being done with us, but I felt especially what’s going on right now with my life and what’s in the air, there’s just a lot to be writing about these days.”

Lyrically, the album pulls few punches, with ruminations on the war in Iraq (“Days of Wonder”) and crises of faith (“God Says Nothing Back”). Dylan admits he’s never considered any subject lyrically taboo.

“Certainly there’s stuff I’ve stayed away from,” he says. “I really haven’t written much about Cro-Magnon man or Mesopotamia. Maybe that would be taboo.”

‘Success and non-success’

The Wallflowers

The Grammy-winning quartet — which also includes keyboardist Rami Jaffee, bassist Greg Richling and new drummer Fred Eltringham — has earned a reputation as a touring machine. This week’s batch of shows represents the first time the ensemble has performed since last summer.

“It’s always good to see a band when they’re fresh, as opposed to the end of the two-year run,” Dylan says.

Any personal tricks for not going insane from all the touring?

“I’m not sure that I’m not insane at this point,” the 35-year-old musician says, laughing. “Disappearing on a bus for two years is something we’ve tried to balance and not let that happen. But it’s crucial for all bands to play live and be on tour — for yourselves, your fans and the life of a record.

“It certainly feels different at this point than it did when we were 22. People crack on tour — not to be confused with TAKE crack. It’s always been good for us to tour. The band is always excited to go back out.”

Dylan recalls being a frequent visitor to Lawrence during the alt-rock heyday of the early-to-mid-’90s.

The Wallflowers / Kyle Riabko When:Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 8 p.m. Where: Liberty Hall, 644 Mass., Lawrence Cost: Not available Age limit: All ages Full event details

“I have memories of going up and down Mass. Street plenty,” he says. “We’ve played The Bottleneck a number of times. And if I remember, our original bass player (Barrie Maguire) went to college around there. So we, at the time, had a bit of connection.”

Although one of the few rock groups from the ’90s to carry its popularity into the current decade, it’s still been a struggle for The Wallflowers to find airtime on the radio or MTV. It’s especially tough in an era when most listeners respect the last name Simpson more than Dylan.

“This band has seen all kinds of success and non-success,” Dylan explains.

“But it’s a wealth of things that make it a success. Some people may find it very easy to say, ‘The last record didn’t do so well, so you’re not happy.’ That’s really not as simple as that. A lot of people sell lots of records who are very UNHAPPY. It’s not these records or adulation that are the only things that are going to fill up anybody’s life. You’ve got a whole life to tend to.”

Clips of audio interview with Jakob Dylan In terms of your career, have you ever considered yourself a wallflower in the dictionary definition of the world? What’s one of your personal tricks for not going insane from all the touring? How have the other members of The Wallflowers dealt with the inevitable fact that you’re always going to be the focus of the band?

Immediate future

While it’s hard to find a musician of his stature who isn’t also working on a book deal, guest starring on a TV series or making a cameo appearance in a movie, Dylan is simply concentrating these days on The Wallflowers.

“We’re gearing up to go on tour next week, and I’ve certainly blocked out most of my immediate future for this,” he says, pausing. “I’ve been saying that for 15 years.”