J.S. Ondara’s American Dreams

J.S. Ondara can trace his entire career back to a bad bet. As a teenager in Kenya, he once swore to a friend that “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was written by his favorite band, Guns N’ Roses, and not by someone named Bob Dylan. After he lost, Ondara became obsessed with the singer-songwriter, skipping school to spend his days in Nairobi internet cafes researching American folk music. When he won a greencard lottery in 2012, he chose Dylan’s home state, settling with a relative outside Minneapolis. “One of the reasons I love Dylan is that he was this romantic dude: ‘I’m going to go to New York because Woody Guthrie’s there,’” says Ondara, 26. “I’m the same way.” His debut, Tales of America, is a stark observation of his new homeland. Echoing his hero’s earliest records, Ondara performs by himself — “old-troubadour-style, just a guy playing sad songs with a guitar,” as he puts it. “Until I go electric and make everyone upset.”