Sunday
Jul192009
Cowboy Junkies
Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 07:20AM
The Cowboy Junkies are a tough band to figure out. With a recording career that spans more than twenty years, the band has acquired a loyal fan base, but not an especially large one. However, the band does not seem all that interested in mass appeal. Over their history they have done little to chase stardom. While they surely command more attention in their native Canada, where they have been nominated for several Juno awards, in the States they tend to play short tours of small, almost boutique venues. At this point in their life, the Cowboy Junkies give the impression of a band that is supremely comfortable with themselves and their place in the world of music.
The Junkies recent show at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was my first. Although I have been a casual fan since 1988's The Trinity Session, I had never met the occasion to see them live. However, I have listened to several shows and feel safe in saying the Ginter show was a typical performance. From the moment they took the stage, the band was a calm, collected, tight musical unit. Singer Margo Timmins issued a simple greeting and the band launched into their first number, Crescent Moon. Over the next two hours, the band presented two sets of "junk." They pulled gems from their vast recorded catalog, introduced two unrecorded tunes that are likely to make their next record, and mixed in covers by Neil Young and U2. At times rocking, at times brooding, at times sultry, the sets flowed nicely and were over far too soon.
The Cowboy Junkies have been together since 1985 and they behave like the old friends and siblings they are, the type of friends who can complete each other's thoughts and sentences. While clearly the band leader, as well as chief songwriter and head musical guru, Michael Timmins directs the band silently. A wink, a nod, an occasional smile serve as his baton. His guitar work dominates the band's grooves and he melds rhythm and lead parts into a performance that would require a minimum of two players in a lesser band, and he does so with beguiling ease.
The WOW factor in the band comes from the rear of the stage in the person of Jeff Bird. Occasional percussionist and harmonica player, Bird is a magician of the mandolin. From the standard bluegrass chop strum to straight rhythm to electric leads that channel Jimi Hendrix rather than Bill Monroe, Bird adds musical colors from a shockingly diverse palette.
Margo commands center stage. Front woman, chanteuse, foil to brother Michael, her sultry voice evokes a torch singer rather than a pop singer of songs about death. The macabre nature of Michael's lyrics is a running joke between Margo, Michael and the audience; however, Margo's haunting delivery of the songs reveals as much about the singer as the songwriter. She, too, has a dark and depressive side, but there is also an air of wisdom about her. She leads the audience into the songs, then seems to wag a finger and shoot a look suggesting we aren't quite getting the point, that we need to listen more closely and look deeper.
One of the nice touches the band provides for their fans is the occasional limited release product that is available at their shows. The treat on this tour is Acoustic Junk, a collection of ten classic, acoustic performances. The band has also recently revamped their website and included an enormous amount of mp3 content. The Junkies encourage live recordings and shows are available on etree and archive. Numerous listening options are available. Whether in person or recorded, the Cowboy Junkies are well worth a listen.
The Junkies recent show at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was my first. Although I have been a casual fan since 1988's The Trinity Session, I had never met the occasion to see them live. However, I have listened to several shows and feel safe in saying the Ginter show was a typical performance. From the moment they took the stage, the band was a calm, collected, tight musical unit. Singer Margo Timmins issued a simple greeting and the band launched into their first number, Crescent Moon. Over the next two hours, the band presented two sets of "junk." They pulled gems from their vast recorded catalog, introduced two unrecorded tunes that are likely to make their next record, and mixed in covers by Neil Young and U2. At times rocking, at times brooding, at times sultry, the sets flowed nicely and were over far too soon.
The Cowboy Junkies have been together since 1985 and they behave like the old friends and siblings they are, the type of friends who can complete each other's thoughts and sentences. While clearly the band leader, as well as chief songwriter and head musical guru, Michael Timmins directs the band silently. A wink, a nod, an occasional smile serve as his baton. His guitar work dominates the band's grooves and he melds rhythm and lead parts into a performance that would require a minimum of two players in a lesser band, and he does so with beguiling ease.
The WOW factor in the band comes from the rear of the stage in the person of Jeff Bird. Occasional percussionist and harmonica player, Bird is a magician of the mandolin. From the standard bluegrass chop strum to straight rhythm to electric leads that channel Jimi Hendrix rather than Bill Monroe, Bird adds musical colors from a shockingly diverse palette.
Margo commands center stage. Front woman, chanteuse, foil to brother Michael, her sultry voice evokes a torch singer rather than a pop singer of songs about death. The macabre nature of Michael's lyrics is a running joke between Margo, Michael and the audience; however, Margo's haunting delivery of the songs reveals as much about the singer as the songwriter. She, too, has a dark and depressive side, but there is also an air of wisdom about her. She leads the audience into the songs, then seems to wag a finger and shoot a look suggesting we aren't quite getting the point, that we need to listen more closely and look deeper.
One of the nice touches the band provides for their fans is the occasional limited release product that is available at their shows. The treat on this tour is Acoustic Junk, a collection of ten classic, acoustic performances. The band has also recently revamped their website and included an enormous amount of mp3 content. The Junkies encourage live recordings and shows are available on etree and archive. Numerous listening options are available. Whether in person or recorded, the Cowboy Junkies are well worth a listen.
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