RIP Jayhawks

Post Reply
TimmyB
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:33 pm

Post by TimmyB »

I talked to Gary Louris in Ann Arbor, MI at the Ark last night (02/22/05) and the Jayhawks are not done yet.

Read here:

http://www.jayhawksfanpage.com/boards/s ... genumber=1

H-Bomb Henry
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 11:47 am
Location: Indiana

Post by H-Bomb Henry »

Just saw these Marc and Gary in Indianapolis and being only their 3rd show they sounded pretty good.

I hate to think that these rumors are true. But can't say that I blame them. Years of making great albums and continually being shat on by record companies has to take its toll. Imo this band goes down as the most underrated group of my lifetime.

Haggischomper
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2003 12:28 am
Location: Chicagoland

Post by Haggischomper »

Gary just emailed the owner of the 'Hawks fan site to say that articles can be misleading, musicians have the right to waver and someting MAY yet happen should the timing be right. As it stands right now.it seems this ain't no end. But we'll see.....

andylest
Posts: 50
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2003 2:40 pm
Location: dallas

Post by andylest »

Holy shit. That is really sad. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, although Louris has repeatedly said "this is it" after every record since Mark Olsen left the band. So maybe they're just burned out. But still, they were a huge influence for me and I will miss 'em.

mcarlton
Posts: 1365
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2003 7:54 pm
Location: Abbey Road

Post by mcarlton »

I was hoping for some full Louris, Olsen Jayhawks action. I guess ill go out and buy the blue earth. Somehow i never bought that cd.

slobile
Posts: 188
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: New Orleans

RIP Jayhawks

Post by slobile »

I thought i heard they just got back together....at least we got golden smog




http://www.startribune.com/stories/919/5252657.html



Reunion tour signals end of the Jayhawks
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
February 22, 2005 JAY0222


MADISON, WIS. -- The posters around Luther's Blues nightclub on Saturday said the two singers were "from the Jayhawks." But both Mark Olson and Gary Louris can officially be referred to as "formerly of the Jayhawks."

Talking before a reunion concert that Jayhawks fans had waited a decade to see, Louris let slide the news that many fans feared was coming: One of Minnesota's best-known rock acts is no longer an active band.

"I don't think we're going to do anything else," said Louris, who has fronted the group since Olson quit in 1995. "We felt like we've done that enough. Everybody just wants to do something else. We haven't completely closed the door, but it's pretty damn close. ... I'd say it's dead."

The Jayhawks were pioneers of rock's so-called alternative-country movement alongside Lucinda Williams, Uncle Tupelo and later Wilco and Ryan Adams. Formed around Minneapolis in 1985, the band issued five major-label albums that, combined, have sold around 1 million copies. Its 1992 record "Hollywood Town Hall" was listed as one of the most essential albums of the 1990s by Rolling Stone and Spin magazines.

The Jayhawks in 1995Jerry HoltStar TribuneSoon after the 1995 radio hit "Blue" brought them more national attention, Olson left the band. He had married singer Victoria Williams and said he was "sick of touring" and "ready to try something else."

Ten years later, Louris appears to be in a similar position. He has a wife and 5-year-old son at home, and is itching to try different career paths, including record production and songwriting for other acts. He recently co-wrote new tunes with the Dixie Chicks.

The Jayhawks in 2000Ken SchlesHandout"When you're on the treadmill [with a full-time band], you never have time to learn anything else," he said. "I'm enjoying all these new experiences."

Back in Minneapolis, the Jayhawks' founding bassist, Marc Perlman, echoed Louris' statements.

"It seems like it's played itself out," said Perlman, who has recorded with other musicians over the past year.

The group's other full-time member, drummer/singer Tim O'Reagan, is finishing a solo album that features many of the Jayhawks, including Louris and Olson.

The Jayhawks' manager in Atlanta, Russell Carter, backed up the musicians' statement that there is no animosity among them.

"They're like brothers," said Carter, adding: "It's true they're moving on to other things, but my personal feeling is that the Jayhawks are just too strong an entity to ever go away permanently."

Next month, Perlman and Louris will be in Spain recording another album by Golden Smog, the all-star band also featuring Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy and one-time Jayhawks member Kraig Johnson.

There is some unfinished business between the band members: The first Jayhawks album, a 1986 self-titled independent release, is planned for reissue. There is also a live album yet to be released. An anthology is also a possibility.

That live album will be made up of recordings captured during the Jayhawks' last advertised concerts in the Twin Cities, a sold-out three-night stand at First Avenue nightclub that featured Johnson and another former member, keyboardist/singer Karen Grotberg. In hindsight, those shows served as a sort of last hurrah.

"We didn't plan it that way, but we did make it something special because of the live recording," Perlman said.

Saturday's concert by Louris and Olson was part of a three-week tour that the old singing partners say they're mainly doing for fun. Outside of an impromptu gig at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis this past New Year's Eve, the pair haven't performed together publicly since Olson quit.

Olson said before Saturday's sold-out concert that he never held any ill will about the band continuing as the Jayhawks without him.

"We wouldn't have nearly as many fans coming out if it weren't for what they've done in the past decade," he said.

Backed by two other non-Jayhawks musicians, Olson and Louris played everything from a few of their earliest songs together, including "King of Kings," to music they have recorded separately, such as Olson's "Detroit Custom Railroad." Crowd favorites included "Blue,"Waiting for the Sun" and "Sister Cry."

Another song that went over well was "Save It for a Rainy Day," a minor hit off the Jayhawks' 2003 album "Rainy Day Music."

Speaking of that record, which sold about 175,000 copies and got favorable reviews, Louris said, "I think it's a good one to leave on."

Perlman said, "I think our discography is what we're most proud of. We poured our hearts into those albums. They're our legacy."

Post Reply