Americana heroes on display via rousing returns

Three new album titles, as well as a wonderful 2019 reissue will be wonderful additions to any music lover's collection. 

Artist: The Jayhawks
Title: XOXO (Sham/Thirty Tigers)
You might like if you enjoy: The Jayhawks, The Fallen Stars, Mark Olson
Tell me more: One of Americana's most important and enduring voices, the Jayhawks are back with their newly-issued 11th full-length studio LP XOXO that ranks with the Minneapolis-spawned troupe's most beloved albums. The intoxicating opening track "This Forgotten Town" welcomes listeners with a reflective moodscape, the band's nuanced and detailed approach revealed via a rich pastel of guitars, piano, rhythm section and lush vocal harmonies that build artfully before descending into a comforting quiet. A true democratic effort, all long-time core members (Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg and Tim O’Reagan) share lead vocal and songwriting duties across the album. The range of material reflects the team effort as evidenced by the tuneful power pop-styled rocker "Dogtown Days," Beatlesque "Living in a Bubble," piano-anchored chamber pop ballad "Ruby" and indie rocker "Society Pages" on the first half of the disc. The power of the album's track listing never dims; the country-tinged "Bitter Pill" finds Louris providing a tale about a weary wanderer's endless quest for happiness. The Jayhawks' lyrical portraits are as real and affecting as their music making to be sure; the lovely "Across My Field," ambitious harmonies-anchored rocker "Little Victories" and acoustic romantic lament "Looking Up Your Number" are exquisite. Those who buy the initial pressing of XOXO (on vinyl or audio CD) will be getting the deluxe edition of the LP, which offers three bonus tracks ("Jewel of the Trimbelle," "Then You Walked Away," "Hypocrite's Lament"), all of which add power and purpose to this wonderful return. Information: JayhawksOfficial.com.

Artist: Bobbo Byrnes
Title: SeaGreenNumber5 (My Squirrel Music)
You might like if you enjoy: The Fallen Stars, Wilco
Tell me more: As prolific as he is gifted, singer-songwriter Bobbo Byrnes is back with a new album that comes on the heels of a parade of excellent solo LPs as well as his role with the Fallen Stars and Riddle and the Stars. Byrnes brings the same adventuresome spirit he has explored with the Fallen Stars to his exciting new solo album SeaGreenNumber5. The mix of acoustic folk and Americana soundscapes are used in the service of originals that are poignant and intimate; these are songs that draw in the listener with winning melodies and nuanced lyrics. Byrnes is expert in tapping into traditional influences and making them his own, as evidenced by the exuberant "Queen Of The Party," breezy "When We Ride," spirited skip "Eveline," sparse baroque ballad "Every Sound That Crashes" and Celtic-flavored instrumental "Geo's Jig." The album's energetic spirit is bolstered by the surrounding cast of players including bassist-vocalist Tracy Byrnes, percussionist Matt Froehlich, fiddler Georgiana Hennessy, pedal steel player Jeremy Long and backing vocalists Jen Moraca and Tawny Ellis. Information: BobboByrnes.com.

Artist: Ted Russell Kamp
Title: Down In The Den (PoMo Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Shooter Jennings, Merle Haggard
Tell me more: Set for release on July 24, Ted Russell Kamp's Down In The Den celebrates the artist's signature mix of country, Americana, soul and roots music at every turn. Armed with a rich and articulate baritone voice and his top-tier talents on a slew of instruments, the album kicks off in high gear with the rollicking "Home Sweet Hollywood" (with Shooter Jennings adding dynamic vocals to the track), before he moves into other reaches of his far-flung musical universe with the moody "Have Some Faith," New Orleans-mining "Waste a Little Time With Me" and Hobo Nickel," and authentic country ballad Stick With Me" shining on Side 1 of the disc. On Side 2, standouts include the Southern rocker "The Good Part," Memphis soul offering "Word For Word," reflective "Only Son" and emotive album closer "Take My Song With You." Along the way a who's who of genre talents join Kamp on the 14-song LP; in addition to the aforementioned Jennings, vocalists Gordy Quist, Sarah Gayle Meech, Shane Alexander, Grant Langston and Kirsten Proffit, as well as many more top-tier musicians and singers add to the magical proceedings. Information: TedRussellKamp.com.



REDISCOVERED CLASSIC

Artist: Cindy Lee Berryhill
Title: Straight Outta Marysville (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Cindy Lee Berryhill, Michelle Shocked, Courtney Barnett
Tell me more: When Cindy Lee Berryhill released The Adventurist in 2017, it marked the Southern California-based artist's first new studio album in a decade. That wonderful return served as a strong reminder of Berryhill's groundbreaking anti-folk sound and led Omnivore Recordings to reissue an expanded and remastered version of Berryhill's celebrated 1996 album Straight Outta Marysville. Released in August 2019, the Straight Outta Marysville reissue is filled with literate and introspective songs that are bolstered by smart arrangements, subtle performances and the always-compelling delivery of Berryhill. The Los Angeles native is a joy to listen to across the disc, with her inviting vocals (be they spoken or sung) shining in quiet verses as well as more dynamic choruses (just listen to the infectious "Diane"); all of that compelling delivery coming via truly superb songs. The strength of the disc is uniformly mighty, with this writer's favorites including the energetic opener "High Jump," mandolin-adorned "Riddle Riddle," roots rocker "Jane And John," the dream pop of "Unwritten Love Song," acoustic "Talkin' With A Mineral" and a creative cover of Donovan's 1966 classic "Season Of The Witch." The reissues features the 14 cuts that appeared on the 1996 release along with six previously-unissued bonus tracks; these tracks are a wonderful addition to the cuts that appeared only on the original release. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.


Robert Kinsler

The Jayhawks return with the band's most collaborative album to date – "XOXO" releasing July 10

Sharing some really great news; The Jayhawks are set to release a new full-length album this summer! Here is the official media release - Robert Kinsler

The Jayhawks Announce Collaborative New Album XOXO Releasing July 10 via Sham/Thirty Tigers

New Release Features Major Contributions From All Four Members Of Longtime Core Lineup

April 21, 2020 – Seminal Minneapolis band The Jayhawks have announced their new album XOXO will release on July 10 via Sham/Thirty Tigers. Featuring their most diverse and wide-ranging group of songs to date, XOXO marks a new era in collaboration, with songwriting and lead vocal contributions from all four longtime band members – Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg and Tim O’Reagan. Along with the announcement, The Jayhawks have released a new video with Louris performing a stripped-down version of “Living In A Bubble”, a timely song that laments the problematic nature of our ratings-driven news cycle. 

Watch Gary Louris Perform “Living In A Bubble” via Youtube:

https://youtu.be/yJHQU02uBoM

“‘Living In A Bubble’ lyrically is a reaction to the 24 hour news cycle and how the media can fan the flames of fear if one let’s it,” says Louris. “It is also a commentary about data collection, Big Brother, and our obsession with devices, while never being truly present in the here and now. Musically it is an homage to the great Harry Nilsson, and is driven by the amazing piano playing of Karen Grotberg.”

XOXO is a testament to The Jayhawks’ unrelenting ability to evolve while remaining true to the authentic sound that has made them one of the most influential and respected bands today. Recorded over two weeks holed up together at the secluded Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, MN, as well as at Flowers Studio, founded by their friend and Minneapolis music stalwart the late Ed Ackerson, XOXO is an album fueled by chemistry and trust. The group’s camaraderie is at the heart and soul of these 12 songs, bringing an injection of confidence and energy to The Jayhawks’ signature harmonies, infectious melodies and masterful musicianship. From Louris’ pointedly transportive “Homecoming” to Grotberg’s timelessly poetic “Ruby” to the the Pearlmen-led, folk-driven “Down To The Farm” and the trippy O’Reagan/Perlman co-write “Illuminate”, XOXO is the product of a group that is more inspired and more itself than ever before. 

“It was time to open things up,” explains Louris. “The Jayhawks are a true band, one where every-one’s an equal, and we wanted to make a record that really reflected that.” Elaborating on the process, Perlman says, “Some songs we molded together from scratch, but others had been fully written by one or the other of us. We didn’t worry too much about who penned what, because after all these years of playing together, everything we do just naturally comes out sounding like a Jayhawks song.” 

One of the most enduring and beloved bands of the last thirty years, The Jayhawks have continued their success since returning to the core members from the late-90’s lineup. Their two most recent releases, 2016’s Paging Mr. Proust and 2018’s Back Roads and Abandoned Motels, garnered positive coverage from press including NPR Music, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Salon, Relix, Billboard and Rolling Stone, who described them as “a band that can be reshaped if needed, and is clearly built to last.” XOXO is the culmination of five years growing together, resulting in a sonically and emotionally cohesive album that stands as a pillar of The Jayhawks’ ongoing revolution.  

Official Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

The Jayhawks / Photo: Tim Geaney

XOXO Track Listing

1. This Forgotten Town 

2. Dog town Days 

3. Living In A Bubble 

4. Ruby 

5. Homecoming 

6. Society Pages 

7. Illuminate 

8. Bitter Pill

9. Across My Field 

10. Little Victories 

11. Down To The Farm 

12. Looking Up Your Number 

The Jayhawks to release deluxe editions of 'Sound of Lies,' 'Smile' and 'Rainy Day' on July 1, 2014

THE JAYHAWKS TO RELEASE DELUXE EDITIONS OF SOUND OF LIES, SMILE AND RAINY DAY MUSIC JULY 1^ST

REMASTERED, EXPANDED VERSIONS FEATURE STUDIO OUTTAKES, ALTERNATE VERSIONS AND DEMOS

'Sound of Lies' is among the Jayhawks classics set to get a deluxe treatment this summer

Hailed as pioneers of the alt-country/Americana sound, the Jayhawks emerged from Minneapolis' mid-'80s scene with a soaring combination of folksy harmonies and power-pop melodies. The band's status as a major influence, as well as that of being one of the best bands of its generation, are richly deserved.

The July 1st release of expanded versions of 1997's SOUND OF LIES, 2000's SMILE and 2003's RAINY DAY MUSIC complete the band's remastering of its entire back catalog. All three American Recordings/UME releases contain bonus tracks, new liner notes and expanded booklets. The albums also chronicle the band's evolution into crunchier rock, purer pop and a sort of twangy, psychedelic vibe before coming full-circle with a spare country-rock sound.

SOUND OF LIES, SMILE and RAINY DAY MUSIC will also be released August 5^th as deluxe, 2 LP vinyl editions to ensure maximum fidelity.  The deluxe vinyl reissues will be remastered on 180  gram heavyweight vinyl and also include the bonus tracks.

The Jayhawks formed in 1985 when Gary Louris was in the decidedly small crowd at the first show future songwriting partner Mark Olson did with bassist Marc Perlman and Norm Rogers (the first in a string of drummers, at least until Tim O'Reagan joined in 1995). A self-titled album was released on a local indie label and Minneapolis' Twin/Tone released some of the band's demos as "Blue Earth" in 1989. Legend has it that producer George Drakoulias (Black Crowes) heard the music in the background during a phone call to the label; Drakoulias eventually signed the band to Rick Rubin's Def American records and produced "Hollywood Town Hall" (1992) and "Tomorrow The Green Grass" (1995), making the Jayhawks staples on the then-emerging adult-alternative radio format.

Olson, the folksier member of the songwriting team, abruptly left the band in 1995. The band regrouped and kept the name, but Olson's departure and a divorce colored Louris' dark lyrics of the subsequent Jayhawks album, "Sound of Lies." With pianist Karen Grotberg as a permanent addition and harmony partner, Louris took advantage of his newfound freedom to experiment with '60s pop and a more electric sound, even getting a little crunchy around the edges on "Think About It."

Louris' lyrics took a more optimistic, albeit cautiously so, turn on the ambitious "Smile," produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, KISS, Alice Cooper). Jen Gunderman stepped in when Grotberg left to raise a family, and this time Louris' ventures into contemporary pop featured looping and overdubs, turning downright trip-hop on "Queen of the World," "Somewhere in Ohio" and "(In My) Wildest Dreams." It may have been an artistic triumph, but even with the twangy "Better Days" and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," the album proved to be a bit much for fans of the Jayhawks' earlier sound and came after the decline of the adult-alternative format. The headline on a New York Times story about the band asked, "What If You Made a Classic, and No One Cared?"

It was after an acoustic tour that Louris, Perlman, O'Reagan and guitarist Stephen McCarthy recorded 2003's "Rainy Day Music," a seeming return to form. The first four tracks are a mini masterpiece -- the gently chiming "Stumbling Through the Dark" (written by Louris and Matthew Sweet), the twang-meets-"Eve of Destruction" feel of the soaring "Tailspin,"  the country gospel harmonies of  "All the Right Reasons" and the catchy, bittersweet "Save It for a Rainy Day" (if you're trolling the songs on YouTube, that is indeed Mary-Louise Parker in the video). Instead of the earnest folk of the Jayhawks' early days, there's a sophisticated, spare sound and a Byrds/CSNY/Buffalo Spingfield vibe. Producer Ethan Johns' credits speak for themselves -- CSN, Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Crowded House, Laura Marling just to name a few.

It will be the basic lineup from the band's 1997 shows -- Louris, Perlman, O'Reagan, Grotberg and Kraig Johnson -- that will tour in support of the reissues. Much of July and part of August will be spent on a mix of headlining and festival dates in Europe, followed by a fall tour of the U.S. and Canada. Confirmed dates follow; for a current list of shows go towww.jayhawksofficial.com.

SOUND OF LIES Track List:

1 The Man Who Loved Life 5:00

2 Think About It 5:37

3 Trouble 4:50

4 It's Up To You 3:38

5 Stick In The Mud 3:34

6 Big Star 4:25

7 Poor Little Fish 3:56

8 Sixteen Down 5:23

9 Haywire 5:21

10 Dying On The Vine 5:52

11 Bottomless Cup 4:14

12 Sound Of Lies 3:56

Bonus Tracks

13. I Hear You Cry 3:48*

14. Sleepyhead 3:29*

15. Kirby's Tune (studio outtake) 5:34**

16. It's Up To You (alternate version) 3:46**

17. Sound of Lies (rough mix) 4:34**

* previously commercially unavailable in the U.S.

** previously unreleased

SMILE Track list:

1. Smile 3:50

2. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me 3:40

3. What Led Me To This Town 4:10

4. Somewhere In Ohio 3:39

5. A Break In The Clouds 4:00

6. Queen Of The World 2:35

7. Life Floats By 4:43

8. Broken Harpoon 3:31

9. Pretty Thing 4:19

10. Mr. Wilson 4:27

11. (In My) Wildest Dreams 4:31

12. Better Days 4:36

13. Baby, Baby, Baby 5:24

Bonus Tracks

14. Who Made You King (studio outtake) 5:43*

15. Gypsy In The Mood (studio outtake) 1:18

16. A Part Of You (demo)  3:12**

17. Life's Little Ups And Downs (live) 4:55**

18. Greta Garbo (demo) *3:49*

19. Five Cornered Blues (demo) 4:01**
* previously commercially unavailable

** previously unreleased

RAINY DAY MUSIC Track list:

1 Stumbling Through The Dark 2:21

2 Tailspin 3:13

3 All The Right Reasons 3:21

4 Save It For A Rainy Day 3:03

5 Eyes Of Sarahjane 3:44

6 One Man’s Problem 4:02

7 Don’t Let The World Get In Your Way 4:16

8 Come To The River 4:25

9 Angelyne 3:40

10 Madman 4:00

11 You Look So Young 3:58

12 Tampa To Tulsa 3:57

13 Will I See You In Heaven 3:37

14 Stumbling Through The Dark (Reprise) 2:09

Bonus Tracks

15. Tailspin (“Inbred” version) (demo) 4:12*

16. Waiting For Salvation (demo) 4:02*

17. The Book You Wrote (demo) 3:10*

18. False Eyelashes (Blue-Eyed Soul) (demo) 3:00*

19. Won’t Last Long (demo) 3:17*

20. In the Canyon (live) 3:57*

* previously unreleased

THE JAYHAWKS CONFIRMED U.S. TOUR DATES (More to be announced!)

June 20           Americana Music Festival                   Des Moines, IA
Aug. 02            HazelFest                                            Center City, MN
Aug. 16            River Roots Festival                            Davenport, IA