at a glance...

Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Year Formed: 1985

Members:
Mark Olson -vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Gary Louris -vocals, electric guitar, fuzz guitar
Marc Perlman -bass
Ken Callahan -drums
Additional musicians:
Benmont Tench, Nicky Hopkins, Charlie

Bands In The Family:
Golden Smog, Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Son Volt, Victoria Williams, Joe Henry, Soul Asylum, Blue Mountain, Run Westy Run, Big Star, The Honeydogs

Notes:
In 1985 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Stagger Lee stand-up bass player Mark Olson decided to form a Replacements meet Flying Burrito Bros.-inspired band. He enlisted guitarist Marc Perlman (convincing him to take up the bass) and Norm Rogers, the first player in a revolving line-up of drummers. Soon after local guitar hero Gary Louris signed up and they became The Jayhawks. When they opened for Alex Chilton at a Minneapolis club, wealthy stockbroker Charlie Pine took notice, became their manager and formed Bunkhouse Records. Their debut album, The Jayhawks (usually referred to as "The Bunkhouse album") was released in 1986. Minneapolis independent label Twin/Tone picked up the band in ’88 and Blue Earth appeared in 1989, bringing the group considerable attention and a national tour. Legend has it that when producer George Drakoulias heard Blue Earth playing in the background during a phone call to Twin/Tone’s offices, The Jayhawks were immediately signed to major label Def American Records and in 1991 recorded their breakthrough album, Hollywood Town Hall. The album was a critical success and generated radio airplay, especially for Louris’ "Waiting for the Sun." Next, pianist Karen Grotberg joined the group and they entered the studio again for 1995’s Tomorrow The Green Grass, featuring the single "Blue." A tour followed, but Olson announced he was quitting the band to spend more time with his MS-stricken wife, Victoria Williams. In 1997, The Jayhawks - now consisting of Louris, Perlman, Grotberg, guitarist Kraig Johnson and drummer Tim O'Reagan - released the more pop- oriented album Sound Of Lies. Grotberg left the band in early 2000 and was replaced by ex-Dag keyboardist Jen Gunderman. Smile, their first for Columbia Records, was released in May 2000.

Minneapolis, Land of a Thousand Lakes and a superior music town that introduced the world to Prince, Hüsker Dü and The Replacements, is also home to The Jayhawks. Their third album, Hollywood Town Hall, was a defining moment in the wake of the early '90s "alt-country" movement, when for about five minutes people thought it would replace grunge as the next big thing. For those who noticed, their lives were forever enhanced - Hollywood Town Hall is as magic as music gets.

Unlike their live raw sound, the band’s first major-label release is a slick production orchestrated by George Drakoulias. Band leaders Mark Olson and Gary Louris write and sing their own songs, but they mesh so subtly that it's difficult to decipher from track to track whose voice you’re listening to. In fact, even the liner notes don’t reveal the truth. Although Louris may be better known for his fuzz guitar work on this album, his true musical genius emerges down the road after Olson’ s departure.

The Jayhawks possess a rare ability to tap into profound self-realization and expose deeply textured emotions. In "Crowded in the Wings," it’s the pain of discovering too late that the person next to you is the love of your life. Olson cries, "I would lay my life down for you, nothing seems real now that you’re gone...been crowded in the wings then it’s you I find." "Two Angels" is beyond solemn - "this lifetime’s easy, way back home there’s a funeral" - yet so sensual. "Clouds" is an energetic rocker that delivers the tough fact, "god of the rich man ain’t the god for the poor." The hook-filled "Nevada, CA" draws you in and hauntingly proclaims, "I’m your lovesick cousin who never wins."

Eerily romantic with sincere harmonies throughout, Hollywood Town Hall reveals thoughts of hope, hearts-on-sleeves, and the deepest possible yearning. Life is full of mysteries; The Jayhawks find solace in accepting that we will never ascertain all of the answers.

If you like The Jayhawks, check out:
The Jayhawks Sound of Lies
The Jayhawks Tomorrow The Green Grass
The Jayhawks Blue Earth
The Jayhawks Smile
Tom Petty Wildflowers
Bob Dylan Desire
Golden Smog Weird Tales
Flying Burrito Brothers Hot Burritos!
Giant Sand Chore Of Enchantment
The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed
The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Neil Young Zuma
Uncle Tupelo Anodyne

-- Joanna Lux

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