Cowboy Junkies rope in a sold out crowd in grass valley
Pictures and Words: Jim Brown
Cowboy Junkies – Grass Valley – June 11, 2024
If you listened to music at all in the late 80s and early 90s, you’ve no doubt heard the Cowboy Junkies – perhaps their haunting cover of Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane, or the jaunty Anniversary Song (which made us realize how great a cowbell can sound even before the popular SNL skit told us we needed more of it). But what you may not realize is that the Toronto, Canada-based Cowboy Junkies have consistently continued making great music all these years later. Very consistently. In fact, they’ve made 26 albums worth of great music. That’s 26 albums in 36 years – that’s some serious dedication to the craft.
Even more amazing, three of the bands’ members are siblings (Michael Timmins on guitar, Margo Timmins on vocals, Peter Timmins on drums). And even after all these years, they’ve never had a breakup. My siblings and I couldn’t even put a jigsaw puzzle together over a weekend without a major blowup, let alone make great music together for 36 years. Maybe siblings like each other more in Canada? Regardless, MFM was honored to be at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley on June 11 to hear Margo and the rest of the band play a selection of tunes spanning from their breakout 1988 album The Trinity Session to their critically acclaimed new album, Such Ferocious Beauty!
From the first notes it was clear this would be an intimate, somewhat haunting display of CJ’s unique combination of folk, blues and rock. In fact, the dark stage and Margo’s hypnotic voice made me feel like I was in a small, sultry club somewhere in New York City on a rainy winter night - quiet, beautiful and reflective. With brother Michael’s incredible guitar work to accompany her, Margo took us through hits such as Common Disaster and the moving Misguided Angel, as well as several songs off the new album, including Knives, Hell is Real, and my new personal favorite, Hard to Build, Easy to Break.
Throughout the show, the sold-out audience listened intently. Cowboy Junkies didn’t need any flashy stage dressing or lighting to help the crowd get into it, they kept it simple and just gave the audience what they came for – great songs to transport them to new places on an otherwise mundane Tuesday night.
In addition to playing great music, Margo and Co. just seem like a cool group you could hang out with: Kind, polite, and very grateful for the audience and what they’ve accomplished over all these years. Add to that a touch of humor as Margo took time out during the show to share a few stories, including one about COVID-era recordings they did in someone’s rundown barn in the middle of Canada whilst trying to drown out the sounds of birds, toads and other assorted wildlife (hopefully that was in summer, because I hear Canada can be a bit cold in the winter).
Margo and the rest of the Cowboy Junkies may have aged a bit over the years (opting for cups of tea rather than what may have been more potent drinks in years’ past), but it was clear they still have a magical connection that enables them to gel as musicians and make some incredible sounds together. Perhaps the best part is Cowboy Junkies are always ready to surprise you. You might get a pop song, you might get some rock, you may get some blues, and you may even get some country. The latter was on full display at the close of the encore when they covered Patsy Cline’s Walking after Midnight.
Thanks, Cowboy Junkies, for bringing your cool vibe to Grass Valley and reminding us that great things, and great bands, really can endure the test of time.