The Jayhawks

Overview

The Jayhawks were definitely swimming against the tide when they emerged from a crowded Minneapolis music scene halfway through the 1980s — a memorable decade that saw the likes of the Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker Du and Prince put Minnesota on the musical map in a big way. Forging a rootsy sound that wasn’t quite rock or country — “Hank Williams on speed” somebody once memorably called it — The Jayhawks quickly turned into one of the most important bands of the post-punk era. Over the course of two decades, several albums, countless memorable live shows and enough personal drama to fill a couple of Behind the Music episodes, this beloved band soared to heights few ever achieve while wining the hearts and minds of numerous critics, fans and peers in the process.  Formed by Mark Olson, Gary Louris, Marc Perlman and Norm Rogers in early 1985, The Jayhawks original members all came from a variety of Minneapolis bands toiling away in the hyperactive local club scene at the time. Prolific and highly motivated, the band amassed a staggering number of original songs in a very short time, culminating with a self-released eponymous debut album in 1986.  Frustrated by the major label rat race, founding member Mark Olson suddenly quit the band in late 1995, shocking fans and fellow band members alike. Olson packed up and headed to the Mojave Desert with his new wife, singer Victoria Williams, to embark on a solo career unencumbered by the restrictions inherent to the corporate music business. Louris and the rest of the band laid low for a while and then surprised nearly everyone by continuing on without Olson while keeping the band name.  After a revelatory acoustic tour in 2003 with the core trio of Louris, Perlman and O’Reagan, the next chapter in The Jayhawks Saga found them retrenching somewhat to the “classic” sound of their earlier albums. Sparingly produced by Ethan Johns, Rainy Day Music was chock full of catchy songs (“Save It For a Rainy Day,” “Tailspin”) that tied together sounds and influences from every chapter of the band’s career. The band — now reduced to a trio, supplemented by touring member Stephen McCarthy, a veteran roots rocker (Long Ryders) and talented multi-instrumentalist — mounted the heaviest touring schedule and promotional blitz of their career, resulting in their highest charting album ever.  Sadly, the momentum couldn’t be sustained and one of the most exciting American bands in recent history quietly went on hiatus in 2004.  Significantly, after years of estrangement, Olson and Louris finally reunited for a couple of well-received tours, followed by Ready For the Flood in 2009, their first full length studio venture together in 15 years.  Even though the door to the future was never officially closed, long time fans were still surprised — and overjoyed — with the news in 2008 that the Tomorrow the Green Grass-era lineup of the band with Mark Olson would be reuniting for some summer festival shows in Europe. The good news kept on coming in 2009 with more reunion shows and the release of the band’s first retrospective, Music From the North Country, a multi-disc collection personally supervised by Louris that featured key tracks from all phases of the bands career, a disc of rarities and a DVD. 2010 saw the long awaited re-release of the bands long out-of-print, highly collectable first album, as well as the launch of a massive reissue project of all the band’s major label albums. During June 2010, the “classic” lineup of the band performed a three night stand at Minneapolis’ legendary First Ave. club, the scene of so many great Jayhawks memories over the last quarter century. In 2011, deluxe editions of the esteemed Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass albums were reissued, followed by Mockingbird Time, the first release of new material by The Jayhawks with Mark Olson in 16 years. From 2009-2012 this version of the band played over 100 shows to large crowds and received numerous rave reviews.  The second phase of The Jayhawks reissue project commenced in June 2014 with the reissue of the Sound of Lies, Smile and Rainy Day Music albums. The Summer of 2014 found most of the 1997 touring lineup (Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Tim O’Reagan, Karen Grotberg and Kraig Johnson) playing some North American festival dates and hitting the road in Europe to get the ball rolling in a concerted effort to reacquaint audiences with these crucial albums. Further North American dates are planned for the fall of 2014 – the first US Jayhawks tour in over two years. 2014 setlists have seen a heavy emphasis on the 1997-2004 era mixed in with selected material from other periods in the band’s long history. The Jayhawks have made music in 4 different decades and are as vital now as they were in 1985. They definitely have earned their reputation as a true American treasure.