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There's a lot of the Canadian stance that I really dislike, the holier-than-thou stance where we stand back and say, 'Oh, America,' but the next day we make our living off of trading with or touring through the United States. We realize the value of the United States.
-Michael Timmins
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"It doesn't get mentioned very often," shrugs Timmins. "The most obvious influence is Neil Young, from a very early age. Then I began to listen to a lot of blues players. Someone like Lightnin' Hopkins made me realize the power of playing a single note, the right note at the right time, and striking it the right way. Lightnin' to me was that sort of guy. Even John Lee Hooker is similar in a way, just the way he used tone to enunciate and drive points home. For a while, I was into more outside stuff. I listened to a lot of jazz, some Charlie Christian stuff, and I really got into James Blood Ulmer for a long time, just the way he completely reconstructed the guitar."
Cowboy Junkies |
The band maintains a steady touring schedule that has already yielded three great live albums and several concert DVDs, including the brand new Long Journey Home – Live In Liverpool, which includes a wildly revamped "Sweet Jane" as well as heartfelt renditions of staples like "200 More Miles" and "1000 Year Prayer" alongside scary good versions of Neil Young's "Helpless" and Robert Johnson's "32-20." Alongside the main quartet are long time partners in crime Jaro Czerwinec (accordion) and the multi-talented Jeff Bird (mandolin, harmonica, percussion), both now integral parts of their sound after years of adding flesh to these bones. The cameras crawl on stage with them for an intimate yet palpably powerful performance. The Junkies have always been a stirring live act, but over the years, they've developed into a real monster. From the first candle-lit show I caught on the Trinity Sessions tour in Santa Cruz through the church-like settings, outdoor gigs, and raucous halls they've played, every one of the eight concerts I've seen has never been anything less than fantastic. They are masters of tightly controlled energy, constantly mixing things up and always treating their audience with gratitude and genuine humility. It is a very winning combination.
Cowboy Junkies |
It's been a good number of years since the band was last on a major label, instead choosing to release their work independently on their own Latent Recordings. "We make our records and put them out and tour. No matter what's happening in the industry, we just sort of do our thing," offers Timmins. It is very much a family affair, which suits them fine. "At this point, it's actually helped us because we've been able to go through differences and get over things quicker. The business side of things has gone up and down, but it's kind of been irrelevant to us in some ways."
As the primary songwriter, I wondered if Michael Timmins ever struggles with the fact that Margo, a female voice, is the conduit for his tales.
"I just write for myself and hope that it translates once Margo gets a hold of it. And that's never been a problem," says Timmins. "The only time it ever becomes an issue is when I'm writing a narrative and there's a male or female character, and even then it doesn't really matter. There are a lot of songs I've written where the character's been male and we kept it as a male because it made more sense. Sometimes when it came down to it, we've flipped it so the character is female, and that made the story more interesting in a way. To me, it doesn't really matter whether it's coming from a female or a male perspective, it should still have an impact. Ultimately, despite all the things that are different between men and women, when you get down to the core of it, we're all the same. We realize we're not alone out there, and that's really what the songs all come down to."
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