Maria McKee & The Jayhawks - Precious Time - Live 1993

 #Maria McKee #The Jayhawks #alternative rock #alt-country #folk rock #roots rock #singer-songwriter #1990s #ex-Lone Justice #music video

Maria McKee – You Gotta Sin To Get Saved Tour 1993
November 21st 1993 – Leicester University
I had no interest in the support band on this day. This gig had been a long time coming. I’m fairly sure I went on my own to this one, as I don’t recall anyone else being interested in the singer of “Show Me Heaven” from the Tom Cruise film “Days of Thunder”. That wasn’t why I was there, good job too, because in the true spirit of rebel rock and roll, she didn’t play it anyway - in fact, she very rarely plays it at live gigs as the audience is not demanding of it’s playing and doesn’t really fit with her music generally. No – we had unfinished business here. I was a big fan of her band, Lone Justice and had been so looking forward to seeing them supporting U2 back in 1987. Things didn’t go to plan that day, due to Wembley’s inability to open gates on time and get us into the stadium in time for the first band, which Lone Justice were. So we only caught a couple of tracks that day. Unfortunately, Lone Justice also split up later in 1987, so this would be a new band, but Maria was the leader, so this was still a very good thing. Much as I love a good male singer in a band, I do have a penchant for a brash, full on female singer, who mixes passion, anger and softness into their music and Maria Mckee is probably the greatest of these (Listen to the albums and live music before you try and debate this with me). Obviously a few years had passed since the brash 18 year gave us the superb country/rock and roll debut album “Lone Justice” and then later the classic album “Shelter”.
I was looking forward to seeing this loud, confident, talented, maybe arrogant LA Girl coming strutting on stage, but she just walked on with her band, waved and spoke really quietly and politely thanking us all for coming and hoped we enjoyed the show. Well, no need to worry, first song was the powerful Lone Justice song “East of Eden” so the quiet Maria immediately turned into the stage persona I’d been expecting - brilliant start! What you get with Maria McKee is a great voice, with a mix of anger, passion, melody and fun behind it. I hate comparing singers, so I will: Maria is a strong Dolly Parton type singer with that strong edge of the anger and passion coming through. A mix of Country, Blues, Rock and Gospel - a great mix! Reckon this could be called Country Punk (my own genre). I love small venue concerts and the Uni is the perfect venue for this sound. We get “Shelter” during the set, but sadly, no “I Found Love”. Things slowed down for “Panic Beach” and the start of cover of Patti Smith’s “Free Money” (I’d never heard this before), but the beat gets strong towards the end and a brilliant MC5 cover of “Sister Anne”
Fact: Maria McKee wrote the hit song “A Good Heart” when she was 18 which, became a hit single for Feargal Sharkey - true! The brilliantly titled “Soap, Soup and Salvation” off the first album is so full of energy you can’t help but dance! You need to hear that too! A mesmerising concert from a band of exceptionally talented musicians. The mix of country, blues, rock and roll was brilliant, maybe even a little bluegrass in there too. The stage energy from the whole band turned it into more of a dancehall than a gig. On my top ten gig list.  From: https://fanclubyears.home.blog/1993/11/21/maria-mckee-you-gotta-sin-to-get-saved-tour-1993/

The Jayhawks - Nothing Left To Borrow

#The Jayhawks #Gary Louris #Mark Olson #alternative rock #country rock #alt-country #folk rock #Americana #roots rock #1990s

Led by the gifted songwriting, impeccable playing, and honeyed harmonies of vocalists/guitarists Mark Olson and Gary Louris, the Jayhawks' shimmering blend of country, folk, and bar band rock made them one of the most widely acclaimed artists to emerge from the 1980s alternative country scene.  From: https://www.iheart.com/artist/the-jayhawks-56757/

Occasionally, just occasionally, an album lies dormant in my collection waiting to be rediscovered. More likely, as my albums increase to ever more unmanageable levels, I won't have the time to devote to each to really appreciate the depth of the music and quality of the songs involved. Even after replaying Tomorrow The Green Grass by The Jayhawks I still don't think I've fully grasped how good this really is. The problem is there's nothing too prominent. Instead there is a sparse but beautiful feel which, after giving the album a dozen listens, may fall into place but, life is proving so busy and there's so much I want to listen to, I might never realize what I have. Indeed one of the liner notes states "these songs aren't as simple as they might seem at first glance" and that is bang on the money. Tomorrow The Green Grass is one of those rare albums that proves equally rewarding as mere background music or as something to dive right into and explore its dark corners and insightful nooks and crannies.
Playing harmonic country rock which can be traced all the way back to The Byrds, The Jayhawks strength is their strong song-writing as opposed to the trendy posturing of the day. In effect, this is loud folk music that weaves a tapestry of heartache and whimsy, innocence and angst – it could never be accused of being groundbreaking but the band takes pleasure in taking something familiar and performing it really, really well. The vocal harmonies of Gary Louris and Mark Olsen, whose final album with the band this would be, are an absolute joy. There is something of The Everly Brothers in there but it's more of an amalgam of different vocal styles: The Byrds, The Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, there's even something of Tom Petty in the mix and "Bad Time" boasts Beatlelesque vocal harmonies which include a contribution from Sharleen Spiteri taking time out from her band Texas. The best tracks on Tomorrow The Green Grass are some of the best the whole of the alt country genre has to offer. "Blue", "Two Hearts", "Bad Time", "Over My Shoulder" and "Nothing Left To Borrow" are all lovely in their simplicity and breathtaking in their execution.  From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-jayhawks/tomorrow-the-green-grass/

The Jayhawks - Save It For A Rainy Day

 #The Jayhawks #Gary Louris #Mark Olson #alternative rock #country rock #alt-country #folk rock #Americana #roots rock #1990s

I once heard The Jayhawks described as the “greatest Lutheran bar band ever,” and though I’m still not exactly sure what that means, I know I like it. It’s certainly better than the “alt-country pioneers” label they normally get saddled with. Or worse, heirs of Gram Parsons’ “cosmic American music” legacy. (Which is not a knock on Gram in any way, just on the flaky non-genre he coined). My own description would be: jangly God-haunted Midwestern country-folk with fuzz guitars and harmonies that essentially define the phrase “sandpaper-and-honey.” But even that doesn’t cover the oddly circular progression they’ve undergone, from breezy singer-songwriters to arty and somewhat angsty recordmakers, and back again. Regardless of how they’re categorized, The Jayhawks are an American treasure, responsible for at least four brilliant albums, two of which feature co-founder/-lead singer Mark Olson (Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass), two of which don’t (Sound of Lies and Rainy Day Music are exclusively Gary Louris-led affairs).  From: https://mbird.com/music/weds-morning-jayhawks-mark-olsons-still/