It's not a bad way to spend a weekend…shoulder to shoulder with the Rocky Mountains, wandering along the Bow River and playing a bit of music….and that is exactly what we did. We flew to Calgary on Saturday afternoon and then made the short drive down the Trans-Canada to Canmore. This town use to be the place that people settled in if they couldn't afford the prices in Banff. Banff is pretty much full at this point so Canmore, just a few miles away, has taken the overflow….and it ain't cheap anymore. Most of the hippies that hunkered down here in the 70's have long gone, or cut their hair, or invested wisely and have become the town elders. It's hard to imagine a town located in a more beautiful setting, but the rapid expansion has pretty much robbed the place of any claim it once had to quaintness. But man, those mountains and that river, can't be beat.
I got up early on Sunday and Monday and walk the banks of the Bow with my fishing rod in hand. The river was a little blown out so I didn't hold up much hope for an encounter with a Bow River trout. Sure enough I had no luck, but I spent a couple of hours each morning watching the sun rise over the horizon and bounce of the peaks of The Three Sisters….fishing is not always about whether you catch something (actually, it rarely is…).
We were in Canmore to play the local folk festival. This country is chalk-a-blok full of folk festivals during the summer and Alberta probably leads the pack. These are always weird events for us, they can be fun to play because they are so surreal at times and you occasionally get to catch up with a touring friend or two. But they are generally about compromises, because like most outdoor festivals, you rarely find yourself in an environment that you can control and so much of one's show is spent battling the sound and rented gear and an audience that has been overwhelmed with music or who isn't generally interested in the music you make. This was pretty much our experience in Canmore. We were treated great and we had a not bad, not great show…..but man, those mountains and that river…..
This isn't much like a tour, except for the driving and waiting around and hit-and-miss meal quality and strange beds….other than that it's kind of like going for a long drive (everyday) to a friends cottage. These five shows are in the heart and on the edges of Ontario's Cottage Country, the place where Torontonians run away to in the summer, to escape the heat and road closures. Actually, Summer is the best time to be in Toronto, but its not so crappy up here either, among the lakes and rocks and wind swept pines.
Day 1 was in Huntsville about two hours straight north of Toronto. This town is pretty much Cottage Country Central, all cottage roads radiate from here. It's a beautiful part of the province and a highly sought out area for cottage goers….hundreds of pristine lakes dug out of the Canadian Shield, a postcard view everywhere you look. It was a nice little theater and a good size crowd tonight…a little sedate on both sides of the stage but we all settled in as the set progressed.
Day 2 we were in Midland which is a blue collar town on the shores of the Georgian Bay. The Georgian Bay is one of those bodies of water that is too overwhelmingly spectacular for our limited minds and imaginations to properly process. It's a body of water that can lull you with its beauty and then turn around and kill you with its fury. It was a small crowd at the Midland Community Center tonight, but it was well fueled and ready for a good night out. We had an excellent show.
On Day 3 we traveled further along the shore of the Georgian Bay to the beautiful little town of Meaford Ontario. We've actually played this venue before and we had a sold out theater tonight. A good day and a good show in front of an appreciative crowd.
After the Meaford show we headed to our hotel, back down the same road that we had traveled earlier that day to cut off a bit of the next days drive. We drove through some intense thunder storms and a great lightning show. The next morning we headed north to Mattawa which lies about 5 hours north of Toronto on top of Algonquin Park. It's a small town that served a large purpose in the building of this part of the country. It's here where the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers meet and its on these waters that the early explorers traveled to access the interior of the country (a route established long ago by the original locals). It also has a special significance to the Timmins family. It was to Mattawa that our great, great grandfather traveled with his family, in the middle of the 1800's, to establish a homestead, the first “white” settlers in this area. He quickly set up shop beside the Hudson Bay fort and built a hotel, restaurant and bar and probably other establishments that went hand in hand with hotels and bars in frontier towns. It's no wonder that I feel such a kinship with the saloon owner Al Swearengen in the TV show Deadwood. We were taken around the town by Laurier Therien, a local historian and genealogist, and shown the spots where our family took root in this country…very, very, very cool. We are very appreciative to Laurier for taking the time to show us around. The concert was part of a weekend long outdoor festival, set on a beautiful point overlooking the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers. A spectacular location for a show.
I've been fishing wherever and whenever possible for the last few days, but with no luck. I headed out after the show in Mattawa and set up on the river bank while the sun went down. On my first or second cast, while I was arranging myself on the bank and not really paying attention, I got one of the largest strikes that I have ever felt. Before I could react the fish was gone and so was my lure, it was probably one of those massive pikes that are relatively common in those rivers….after that there wasn't even a nibble.
The last show in this mini-run through the province was in Peterborough, which is a big smalltown, ninety minutes north-east of Toronto. Peterborough lies well outside of Cottage Country, but sits at the edge of the Kawarthas which is another beautiful part of the province to which people form Toronto, Kingston and Ottawa escape from their “real” lives. This was another outdoor show, a free concert-series that runs throughout the summer. The day was filled with intermittent and nasty rain showers, but it cleared up in time for the concert and didn't seem to keep too many people away. It was a good show, as far as these types of shows are concerned.
This weekend we fly west for a one-off festival appearance just outside of Calgary in Canmore, Alberta and then we are back for a couple of more one-offs in Ontario which will finish up the summer (hard to believe that it's half over).
Stay tuned…keep safe…go out and enjoy some live music.
San Francisico has always been one of my favourite cities in North America. It's an extreme city, intense, truly urban. There is a lot of wealth here and there is also a lot of human tragedy and it all plays out on the streets. The street life here reminds me of NYC back in the late 1970's. It's a city where you always have to be slightly on guard and be aware of what's coming at you half way up the block; a city where the locals know which streets to avoid as a matter of course. Intense and vibrant.
We flew in here yesterday. Pete and John drove the gear. We all left LA at about the same time and seven hours later we all arrived at the hotel at the same time, which tells you a lot about the speed of commuter air travel these days. Jared, Pete, John and I found a hole in the wall Indian restaurant and had one of the best meals of the tour. We played the Great American Music Hall tonight. Its one of the few legendary halls left in the US. It's always a thrill to stand on a stage where Duke Ellington once stood. We had an amazing night tonight. The audience let us know from the second we took the stage that they were not about to let us get away with anything but an intense, focused, creative effort…and so we gave it to them. So. Much. FUN!
Yesterday the world champs, Spain, lost and were eliminated by a very strong Chile. Today we watched England go down to the mighty foot of the Uruguayan striker Suarez….which essentially eliminates England from the tournament.
June 20th
This morning we drove two hours North and in to the interior to Grass Valley. We came through here about 18 months ago when we were in the area to play the Hardly, Strictly Blue Grass Festival in San Francisco. It's a cool little town that has a gold rush history. The town still has a hint of its gold rush roots, you kind of feel like you should be wearing your six-shooter while walking down main-street…although I suppose that wearing ones six-shooter while walking down main-street isn't such a relic of the past as one would hope it had become. In any event, this small peaceful, hippy enclave was a nice respite from the intensity of San Francisco. We had another very good show in front of another very good audience….I suppose I should be getting jaded about all these good audiences and the quality of our performances, but I never take that kind of stuff for granted…it's like a baseball team when the offense is hot, you ride the streak as long as you can and you keep your fingers crossed.
We watched a listless Italian side get beat 1- 0 by an inspired Costa Rica team and the French continue their rampage through the first round by beating the Swiss 5 – 2.
June 21st
Before we left the hotel this morning we watched Messi put his Argentinian squad on his back and score the only goal of the match, with one minute remaining, to give the Argentinians a ticket to the next round. In the car we listened to the Netherlands vs Ghana match as we made the trek back to the San Fran area, to Berkeley. Soccer is definitely not the best sport to listen to on the radio (maybe the worst), but we got a sense of the game. It was a boring first half and then all hell broke loose: four goals in less than fifteen minutes and the game ended in a 2 -2 draw. This sets up a dramatic game for the US tomorrow against Portugal. If they win they will win their Group and move forward in to the elimination round. Sunday will be a busy day in the bars of the USA. We were at the Freight And Salvage tonight in downtown Berkeley, home of all things Left in America…at least that is its rep, I'm not sure what comprises the Left Wing in America anymore or whether those kinds of definitions are even relevant. In any case it was a very nice room, very airy and comfortable with a very good PA. We kept the good vibes rolling forward and had another excellent night in front of another excellent audience. We are absolutely exhausted but the audience infused us with enough energy to come through with another good show.
This has been an excellent tour. We fly home tomorrow with a great sense of satisfaction and a little money in our pocket (which is the ultimate combination when it comes to touring). A huge thank you to all of you that made the effort and paid your hard earned dollars to come to a show and especially to those of you that took in multiple shows (special commendation to Jason, Chris, Terry and Stephen who took in them all)….we truly appreciate it. We have a few shows throughout the summer and then we plan to take several months off the road. During that time we'll start working on a new album as well as few one-off recording projects. Please keep in touch through the website and through our Facebook page, that's where we'll be hanging out, drop in and say hello.
Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).
by Jason Lent
The last day of the tour began in Grass Valley with one last trip to the record store to dig for vinyl after watching Messi create a miracle in stoppage time. Arriving in Berkeley later in the day, we were limited to exploring the streets around the venue. Downtown resembles most college with unlimited cheap eats from $1 ice cream scoops to countless Indian, Pakistani, Greek, and pizza spots. It didn't take much walking to figure out that Berkeley is adamant about establishing itself outside of the mainstream world. Counter culture is the culture. On the busiest corner, the religiously zealous performed music loudly as the panhandlers and homeless walked slowly by.
Freight & Salvage has an established history in this town and the staff could not have been more accommodating. There was a relaxed but organized attitude to the entire place that made for a peaceful final day on the road. As the Nomad set kicked off, the acoustics of the room sounded a little overwhelmed by the louder songs but "Fairytale" and "Renmin Park" were exquisite. The audience was polite and reserved which is a mixed bag on the last night of a tour. The insane energy of San Francisco was not to be found on this night but the band didn't let it hamper the second Trinity Session performance in three nights. After the show, Margo came out to say goodbye to the fans, more than a few who made multiple shows on this California run. The boys packed up the van as I headed for one last Holiday Inn Express near San Francisco airport.
The end of the tour seems so far away when you arrive for the first show and then suddenly, it's over. I've been through California often and I'm always blessed with great traveling companions, excellent weather, and beautiful concerts. I've never seen a day on the road with Cowboy Junkies where the band didn't take time out of their work to say hi to fans or work on a song request that holds special meaning to one fan. It's those actions that give the band special meaning to those of us who have followed their journey back and forth across North America. Thank you Mike, Margo, Pete, Al, Jeff, Jared, Ed, Farnes and everyone who came out to a show for another great tour. In the words of Vic, I will see you around.
Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).
by Jason Lent
Winding into the valley of grass, the intensity of San Francisco and before that, Los Angeles, finally began to dissipate and we could relax. The never ending expense of parking a vehicle in San Francisco was exchanged for a historic mining town with a single stop light downtown. A warm sun and well stocked record and book stores made Grass Valley the most enjoyable day of this tour. There's not much to do in Grass Valley but I'd love to have more time here to not do much.
The venue was the standard small town arts center, cozy with an excellent sound system and lacking a bit in personality. It feels fairly new so hopefully it will age gracefully. The town deserves it. The show sold out and those in attendance came out to hear a lot more than "Sweet Jane". The Nomad set included the first appearance of the razor sharp "Ladle' and the band was locked into the material. The band has taken quite a few requests on tour but tonight was truly epic for a long time fan. The second set opened with "Crescent Moon" and included a sinister "Floorboard Blues" and an aching "Spiral Down". The little arts center turned into a Texas roadhouse as Mike channeled Lightnin' Hopkins on "32-20 Blues" and "Shining Moon". Even "Sweet Jane" transformed itself on this evening as Mike and Jeff fell back in the final verse and Margo sang over only the bass line. It was a subtle addition of space that breathed new color into the song on this tour.
Throughout this tour, I've been finding new meanings in a lot of the music that only time can reveal. The song that converted me into a Springsteen fan and my favorite American rock and roll song ever written is "Thunder Road". As Margo sang the opening line in Grass Valley, the song opened itself up to me in a new way. We ain't that young anymore but there's still magic in the night rang more true than ever. Nothing last forever and there's a finite amount of Cowboy Junkies left in this world. Hearing Margo sing "Thunder Road" tonight was a powerful reminder that I need to be at as many as those magic nights as possible.
Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).
by Jason Lent
With a day off, we slowly made our way up to the city by the bay. I've been coming here for many years and there's an excitement about the city that you feel as soon as you cross the bridge. Back in college when money was tight, a fan on the band's website offered me a couch to crash on after a show despite having never met me. Thanks to him, my adventures following the band from town to town became a reality.
After a late night closing down the same hole in the wall dive bar we found on last year's Junkies tour, show day started with a walk down to Fisherman's Wharf where we watched Suarez dissect a slow defense and push England to the edge of elimination. The Wharf has grown into another nondescript hub of American vacationing with a multitude of chain restaurants and food stands offering ice cream and fried everything. A mile away but a world apart, Great American Music Hall sits in a crumbling area of the city that seems to be slipping further and further away from the souvenir stores and donut stands on the Wharf. After sound check, I went to meet Chris and Stephen in the bar next door and walked in to find a pit bull wandering around having just left a puddle near the pool table and a troubled soul being thrown out by some of the regular drunks. Trouble was brewing and we dared not stay much longer.
The Great American Music Hall is an absolute gem and there was an energy in the room even before the show started. Built in 1907, the classically designed hall with beautiful mirrors and ornate molding adds to the atmosphere on stage. The lighting design was the best I've seen at a Junkies show and it added to the mystery of the music as Margo stepped forward to sing "Mining for Gold". The Trinity Session was recorded live and represented a moment in time that can never be replicated. It was special. Tonight, the band created another special moment in time with stunning versions of the same songs in front of an audience that could not have been more in tune with what it all meant. The excitement boiled over during the encore as the band cut loose and the audience roared in appreciation. On these trips, our little caravan of fans rotate who takes the floor of the hotel room (Holiday Inn Express seems to be sponsoring our vacation) and there's always that one show that makes those nights on the floor worth it. Tonight, the band and audience delivered that show together.
Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).
by Jason Lent
The alarm went off at 4:30am in Las Vegas and I was headed to the airport for a 7am flight to Long Beach in my own personal Groundhog Day. It was the exact same morning I had last week when I headed for the Agoura Hills show. Landing in Long Beach, I met up with West Coast tour mainstays Chris and Stephen and we ran, literally, to an Amtrak train that hugged the ocean all the way down to Solana Beach. This was my second visit to Solana Beach and The Belly Up for a show and I'm not sure I have any better idea of where I am in California. The expensive homes on the cliffs, the beautiful people, and an endless selection of specialty boutiques seem to stretch from San Diego up to Los Angeles. It's a bit disorientating at times but its also a relaxing sliver of the world with a steady ocean breeze. Football fever was high this afternoon as the local pub fill with red, white, and blue and the Americans scrambled to a promising victory.
The Belly Up is a funky little rock club with an efficient staff and a giant shark hanging above the bar. After two shows in odd dinner theater rooms, The Belly Up was a welcome sight with enthusiastic fans crammed around a small stage. The Nomad set opened with three beautiful Vic covers to set the mood as Margo continues to wrench more and more emotion from Vic's magical words. The second half of the night simply soared from the first chord of "Notes Falling Slow" to Mike and Jeff digging up ghosts on "Me and the Devil Blues". Margo's voice powered through their fuzzy din as smiles darted back and forth between the musicians.
"Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning" made a welcome return and I was struck by the grace in Margo's delivery. Years pass, music evolves, lives change, and we know a little more than we used to. All of that comes through when she sings the older material. On stage, she looks the same as she did when I first saw them in the early 90's but a simple line like "No milk, god how I hate that" comes through with multiple layers of meaning that only time can teach us. The integrity of the music and how it is presented has been a calling card of the band from its inception and the reward for that consistency is beautiful shows like tonight. Loose and fun, Solana Beach made that early morning cab ride to the Vegas airport a distant memory.
I'm not sure what it is about Southern California, but I anticipate this part of any tour itinerary more than most. I think its because I've yet to figure out what Southern California is…a paradise by the sea or a glimpse in to the decline? Every time I'm here I can smell the rot, but I can also smell the sea and the blooming Jacaranda trees…what is it about this concrete encampment that is so enticing? I love it I hate it I love it I hate it daughter sister daughter sister (a Chinatown reference for those of you not up on your American Film Classics)….Our visits here are always fun and weird…two important ingredients of any successful tour. And the audiences play against type and are attentive, demonstrative and usually show up in large numbers….another important ingredient….and you can't beat the weather.
We started in Agoura Hills, an area where we haven't spent much time, about 50 miles up the highway from The Staples Center. Because of the time difference Jared, Jeff, Pete and I woke up early and went for a drive. We found a couple of beaches and a vista or two to gaze upon. This part of the region still has some natural beauty, but you can feel it being pinched. We played a venue we've never played and had a respectably sized audience who were keen and energetic. They allowed us to work through some first gig jitters and kept us buoyed with their energy. A nice start.
San Juan Capistrano, CA
Its when you finally make it south of the Staples Centers, that humanity in all our Glory (yes, that means you too) have really put our stamp on the territory. Lots of concrete, highways, foundations…the blunt force of human presence. If you were to arrive here as an alien anthropologist you would probably assume that the car was the dominant species….because it is. Mile upon mile of concrete infrastructure all to the service of the automobile. It's not that I'm not use to traffic (my beloved city of Toronto is choking itself to death with its traffic) it's the scale of it down here that is stupefying.
We played the Coach House tonight. This club was an early home of ours when we first started coming to Southern California. We have always had great crowds here and tonight was no different. It would be good if the club could spend a bit of money on upgrading their PA system…their patrons deserve it. We had a great night. Backstage, we watched the Kings lift the Cup on an old vacuum-tube TV (remember those?)…and then we had a very good night on stage, helped along by an excellent audience.
The 2014 World Cup kicked off to coincide with the tours kickoff (I'm pretty sure FIFA planned it that way). We watched the opening game in our Agoura Hills hotel lobby. It looked like someone had paid someone to make sure that the host country, Brazil, won in a convincing manner…I figure that all one needs to do is buy a ref and a goalie to influence the outcome of a soccer game. As we waited for our rooms in San Juan Capistrano we went to a local bar and watched 2010 finalists, Denmark, work out four years of pent up rage as they dismantled the 2010 victors, Spain. It has been a great start to the tournament with lots of goals and lead changes. I've decided to adopt Argentina as my team. I'd like to see Messi ascend to the pantheon of soccer greats and the only way he will ever be allowed entrance is if he brings home a world cup. Game on.
Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).
by Jason Lent
#CJCaliTour
It's a familiar feeling after all these years. Waking up at 4am to catch a flight, reconvene with old friends, and head out for a Cowboy Junkies show in a new town. As the years pile up, the yearning for an afternoon nap grows stronger. But today was the kickoff of the World Cup so reaching Agoura Hills early enough to find a pub was the order of the day. Settled into a bar in one of the many strip malls that make up Agoura Hills, we watched the ref take down Croatia and preserve peace in the host country.
The venue sat in a strip mall full of antique shops where one man's trash now retailed for $500. I never saw a home driving around the city but one has to believe there are some beautiful estates nestled somewhere up in the surrounding hills. The band spent the afternoon shaking off the dust in sound check as family and friends came and went including sister Cali Timmins who appeared in the video "Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning" a few years back. It brought back fond memories of the band's emergence in the late 80's when I fell for the music, a feeling that has yet to waver.
Doors were at 6pm so we dutifully arrived at 6pm (for a 9pm show) as the many housewives of Agoura Hills began to fill the tables near the stage. The venue charges extra to reserve a table and then requires you to purchase a pricey dinner once sat. If cheap is how you feel, you can stand in the back or sit in a few rows of chairs to the side of the stage with a pole cutting the view into two. It allowed the west coast fans of tours past to seek each other out and reconnect as we wandered around the eclectic road house decorated with House of Blues leftovers.
When the band took the stage, the set offered some wonderful surprises including a stunning take on "Spiral Down". As Margo sang about the slipping away of life, two young boys shot pool in a small room adjacent to the stage. Somewhere between the waning moments of life in "Spiral Down" and the innocent hope of being a ten year old playing pool sits the rest of us. As these tours pile up, I feel myself inching further and further away from that pool table and I'm reminded to cherish every step of the journey. The band played the rarely heard "Rock And Bird" in the middle of the set and I was full of joy that can only be felt when your favorite band plays a deep cut that you've waited a lifetime to hear. Moments like that are why you leave your bed at 4am and head out in search of the next show.
We have had three days of clear blue skies. The temperature hasn't risen all that much, but the sun feels a smidge warmer, I have spotted an occasional dripping icicle and the other day I came upon a bunch of robins pecking and bob-bob-bobbing along…so change is in the air. Spring can not be far behind (at least that is what we keep telling ourselves). If we had put our marketing caps on before we began this leg, we would have printed up a bunch of “F@%K, I Hate The Cold” t-shirts for this run of dates. It has been the unofficial anthem and we have opened every show with it….it's our way of helping to chase away those winter blues.
Along with enjoying the sun we have also been enjoying the towns we've been in for the past few days. Ridgefield is one of those Connecticut postcard towns, with sprawling 18th century homes and a pedigree that stretches back to before the Revolutionary War. It's about as archetypical New England as these places come. Our venue in this town is the Ridgefield Playhouse, which we have played a few times over the past ten years or so. Its a good sounding little theater with a nice sized stage and a good crew. We did a Trinity show tonight. I thought we were a little sleepy, not quite clicking on all cylinders, maybe it was a hangover from three days in NYC.
We spent Friday at one of our favourite places: the Stone Mountain Art Center. This is a beautiful little venue nestled in the Maine woods just across the border from North Conway, NH. It is owned and run by Carol Noonan an ex-touring musician, who knows what its like to be on the road. She understands that providing the most basic things, like decent food and a comfortable clean backstage area, can make all the difference in a bands day and therefore in their mood and ultimately in their performance. Carol and her staff take that extra step to make every band that comes through her venue feel special. We had a great day and an excellent show in front of an excited full house.
Today we are in Great Barrington, MA. A very vibrant little town, nestled in the Berkshires…and today it definitely feels like Spring…I think we may have broken Winter's back. It's also the last day of the tour. We played here for the first time about four years ago and have been excited about getting back here ever since. Another very nice theatre and another excellent crowd, we gave them the last few drops of energy that we have left. It was a very good show, our tenth in eleven days.
We have a light touring schedule ahead of us for the coming year. It's time to pull back a bit and see where the post Nomad phase takes us. We'll be doing a short run in Southern California in June and then a few scattered dates throughout Ontario in the summer. We hope to see you out there, but if not, please keep in touch through the website or Facebook….pray for Spring…we'll see you soon.
