There’s a Cowboy Junkies memory I’ve never been able to erase from my mind: I often think back to the time I heard Margo Timmins sing “Thirty Summers” at The Pageant in the summer of 2001. I have the bootleg somewhere in my house, and sure, it helps recreate the moment, at least sonically. But, … Read more
Check out songs 100-76. And keep up with the list on Spotify here. 75 The Kill Van Kulls – Lost and Found [buy the single] [more Kill Van Kulls on Speakers] 74 WILD FLAG – Boom [buy the album] [more WILD FLAG on Speakers] 73 Noah and the Whale – L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. [buy the album] 72 Gauntlet Hair … Read more
I’m big on the idea of doubt Yeah, I’m big on the idea of doubt Now this is what I really love from Cowboy Junkies. When they turn it up and give us dirty rock and blues, sort of like a mix between Open and Whites Off Earth Now!!. I like it when Margo Timmins … Read more
Welp, it’s 2011. And today, we’re proud to say, we’re celebrating our first birthday. It’s been a very fun year for us at Speakers in Code, but we’re extremely excited about what’s in store – musically, especially – for 2011. Here are the 25 upcoming albums we’re, like, totally psyched about, coming your way in … Read more
Photo Credit: Chris Lay Waiting for Grace Potter isn’t all that bad. For some artists, that isn’t the case. In 2001, I waited a good 90 minutes for Lucinda Williams to show up at The Pageant, and the same album — Cowboy Junkies’ Open — played over the PA twice. A great, dark album, but … Read more
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Margo Timmins a few times, but there was one conversation that really stood out. It was a few years ago, at The Sheldon in Saint Louis. She and the Cowboy Junkies had just finished their sold-out show. They had played most of Trinity Session, and even covered Neil Young’s … Read more
That, my friends, must be the saddest album cover of 2012. And Glen Hansard: I love you, man, but you’re a sad bastard. And so am I. But let me clarify: sad music makes me happy. I have heard your calls to not listen to sad music when I am down. But I ask you … Read more
Some wounds will never heal loneliness becomes an expectation but you’re stretched there by my side and you whisper those foolish incantations I’m quite excited to tell you this: The Wilderness, Cowboy Junkies’ new album to be released on March 27th (pre-order here), and the last offering in their four-volume Nomad Series, is one of … Read more
Will I make you confess it? Or will I leave it alone? And if it consoles you, will I take it away? Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies are finally nearing the end of their Nomad Series, the final offering being the fourth volume, The Wilderness, which drops on March 27. They’ll be performing in Saint Louis at … Read more
I’m not very good at comparing artists with other artists, or creating new genres like shoegaze-art-rock-hippie-angst-folk, so I won’t start now. But Nashville singer-songwriters Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup, the duo who perform as Sugar & The Hi Lows, do deserve to be called something, and it ain’t country. It’s not pop, either. But you … Read more
There they go like shadows, darlingbetween this world and thatnever knowing where the light will shinebut I can tell you one thing, sweetheartwe share a place in timenothing more is needed ’cause you’re mine It’s been four years since Cowboy Junkies played a show in Saint Louis, the last being on 3/26/08 at the Sheldon, … Read more
It’s been three years since the Cowboy Junkies gave us a new studio album (their last was the fabulous At the End of Paths Taken). And it appears they are going to make up for lost time in 2010 with the upcoming release of four albums worth of music, according to the band’s post on … Read more
All photos by Chris Lay Last night at The Sheldon in Saint Louis, Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies played a full two sets (plus encore) that included selections off their recent Nomad Series, The Caution Horses’ “Witches,” Miles From Our Home’s “Those Final Feet,” and covers of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” and Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It … Read more
Cowboy Junkies have released a boxed set called Notes Falling Slow, and it contains three remastered studio albums, Open, One Soul Now, At The End Of Paths Taken, and “a fourth disc that contains newly recorded songs that were written during the making of the three albums.” You can find more information about it here. … Read more
Artwork credit: Alyssa Shapkoff Today, we continue on with paragraphical odes to our favorite albums of 2010. To see the entire list so far, go here! Best Coast | Crazy For You (Mexican Summer) [buy] Surf. Garage. Indie. Motown. ’50s pop. Grunge. Lo-fi. Fuzz. Doo-wop. Roll up all of these genres together in equal portions, … Read more
Margo Timmins may be the voice of Cowboy Junkies, but it’s her brother, Mike, who writes the words she sings. I’m sure you know that if you follow the band. But, I feel this increasing need to always point it out, only because of how important of a songwriter I believe Mike Timmins is. He’s … Read more
There are some days when I’m pretty sure the Cowboy Junkies are my favorite band. Whether or not that’s true — it depends on my mood, or if it’s raining outside (they ARE my favorite Canadian band) — I do know that I would gladly drive hundreds of miles to see one of their shows. … Read more
I could list thousands of reasons why I love Cowboy Junkies: their wonderful live show, Michael Timmins’ lyrics, Margo Timmins’ voice, their ability to challenge me with every album, etc. If you don’t consider Neil Young a band, then they are, unequivocally, my favorite Canadian band. And sometimes, you get a great little pop song … Read more
Cowboy Junkies, those generous Canadians. Yup, you can hear their album, Renmin Park, for free on their website (or just listen below). And judging from a few listens, this is an interesting and wonderful collection of songs, which are mostly influenced by lead songwriter Michael Timmins’ experiences in China. Spend some time with it before … Read more
Singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier isn’t afraid to write about any subject, even when it means writing bout her adopted and wandering past. Her new album, The Foundling, was released on May 18th, and it’s an autobiographical journey that talks about Gauthier’s search for her birth mother. Gauthier explains that “when I was 45 years old, I … Read more
“Sad songs, they make me happy,” Margo Timmins said midway through Cowboy Junkies’ set on Wednesday night, one of her many references to sad songs throughout a performance that featured Junkies favorites like “Misguided Angel” and Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane.” If you’ve been to a Junkies show, you know it can often go one of … Read more
Cowboy Junkies’ music has been a big part of my life now for almost 10 years. While some of my friends shrug them off as being a band who play simply some sad songs, I hear a lot more. Sure, there’s darkness. But there is a lot of light, too. The truth is, the words … Read more