Back in '88 my mom bought the Cowboy Junkies' second CD, The Trinity Session. The album remained in rotation as I grew up, lead singer Margo Timmons' beautiful, melancholy vocals occasionally serving as the soundtrack to my mom's cooking. I never asked her about the band, but their songs stuck with me. That's why when I heard the Junkies were coming to Charlottesville, I was eager for an interview. Honestly, I had no idea the band responsible for the musical-kitchen accompaniment of my youth was still recording and touring.
I regaled Junkies' bassist Alan Anton with this story at the start of our interview, confident he would get a kick out of the idea that some 20-something college kid grew up with his music.
"We get the mom thing a lot," Anton assured me.
As I had researched the history of the band, I really shouldn't have been surprised. My position is most likely indicative of Junkies awareness amongst many from my generation. Though the Junkies maintain a dedicated following today, they are still best known by most for their '88 hit, The Trinity Session, and particularly its single, "Sweet Jane." A cover of the Velvet Underground song by the same name, "Sweet Jane" was featured on the soundtrack of Natural Born Killers. If children of the 90s know of the Junkies, it's most likely thanks to Trinity Session.
Still, if you haven't heard of the Junkies, it's likely you've heard of the artists they've influenced: names like Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt. These three are particularly worth noting, as all of them recently collaborated with the Junkies on a re-recording of their '88 classic, titled Trinity Revisited. As described by Anton, "The album is a way to commemorate 20 years, and a chance to work with some of the artists we might have influenced."
But the Junkies are particularly interesting as -- despite what a re-recording of their most successful album may connote -- they are not a band that rests on their laurels. With a dedicated fan base that edges towards the adult demographic, it would be all too easy for the Junkies to recycle their classic Trinity sound. But as anyone who listens to their most recent original album, At the End of Paths Taken, will realize, the Junkies' current sound easily carves out a place among the modern alternative country and rock scene. After 20 years, the Junkies appear to still have a passion for pushing their sound in new directions.
"We're still energized; we're still creative; and we're still having fun," Anton said.
The Junkies have always been skilled at integrating new sounds into their own, perhaps partially because they started out as a cover band. Over the years they've continued to release albums with covers spanning artists from Bob Dylan to Springsteen to U2. They're always careful, however, to add their own personal touch.
"We love to take songs that we love and try to rework them and make them our own," Anton said. "We all have our own favorites and we all have ideas for what we should try. We just talk about it and agree on a bunch and try to rework them."
But what I find most intriguing about the Junkies is how the band members have grown up together, both in a literal and musical sense. Three of the Junkies are family members, and Anton is a long-time family friend.
"I've know the family since kindergarten," Anton said. "We've been together all our lives basically, as music fans earlier on and finally as a band later on. The family dynamic is sometimes in the band's favor. You hear about a lot of bands that are family and it doesn't work out, but this one happens to have a really great relationship."
Maybe the Junkies "get the mom thing a lot" because the band members' personal connections induce an inherent family vibe. As I listen to The Trinity Session, now my own copy in my own messy apartment, I can't help but feel like I've caught a nostalgic piece of home.
If you're interested in checking out the Cowboy Junkies' vibe for yourself, they will be playing at The Paramount Tuesday.
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