Sydneyfan
04-23-2007, 03:01 AM
Not too sure about the merit of re-hashing such a classic album, but I'll probably buy it anyhow.
CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI
Sunday, April 22, 2007
TORONTO (CP) - It's been 20 years since the Cowboy Junkies set up a solitary microphone in a downtown church and recorded what was to become one of the '80s most revered discs.
The languid, hypnotic tone of "The Trinity Session" launched the Toronto-based quartet to international acclaim and defined their captivating trademark sound, an evocative melange of roots, folk and blues.
Since then, they've put out nearly 20 live and studio recordings and have a dedicated following that keeps them filling venues in the United States and Europe, but it's the impact of that early disc that still astounds guitarist Michael Timmins.
"When we walked out of the church we knew we had recorded something really special but we didn't think that anybody else would necessarily hear it," Timmins says recently by phone during a stop on their U.S. tour in Boise, Idaho.
"We were just an independent band doing our thing. (We thought) we'd get it out there and we'd sell a few thousand copies and move on to the next record. There was no idea that it would connect with so many people."
In celebration of the landmark anniversary, the band - including singer Margot Timmins (his sister), drummer Peter Timmins (his brother) and bassist Alan Anton - returned to the church last fall to re-record the album and film a DVD to be released later this year.
But this time there were a few more microphones, a massive crew and famous friends Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt joining them in the round to revisit the original tracks, including their acclaimed cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane."
"It was amazing going back into that space," says Timmins, now 45 and the father of three children.
"Going in and plugging in and playing, it brought back a lot of memories and the amazing thing was we suddenly remembered, 'Oh my God, this church sounds so good.' "
He says there was no interest in simply re-doing "The Trinity Session." The Junkies approached the project as a reinterpretation of the songs and added new voices to the mix. Everything was kept "very loose and very unrehearsed," he says.
Chesnutt takes on "Postcard Blues" and duets with Margot on "Blue Moon" and "Dreaming My Dreams With You." Adams performs "200 More Miles" while Merchant sings "To Love is to Bury" and plays piano, accompanied by violin.
Timmins says the DVD is expected to be released in September. In October, the band will perform the disc in its entirety at London's Royal Albert Hall.
CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI
Sunday, April 22, 2007
TORONTO (CP) - It's been 20 years since the Cowboy Junkies set up a solitary microphone in a downtown church and recorded what was to become one of the '80s most revered discs.
The languid, hypnotic tone of "The Trinity Session" launched the Toronto-based quartet to international acclaim and defined their captivating trademark sound, an evocative melange of roots, folk and blues.
Since then, they've put out nearly 20 live and studio recordings and have a dedicated following that keeps them filling venues in the United States and Europe, but it's the impact of that early disc that still astounds guitarist Michael Timmins.
"When we walked out of the church we knew we had recorded something really special but we didn't think that anybody else would necessarily hear it," Timmins says recently by phone during a stop on their U.S. tour in Boise, Idaho.
"We were just an independent band doing our thing. (We thought) we'd get it out there and we'd sell a few thousand copies and move on to the next record. There was no idea that it would connect with so many people."
In celebration of the landmark anniversary, the band - including singer Margot Timmins (his sister), drummer Peter Timmins (his brother) and bassist Alan Anton - returned to the church last fall to re-record the album and film a DVD to be released later this year.
But this time there were a few more microphones, a massive crew and famous friends Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt joining them in the round to revisit the original tracks, including their acclaimed cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane."
"It was amazing going back into that space," says Timmins, now 45 and the father of three children.
"Going in and plugging in and playing, it brought back a lot of memories and the amazing thing was we suddenly remembered, 'Oh my God, this church sounds so good.' "
He says there was no interest in simply re-doing "The Trinity Session." The Junkies approached the project as a reinterpretation of the songs and added new voices to the mix. Everything was kept "very loose and very unrehearsed," he says.
Chesnutt takes on "Postcard Blues" and duets with Margot on "Blue Moon" and "Dreaming My Dreams With You." Adams performs "200 More Miles" while Merchant sings "To Love is to Bury" and plays piano, accompanied by violin.
Timmins says the DVD is expected to be released in September. In October, the band will perform the disc in its entirety at London's Royal Albert Hall.