The Jayhawks at Webster Hall in January (more by Kurt Christensen)

The Jayhawks are currently on a European tour that ends later this month. After that tour, they'll play a few dates in their hometown of Minnesota before heading out a North American tour in October and November. Many dates do not have openers announced but a few are with Tift Merritt. The NYC show, which takes place on October 21 at Beacon Theater is with Rosanne Cash. Tickets go on sale Friday (8/5) at noon with an "Internet Presale" starting Wednesday (8/3) at noon.

The tour is in support of the Jayhawks' new album Mockingbird Time which will be released September 20 via Rounder. The album is their first since 2003's Rainy Day Music and was produced by Jayhawk Gary Louris. It's also their first album with the classic Gary Louris and Mark Olson-led line-up since 1995's Tomorrow The Green Grass. Check out the lead single, "She Walks In So Many Ways" below.

Rosanne Cash some of her own upcoming dates, including some readings on her book tour for Composed, which she released on July 26. Her book tour hits NYC twice this month. The first time on August 9 at Barnes and Noble Union Square and the second on August 11 at PowerHouse Arena in Brooklyn.

All dates and Jayhawks single below...

Continue reading "Jayhawks releasing new LP, touring, playing Beacon Theater w/ Rosanne Cash who wrote a book (dates)"

photos by Kurt Christensen

"[The Jayhawks] followed up Town Hall with 1995's Tomorrow the Green Grass, the Jayhawks' signature record. Opening with Olson's masterpiece "Blue," which cracked the Top 40 in Canada, the record is dominated by genius offerings from Olson, especially the shit-kickin' country-rocker "Miss Williams Guitar" (named after Olson's then-girlfriend Victoria Wilson), the melancholy "Ann Jane," and "Blue's" downbeat, somber counterpart, "Over My Shoulder." Louris was no ghost on Green Grass, adding gorgeous harmonies to Olson's songs, as well as lush compositions like "I'd Run Away" and "Nothing Left to Borrow." Despite some success north of the border, the reaction stateside was lukewarm at best. The band had overspent on the recording of Green Grass and the CD receipts could not recoup the cost..." [Bill Reese]

A second set of pictures from the first night (by Kurt instead of Chris), along with a video and the setlist from night two, and remaining tour dates, below...

Continue reading "The Jayhawks performed 'Tomorrow the Green Grass' @ Webster Hall (more pics from night 1 & night 2 setlist)"

The Jayhawks are releasing reissued and expanded editions of Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass on January 18th. On January 20th the alt-country band will perform Hollywood Town Hall live at Webster Hall in NYC. On the 21st they'll perform Tomorrow the Green Grass at the same venue. Tickets for both shows go on a band presale on Tuesday at 10am, then AmEx presale Wednesday at noon, and then general sale Friday at noon.

The Jayhawks reunited over the summer for three big shows in Minneapolis, and will also play a show on the reissue release day at the Phoenix in Toronto.

UPDATE: and there are even more dates. Below...

Continue reading "The Jayhawks playing full-reissued-album NYC shows (dates)"

Mark Olson @ Rockwood Music Hall in June (more by Kurt Christensen)

These days, Olson said he's focusing on his songcraft and on writing the best songs he can, and trying not to be overly concerned about the volatile nature of the music industry.

"My whole life, basically since I got out of high school, has been involved with the idea of trying to write a darn good song," he said. "I just want to express myself and sing and play the best I can, and the other stuff will take care of itself. I don't have any control over whether a certain amount of people hear the music, or whether a certain number of people will come to a certain show." [The Capital Times]

Continue reading "Mark Olson is on tour (dates)"

by Kurt Christensen

Mark Olson @ Rockwood Music Hall

"With the stars-of-fame outside First Avenue currently being repainted, it looked as if the Jayhawks were campaigning to make theirs the first local name to go back up on the walls.

The pioneering alt-country band had not played their hometown rock haven in more than five years. It had been 15 years since they performed there with original co-leader Mark Olson, who quit the band in 1995. One could practically smell the nostalgia in the air at Sunday's show -- the second in a three-night stand -- and it was much sweeter than paint fumes.

Instead of playing all their standard tunes, though, the quintet offered up a two-hour concert filled with hidden gems and way-old nuggets. It was a sharply different set list than they played at the Basilica Block Party last summer, which was the first local reunion by the Jayhawks' mid-'90s lineup, featuring Olson, singer/guitarist Gary Louris, bassist Marc Perlman, drummer Tim O'Reagan and keyboardist Karen Grotberg." [Star Tribune]

Less than a week earlier, Jayhawks member Mark Olson played the intimate Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East side of NYC (a city Jayhawk Gary Louris played less than a month before that). Mark was accompanied by Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Ingunn Ringvold who performs under the name Sailorine. Mark played several songs from his upcoming album Many Colored Kite (available July 27), as well as songs from the Jayhawks, and The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers. Mark also played the first track from the recently re-issued Bunkhouse LP, the Jayhawks first album which originally was only available on vinyl in a pressing of 2,000 copies. At the end of the set, he was joined by Jolie Holland for the opening track of the new album, Little Bird of Freedom.

More pictures of Mark at Rockwood, below...

Continue reading "the Jayhawks played 3 shows @ First Avenue in Minneapolis, Mark Olson performed @ Rockwood Music Hall (pics) "

Mark Olson is a founding member of The Jayhawks, the most acclaimed band to emerge out of the alt-country scene. He left the Jayhawks in 1996, after the release of the band's biggest-selling album, Tomorrow The Green Grass, but continued to record music with his new band, The Creekdippers, at his new home in the California desert.

In 2007 Mark released his first true solo album, The Salvation Blues. A deeply personal album, it also featured the long-awaited reunion with his former Jayhawks bandmate and writing partner, Gary Louris [who recently played LPR], on three songs.

In 2008 Mark and Gary got together and recorded an album Ready For The Flood, and toured the world extensively after its release for the better part of 2009.

Now it's 2010 and Mark's second solo album Many Colored Kite is scheduled for release on July 27, 2010 on Rykodisc.

The new record is produced and engineered by Beau Raymond (Devendra Banhart, Little Joy, Mark Olson and Gary Louris) and features Neal Casal (of The Cardinals) and drummer Danny Frankel (Laurie Anderson, Bebel Gilberto, Fiona Apple, Madeleine Peyroux) with a guest spot by Vashti Bunyan.

All tour dates for Mark Olson, who has shows in the US and Europe scheduled, are below...

Continue reading "Mark Olson (of the Jayhawks) touring & releasing an album"

Jayhawks' Gary Louris & Mark Olson @ 400 Bar, MN - Aug 18, 2007 (CRED)

The crowd seemed to double after Louris took to the stage, and as the bar filled up and pressed forward the band launched into the Jayhawks song “Pray for Me.” Olson and Louris's vocals collided so perfectly that it was impossible to tell who was singing which part, and for a moment I stopped being jealous of all the lucky jerks who got to see the original Jayhawks lineup play together many years ago and reveled in the beauty of the two men performing together. [Reveille Magazine]

Tickets are on sale for the upcoming NYC Weakerthans show at Webster Hall. Brooklyn band The Last Town Chorus are touring with them, and opening that show.

The Last Town Chorus - who also have a whole concert streaming on NPR - are also opening for Mark Olson from the Jayhawks at Bowery Ballroom on August 30th. Mark's new solo album came out in June, and all of his tour dates are below....

Continue reading "the Weakerthans, Last Town Chorus, Mark Olson (Jayhawks)"