Gary Louris News

Feb 27th Gary Louris on the airwaves The Current - MPR - Saint Paul, MN (aired 2/12) WXPN World Cafe - (airing 3/4 and 3/31) LISTEN LIVE HERE from 2-4 PM EST LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVED INTERVIEW NPR Weekend Edition - (airing 3/9) NPR WEEKEND EDITION - CLICK HERE Feb 25th Vagabonds articles links (PDF files): NO DEPRESSION Article 1 Article 2 Feb 23th Win 2 tickets from JamBase to a Gary Louris concert in your area! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO. Feb 19th Gary Louris new album, VAGABONDS, release on tuesday feb 19th. BUY HERE: AMAZON and iTunes CNN will include Gary Louris in their weekly round-up on his release TODAY Tuesday (2/19) where they highlight the most anticipated album releases of the week. The segment will air at various times throughout the day during the "In Stores Today"/New Music segment. Please be sure to show your support and tune in.

Gary Louris Blog

out there and that bothers me.....I was born wanting to be all things to all people. But I can't and I won't and I can only do what feels right at the time.. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. I make a lot of mistakes, even if at the time it seemed like a good idea, but so it goes. I am a sucker for the Russians, the writers and the composers. I love the New York of Salinger Mailer and The Ramones....I love London. I love Minnesota and Dylan and Husker Du and The Twins and The Vikings and hockey. I love Martha's Vineyard and Topanga Canyon and of course Spain..... I am going to write these entries like I write songs....without any real preconceptions...more of a subconscious flow. allowing for the polar possibilities.....the best and the worst. I may delve into politics occasionally but I generally duck into sports or books or crosswords because I am more of an escapist than a confrontationalist at heart. I will attempt to offer up my opinions and give you updates on what is happening whether it be big or small, true or false, insightful or inane.... love from the tundra... GL

Gary Louris Biography

As singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Jayhawks, Gary Louris built a deeply compelling body of music whose artistry and integrity won the loyalty of an international audience and the respect of both critics and his peers. With Vagabonds, Louris launches his solo career on a high note, delivering a deeply felt, exquisitely-crafted set that features some of his most evocative and personally-charged work to date. If Vagabonds has a recurring theme, it's the search for something to believe in?a soulmate, as reflected by "True Blue," "Baby Let Me Take Care of You" and "To Die a Happy Man"; or a guiding, unifying principle, as intimated in "Black Grass," "We'll Get By" and the title song. "Sometimes I write with a specific idea in mind, but mostly it evolves from the subconscious, and that seems to make a more interesting song for me," Louris explains. "That approach always leaves something between the lines; otherwise it becomes too specific. On this set of songs, there's the element of searching or yearning for an answer of some kind, and looking at yourself at a certain age and realizing, 'God, I still have not figured this out at all.'" The sense of spiritual striving is manifested not just in the lyrics but in the ensemble vocals of what was semi-whimsically dubbed the Laurel Canyon Family Choir, which includes the Bangles? Susanna Hoffs, Jenny Louis of Rilo Kiley, the Chapin Sisters and Black Crowes? frontman Chris Robinson. A longtime Louris supporter, Robinson produced the album with noted engineer Thom Monahan, whose resume includes recent releases by Devendra Banhart and Matt Pond PA. Vagabonds was recorded at Hollywood?s Sage and Sound Recording with an ensemble that includes bassist/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson, drummer and Vetiver member Otto Hauser, pedal steel player Josh Grange and keyboardist Adam MacDougal. The album's effortlessly soulful performances are the product of Louris' rapport with this close-knit group of Los Angeles-based musicians. Louris and his fellow players cut the album's tracks in loose, organic fashion, emphasizing inspiration and spontaneity over formality. "This record's a little different for me," Louris notes. "I've made records in a lot of different ways and I've learned that what I love the most is the synergy of a group of people playing together and the nuances and mistakes that happen live. That was really exciting for me; you'd finish the take and what happened at that particular moment is what you hear on the record." This approach was well-suited to Louris' new songs, which balance brooding introspection and melodic uplift. In addition to preparing to tour behind Vagabonds, Louris has been engaged in a number of varied projects, including an upcoming collaboration with fellow Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson, with whom he previously reunited for a low-key?but rapturously received?acoustic tour in 2005. Gary Louris began his recording career with the fabled Minneapolis indie combo Safety Last before co-founding the Jayhawks, who in their two-decade career rose from their indie roots to international prominence. Concurrent with his time in the Jayhawks, Louris was a charter member of the part-time alt-rock supergroup Golden Smog, which at various times also included members of Soul Asylum, Wilco, the Replacements and Big Star. Along the way he also found time to lend his writing, performing and production talents to albums by acts as diverse as the Black Crowes, the Dixie Chicks, Counting Crows, Joe Henry, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Roger McGuinn, Maria McKee, Nickel Creek, Carrie Rodriguez, Tift Merritt, the Sadies, and the Wallflowers. After more than 20 years with the Jayhawks and building a powerful repertoire of collaborations, Gary Louris has much to reflect upon with the release of his first-ever solo album: "I'm stepping back into my own head a little more. I think this record is a search for meaning, knowing one may never find an answer. But maybe finding the answer isn't the point. Maybe the questions are more important than the answers, and I think that is somewhat liberating. It is almost a celebration of the pain, the pain of existence." This metaphysical element is evident in the lyrics but also in the instrumental performances, especially Grange's yearning pedal steel, which seems to occupy some previously unexplored astral terrain. Together, the backing vocals, instrumental textures and understated rhythms provide the album with its singular character. And while the resulting tracks are clearly the work of this distinctive artist, there's a previously unexplored element present as well "I thought it sounded like me," he says, "but friends I played it for said it sounded like I had moved into a different area, in a good way?that it was a different side of me."

Gary Louris Discography

VAGABONDS

1. True Blue 2. Omaha Nights 3. To Die A Happy Man 4. She Only Calls Me On Sundays 5. We'll Get By 6. Black Grass 7. I Wanna Get High 8. Vagabonds 9. D.C. Blues 10. Meandering

Jayhawks

1. Falling Star 2. Tried And True 3. Let The Critics Wonder 4. Let The Last Night Be The Longest (Lonesome Morning) 5. Behind Bars 6. Cherry Pie 7. The Liquor Store Came First 8. People In This Place 9. Misery Tavern 10. (I'm Not In) Prison 11. King Of Kings 12. Good Long Time 13. Six Pack On The Dashboard Mark Olson, Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Norm Rogers Additional musicians - Cal Hand (steel guitar), Charlie Pine (piano on "King Of Kings") Produced by Charlie Pine This album is no longer in print. Only a few thousand copies were printed and it is very hard to find. Expect to pay aprox. $90 for a copy.

Jayhawks - Blue Earth

1. Two Angels 2. She's Not Alone Anymore 3. Will I Be Married 4. Dead End Angel 5. Commonplace Streets 6. Ain't No End 7. Five Cups Of Coffee 8. The Baltimore Sun 9. Red Firecracker 10. Sioux City 11. I'm Still Dreaming 12. Martin's Song 13. Fingernail Moon 14. Two Minute Pop Song 15. Nightshade Mark Olson (vocals, 12 & 6 string guitar), Gary Louris (vocals, lead guitar), Marc Perlman (electric & acoustic bass), Thad Spencer (drums) All songs Olson except * Perlman/Louris/Olson, **Olson/Louris, ***Louris/Olson Additional musicians - Dan Gaarder (lead guitar on "Ain't No End", "Five Cups Of Coffee", "Dead End Angel"), Charlie Pine (organ on "Sioux City"), Norm Rogers ("Sioux City"), Jim Rondinelli (vocals on "Red Firecracker") Produced by Jim Rondinelli, Tom Herbers and the Jayhawks

Jayhawks Hollywood Town Hall

1. Waiting For The Sun 2. Crowded In The Wings 3. Clouds 4. Two Angels 5. Take Me With You (When You Go) 6. Sister Cry 7. Settled Down Like Rain 8. Wichita 9. Nevada, California 10. Martin's Song Mark Olson (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Gary Louris (vocals, electric guitar, fuzz guitar), Marc Perlman (bass), Ken Callahan (drums) All songs Louris/Olson except *Louris/Olson/Perlman Additional musicians - Benmont Tench, Nicky Hopkins, Charlie Drayton Produced by George Drakoulias

Jayhawks Tomorrow The Green Grass

1. Blue 2. I'd Run Away 3. Miss William's Guitar 4. Two Hearts 5. Real Light 6. Over My Shoulder 7. Bad Time 8. See Him On The Street 9. Nothing Left To Borrow 10. Ann Jane 11. Pray For Me 12. Red's Song 13. Ten Little Kids Mark Olson (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Gary Louris (vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Marc Perlman (bass), Karen Grotberg (piano, Wurlitzer, vocals) All songs Olson/Louris except *Farner, **Olson/Louris/Perlman Additional musicians - Don Heffington (drums, percussion), Benmont Tench (organ), Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar - "Ten Little Kids"), Lili Hayden (violin, viola - "I'd Run Away"), Tammy Rogers (violin - "Over My Shoulder"), Victoria Williams (backing vocals - "Ten Little Kids", "Pray For Me"), Sharleen Spiteri (backing vocals - "Bad Time"), George Drakoulias (baritone guitar solo - "Two Hearts"), Paul Buckmaster (string arrangement - "Blue") Produced by George Drakoulias

The Jayhawks Sound of Lies

1. The Man Who Loved Life 2. Think About It 3. Trouble 4. It's Up To You 5. Stick In The Mud 6. Big Star 7. Poor Little Fish 8. Sixteen Down 9. Haywire 10. Dying On The Vine 11. Bottomless Cup 12. Sound Of Lies Gary Louris (vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12 string electric guitar, bass pedals, chamberlain), Marc Perlman (bass, acoustic guitar, 12 string electric guitar, vocals), Karen Grotberg (piano, organ, Wurlitzer, mellotron, vocals), Tim O'Reagan (drums, acoustic guitar, vocals), Kraig Johnson (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bong electric e-bow), Jessy Greene (violin, viola, cello) All songs Louris except *Louris/Perlman, **Perlman/Louris, ***O'Reagan Additional musicians - Matthew Sweet (vocals - "Sixteen Down"), Pauli Ryan (percussion - "Trouble", "Dying On The Vine"), George Drakoulias (chamberlain - "Dying On The Vine" Produced by Brian Paulson and the Jayhawks

The Jayhawks - Smile

1. Smile 2. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me 3. What Led Me To This Town 4. Somewhere In Ohio 5. A Break In The Clouds 6. Queen Of The World 7. Life Floats By 8. Broken Harpoon 9. Pretty Thing 10. Mr. Wilson 11. (In My) Wildest Dreams 12. Better Days 13. Baby, Baby, Baby Additional musicians - Bob Ezrin (keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, vocals, accordian), Eric Heywood (pedal steel guitar, dobro), Patrick Seymour (synthesizer), The Armadillo String Quartet and friends Produced by Bob Ezrin Mixed by Jay Healy at The Village Recorder, LA Engineered by Ed Ackerson at Flower Studios, MN

Rainy Day Music The Jayhawks

1. Stumbling Through The Dark 2. Tailspin 3. All The Right Reasons 4. Save It For A Rainy Day 5. Eyes Of Sarajane 6. One Man's Problem 7. Don't Let The World Get In Your Way 8. Come To The River 9. Angelyne 10. Madman 11. You Look So Young 12. Tampa To Tulsa 13. Will I See You In Heaven 14. Stumbling Through The Dark (Reprise) All songs Gary Louris except *Gary Louris/Matthew Sweet, **Tim O'Reagan, ***Marc Perlman Gary Louris - Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica Tim O'Reagan - Vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, congas, percussion, lead vocals [7, 12] Marc Perlman - Bass Stephen McCarthy - Vocals [4, 7, 9, 12], pedal steel [2, 6, 10], lap steel [8], banjo [1] Ethan Johns - Acoustic guitar [2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12], electric guitar [1, 5, 9], drums [7, 11], guitar loop [7], chamberlain [7, 13], harmonium [11], pump organ [11], piano [1, 11], dulcimer [8], percussion [1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13] Richard Clauson - Accordian [3, 9, 13], piano [1, 11], B-3 organ [5, 6], harmonium [1], chamberlain [12] Chris Stills - Vocals [2, 3, 5, 8, 10], percussion [10] Matthew Sweet - Vocals [2, 3, 5] Jakob Dylan - Vocals [8] Bernie Leadon - Banjo [2] Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Ethan Johans at Sunset Sound Recording Studio (Los Angeles, CA) Executive Producer: Rick Rubin Assistant Engineer: Chris Reynolds Mastered by Richard Dodd Demos recorded by Ed Ackerson at Flowers Studio (Minneapolis) Manufactured and Marketed by Lost Highway Records