Intimate concert turns Royce Hall into homely Texas family kitchen

Published: Monday, August 24, 1998

Monday, August 24, 1998

MUSIC: Cowboy Junkies provide emotional sound, take audience on historical journey of band's growth

By Trinh Bui

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

A small table overburdened by a vase of white roses is the centerpiece for a family gathering. Brother, strumming his guitar, sits across from his sister who begins singing a folksy hymn. It's a scene reserved for close relatives, but last Thursday evening the Cowboy Junkies shared that intimacy with an auditorium filled with strangers.

In support of their latest album, "Miles From Our Home," the Junkies quartet enraptured their Royce Hall patrons with a stunning retrospective performance and down-to-earth humility.

Starting the show with songs from earlier recordings, the Junkies engaged in distinctly Texas blues ballads, the type of songs that reminds one about the cruelty of fate and regrets of poor choices. "Blue Guitar" is a touchingly depressing requiem for legendary Texas songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Stripped to simple guitar work courtesy of Michael Timmins and appropriately somber drum pacing from younger brother Peter Timmins, the chore of carrying the emotion in "Guitar" was left to Margo Timmins' beautiful vocals.

Indeed, it is Margo's voice that captures the ears' attention. Weathered by heartache and unwanted tragedy, her voice is a curio shop of abandoned feelings and knicked memories.

This versatility helps her lend depth to the Junkies' tunes. From the introspective "Darkling Days" to the love-sick "Miles From Our Home," Margo Timmins adds subtle wrinkles to the blues guitar crying melodies. The Junkies ended the show with their rendition of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane." Their version replaced Reed's cigarette gruff with Timmins' soft baritone musing and gave the song a nice feminine perspective.

The concert surveyed the Junkies' evolution from the days of covering Chuck Berry to their current, poppier, multi-layered sound. Throughout the evening, the atmosphere was always one of invitation to come into their home. The Junkies allowed their fans to sit in the living room and listen to a sister sing with her brothers and friends. And everyone took up the offer. JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin

Margo Timmins, lead singer of the Cowboy Junkies, performs at Royce Hall.