Two nights of Olson & Louris at the Jazz Cafe

Mark Olson & Gary Louris
Jazz Cafe, 11 & 12 May 2009

I was never lucky enough to see The Jayhawks back in Hollywood Town Hall/Tomorrow The Green Grass days, after discovering them in the mid 90s the first chance I got to see them live Mark Olson was long gone and Gary Louris was very much the frontman. Don't get me wrong, post-Olson the band took on a new life and were still great but I can't deny I missed that particular magic that happened when Olson's rootsy country vocals mixed with Louris' smoother, rock voice and those amazing harmonies were born. So of course I was particularly thrilled when the pair joined forces for the first time in 13 years for the album Ready For The Flood and, in support of that album, finally I got to hear them sing together live for the first time at the Union Chapel, one of the best venues in London for acoustic shows.
Looking like two cool buskers wrapped up for the cold in the rather chilly chapel, that show was really special but hearing that they would be playing two nights at the far more intimate (meaning, absolutely tiny) Jazz Cafe, I perhaps rather too enthusiastically bought tickets for both nights. As no one else I knew took the plunge to go both shows I wondered if i had made a mistake and it would be a double dose of the same thing, but thankfully, each show was special in its own right.

The first night Gary and Mark arrived on stage (along with percussionist Ingunn Ringvold), both dressed in white, Gary with a snazzy Western shirt and Mark in a more down to earth, crumpled white shirt, and appeared tired and still recovering from jet lag but once they started you would never know it. They played a healthy dose of material from Ready For The Flood, spiced with crowd-pleasing Jayhawks tracks such as Nothing Left To Borrow, Two Angels, Red's Song and Take You With Me When You Go. 

There was also a nice moment when Mark abandoned his guitar for his dulcimer and played a solo track of his, Walking Through Nevada, as well as The Jayhawks classic Sister Cry. Other highlights included a post-Olson Jayhawks track, Angelyne, which was particularly fantastic to finally hear Mark's harmonies on it and a haunting When The Wind Comes Up, which really benefited from Ingunn's atmospheric percussion playing and Gary's extended guitar solo. (After I got hold of the set list, I saw it not only had the songs they played but a list of possible alternate choices too, which they often swapped out for the songs they had decided on - you can see the scan on the right).

Gary enthused how excited he was to play the same stage as The Incredible String Band and was amused when no one seemed to be as excited as him. He also reminsced about the first time they played in London back in 1993 and played across the road at the Camden Underworld, as well as at the Mean Fiddler and The Borderline. Oh to have been at those shows! But this really was the next best thing. After the show, I got to chat briefly to Mark and Gary and they signed my Ready For The Flood vinyl. They appeared relaxed and happy chatting to fans and it made the show feel even more intimate and special. It's funny, because in person Gary and Mark are every bit how they appear to be on stage: Mark hunched over, homely, personable and down to earth, like he could be working on farm rather than rocking in a band, and Gary, tall and spacey, with a cool Laurel Canyon rock star vibe. It's probably why they complement each other so well.

The next night, feeling a little like a stalker as one of the few returning for the second night (a feeling made even worse when Gary asked if anyone had been there the night before and I was the only one to answer!), the show once again offered plenty of highlights, from Mark's radio-voice song introductions to the pair's bewildered looks when someone in the crowd shouted "when's the band getting back together?" (The Jayhawks are playing a few festival dates this summer plus a show in their hometown Minneapolis) to some fine song choices that were missed the night before, including Settled Down Like Rain, Doves And Stones, Two Hearts and perhaps best of all, a rare outing for the Blue Earth track, Ain't No Time, which sounded fantastic stripped down and sung as a duo. 

I also got a thrill when I shouted out for Precious Time and heard Gary say "shall we do that one?" and they proceeded to play it. It was only after that I saw it was one of the options for the encore that was written on the setlist but I like to think I gave them that little push to play it. It's the first time I've ever shouted anything and it's actually been played so hopefully this is a good sign for the future.