Michael Timmins, one of the founding members of Cowboy Junkies, said live shows are what keep the band going.
“That’s the thing we enjoy the most, it’s something different every time you do it,” said Timmins.
The Cowboy Junkies will deliver a live performance in Collingwood later this month, part of a tour for their latest album (number 25) called All That Reckoning.
“This is our first proper record in about five or six years,” said Timmins, who wrote the lyrics. “It takes a lot to make a record now. In the earlier days, it was just natural, it’s what I did.”
He said the band has slowed down on releasing records partly because of their age, partly because of how many they’ve done and also because they’ve seen what Timmins refers to as the diminishment of the value of music, in more ways than just financially.
“We’re always playing live though,” said Timmins.
Cowboy Junkies formed in Toronto in 1985. Michael Timmins started the band with his lifelong best friend Alan Anton, and his sister and brother Margo and Peter. To avoid complaints from neighbours, the new band practiced quietly in the garage, and the sound worked for them.
Timmins refers to the new album as one of Cowboy Junkies’ more powerful collection of songs.
“What I meant by that … as far as the songs lyrically are concerned, it’s a very focused set of songs,” said Timmins. “There’s two sides, a personal side and a social/political side. Those two things come to join and reflect off each other. The focus of the songs allows a listener to fall into the songs a bit deeper and find difficult angles on them.”
The album joins hundreds of songs in an extensive catalogue of original work. And while each song is unique, there’s still a Cowboy Junkies’ constant in the new tunes, according to Timmins.
“We’ve always done what we do,” said Timmins. “I think the thing that changes is the focus of the lyrics… and that’s really a reflection of where we are in our life… We’ve maintained a very individual approach to what we do and we kept true to that.”
He’s proud of Cowboy Junkies’ ability and tenacity to hang on to their style and individualism throughout their 33 years playing together, even when popular music changed, they stayed true to their original sound.
“It’s hard to find anywhere at anytime in the music industry,” said Timmins. “There’s an amount of integrity – I guess is the word. If people can find that in a band or an artist, they appreciate it.”
Timmins said he’s been to Collingwood a number of times before, but this will be the band’s first time performing in Collingwood. The closest they’ve been is a free outdoor concert at Blue Mountain Village. For their Collingwood show, they’ll be making two set lists, the first will be focused on their new material and the second set is all about the catalogue with songs from the first to the 25th album.
Timmins said the band’s favourite song changes every once in a while, but he’s found the one they have almost always had to play at a live performance is Sweet Jane.
Cowboy Junkies stop in Collingwood on Oct. 20 for a show at the Gayety Theatre. Tickets are available online here.
The tour also takes them to Kingston, Ottawa, Guelph, Burlington, Blyth and Markham before they head oversea for a European tour.
