Wednesday, April 11,1990
Entertainment
Cowboy Junkies play it safe
Band follows debut success with "The Caution Horses”
By Robb Frederick
Entertainment Editor
When the Cowboy Junkies
rode onto the music scene in
April of 1988, the Canadian band
was welcomed with almost
unanimous critical acclaim. The
Junkies' intimate debut, The
Trinity Session, brimmed with
calculated, subtle expressions of
emotion which impressed critics
across the country.
The group failed to connect
with a sizable audience, however,
and never received the public
approval it deserved.
The recent release of The
Caution Horses, the band's
follow-up to the impressive
Trinity Session, will do very
little to alter the band's image.
Recorded in the same subdued,
almost hypnotic manner, The
Caution Horses practically
mirrors the sound of its
predecessor. The Cowboy
Junkies have discovered their
preferred style, and this second
release offers little deviation from
that chosen course.
The feel of The Caution
Horses is established with "Sun
Comes Up, It's Tuesday
Morning,” the disc's opening
track.
Acoustic guitars are joined by
a wailing harmonica, which
provides a slight touch of country
music influence.
This melancholy introduction
is soon overshadowed by the
lyrical mastery of vocalist Margo
Timmins. Timmins delivers her
effective lines in a hushed
monotone, emphasizing the
song's content rather than the
technique used to present it.
Jazz Quintet to perform in Reed
A jazzy ending: The 1989-90 Cultural and Performing Arts Series will
close on April 12 at 8:00 p.m. in the Reed Lecture Hall with a
performance by the Bert Seager Jazz Quintet.
The track brilliantly depicts
the despair faced by a woman
attempting to cope with life
without her male companion.
The song's narrator hints of
the feelings of frustration and
isolation she is experiencing, but
these thoughts are set aside in
order to emphasize the positive
aspects of her newfound
independence.
"I sure do miss the smell of
black coffee in the morning / the
sound of water splashing all over
the bathroom / the kiss that you
would give me even though I was
sleeping / but I kind of like the
"The Caution
Horses" will do
little to alter the
band's image.
feel of this extra few feet in my
bed,” she sings.
This emotionally revealing
writing style continues on
"'Cause Cheap is How I Feel,”
the disc's next track.
The song deals with guilt and
regret, describing the aimless
wandering of Timmins' lead
character.
Throughout the remainder of
The Caution Horses, the Junkies
continue to demonstrate their
skill with well-written ballad.
An almost unrecognizable
cover of Neil Young's
"Powderfinger” provides a fresh
angle for the song, which deals
with the instantaneous loss of
innocence that accompanies a rise
The Collegian
to arms.
Songs like "Where Are You
Tonight?" and "Thirty Summers"
restrict the band's instrumentation
in order to emphasize the
Timmins' gifted writing.
Timmins clearly stands as the
central force of the Junkies'
presentation style. Her soothing
delivery relaxes the listener, and
her deliberate lyrics provide
honest insight to everyday
emotional events.
The Cowboy Junkies also
owe much of their success to the
less-recognized work of Michael
Timmins, the band's guitarist and
primary writer. Although
Michael (Margo's brother, as is
the band's bassist, Peter
Timmins) rarely experiments
with his writing technique, the
style is appropriate for his intent.
The Junkies prioritize the need
to revolve around the vocals of
Margo Timmins, but the scaled
down accompaniment she is
given many times loses the
interest of the listener. Unless
listened to intently, the songs
seem to run together, creating a
body of work lacking the
moments of musical inspiration
which characterize truly classic
music.
This setback provides the
Junkies' most restricting
difficulty. The band needs to alter
their style on occasion, to offer
another fresh aspect of their
musical capabilities.
Until this change is made, the
Cowboy Junkies will remain at
their present level of success, a
group losing its potency while
refining its style and ignoring its
potential for more versatile
musical expression.
UNM
cites insurance worries
School fears "Slam Dancing" injuries
(CPS)-Administrators at
the University of New
Mexico, claiming they were
concerned slam-dancing
students might get hurt,
canceled a campus concert
just days before a band
called Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
was scheduled to play.
But students say the
safety concerns were just a
flimsy excuse to keep
students from hosting a punk
band.
"They just heard the word
'punk' and got scared,"
charged Dianna Douglas of
the Popular Entertainment
Committee, which booked
the band. "If they researched
the band, they didn't do a
very good job. None of the
lyrics are offensive."
"We felt like it was a form
of censorship," she added.
Dean of Students Gary
Golden and Assistant Dean
of Students Debbie Morris
canceled the band's
appearance, telling students
that they were concerned
about the university's
liability. Neither returned
phone calls to College Press
Service.
UNM's liability concern
is valid, an insurance expert
says.
"Any time a university
sanctions an activity where
there is the likelihood of an
injury, it might indicate to
the insurance company that
the university is lax in its
loss control," said Ronald
Krauss of the New York
based American Insurance
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cancels concert,
Association.
"However, it is only one
very small part of a
university's insurance," he
added.
"We're most upset that
they didn't voice their
concerns beforehand.
Instead of working with us,
they just took charge,"
Douglas said.
In February, University
of Minnesota officials
banned "rhythmic dancing"-
and any bands that might
inspire it--from one of their
arenas after a piece of plaster
fell from the ceiling during a
January B-52's concert.
Douglas noted that at
about the same time the Red
Hot Chili Peppers-another
group which draws slam
dancers—performed at the
UNM campus, and nobody
was injured.
"People who slam dance
know what they're doing.
There are some injuries, but
there are injuries with
everything you do. Just look
at football," said Douglas,
who is a punk rock fan.
"You always get a few
scrapes and bruises, that's
part of the enjoyment (of
slam dancing). But people
who slam dance are not there
to hurt people," she added.
Rather than cancelling the
act completely, the PEC
worked with an Albuquerque
promoter, Joey Abbin, who
arranged to have the band
play at an off-campus
location. The two acts sold
out.
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