i just got a copy of the dvd/cd, "trinity revisited" by cowboy junkies, it will be released next month here in the US (and is currently available in canada and europe). and it is brilliant.
for those unfamiliar w/the project, the junkies went back into "the church of the holy trinity" in toronto the revist their seminal album "the trinity session." they recorded the original album twenty years ago, in one day, with a single microphone hung from the church's ceiling on a budget of a couple of hundred dollars (and almost half of that was spent on pizza) in an historic, empty church in downtown toronto.
the dvd also includes a nice, well-done documentary/retrospective of the recording of the original album. margo tells a great story of her mother saying "your life will never be the same" to them after hearing the recording for the first time. not only was that true for the band, it was true for many others too. this album has been and continues to be a great influence on many musicians, both those up and coming and those yet to come, including one of their guests on this revisit, ryan adams. who imho, is one of the most prolific and talented artists making music today. and one of my personal favorites. on this effort to "revisit" the original (not redo), they went back to the church and invited in some musicians they respected and admired; natalie merchant, vic chesnutt and ryan adams.
from the junkies:
"Trinity Revisited"
The recording of The Trinity Session was a momentous occasion in, not only, our bands life, but also, our individual lives. The day that the album was recorded, we walked out of the church feeling that we had just participated in something that was much greater than the sum of its parts. The subsequent release of the album and the way that it captured the hearts, minds and souls of so many people in so many different ways, and in so many different parts of the world seemed to indicate that something special did happen in the church that day and, lucky for us, we had a tape deck locked in record. The day after the recording our mother happened to be visiting us while we listened to the playback. After listening for a while she turned to us and said, “your lives will never be the same”…and she was right.
In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that very special day we decided to take the risky move of going back to the Church of the Holy Trinity and seeing what twenty years of experience would bring to those same set of songs. Our goal was not to re-do The Trinity Session, but to re-interpret it. In order to give the project an edge we asked along some artists whose own work and lives were in some way affected by Trinity and whose work has also had an affect on our lives and music. Much like the first time around, we kept rehearsal to a minimum. The idea was to cobble together a loose band sound and to let the church and music take over while the tape was running. Ryan Adams, Vic Chesnutt and Natalie Merchant all showed up keen to participate in our little experiment and once again, the church took over.
We couldn’t have dreamed of a better end result for this project. We were all a little astounded at how good things sounded and how easily it was for the eight of us to meld together as a group. The Lamoureux brothers, Pierre and Francois, did an astounding job at capturing the performance on the fly. The DVD looks and sounds beautiful.
Trinity Revisted is a special document celebrating a special day in our lives. Sometimes its unwise to revisit past glories, but sometimes, that’s just what those glories require…enjoy.
this is truly a beautiful and inspired piece of work, the junkies are consumate musicians, an amazing band playing together, intact for over 20 years. three siblings (margo, mike and pete timmins), a lifelong friend (alan anton) and an "unofficial" member/sideman/multi-instrumentalist (jeff bird), that's been there almost since the beginning. with the junkies, much of the attention and recognition usually is centered around margo and mike, but this recording further supports my belief that there is no better rhythm section in music today than pete and al. they are the backbone, the drive to what's happening front and center.
the decision to bring in some "new blood" on this project seemed to inspire them as a band even more. the guitar work between mike and ryan is incredible, they play off each other beautifully and seeing the smiles, winks and nods between them when one or the other does something truly amazing is pure joy to watch. ryan trading off vocals and harmonizing w/margo on hank williams' "i'm so lonesome i could die," his lead on "200 more miles," a junkies signature song, is perfect, he takes the song and makes it his own (a song they have been playing for 20 years no less), no small feat. a friend told me that he had heard ryan had said that he "didn't need to practice the tune, because i've been playing it all my life." if he didn't say that, he should have, the lyrics just seem written for him to sing and he nails it. just imagine ryan's voice w/these words and the beauty of margo & natalie merchant on harmony and backing vocals. 'nuff said.
200 More Miles
(Michael Timmins)
Atlanta's a distant memory, Montgomery a recent blur
and Tulsa burns on the desert floor like a signal fire.
I got Willie on the radio, a dozen things on my mind
and number one is fleshing out these dreams of mine.
I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but there'll be no warm sheets
or welcoming arms to fall into tonight.
In Nashville there is a lighter in a case for all to see
it speaks of dreams and heartaches left unsung.
And in the corner stands a guitar
and lonesome words scrawled in a drunken hand.
I'm traveling paths, travelled hard before
and I'm beginning to understand.
That I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but there'll be no warm sheets
or welcoming arms to fall into tonight.
You say that I am crazy, my life wasting on this road
that time will find my dreams - scattered dead and cold.
But ahead there is a light
drawing me to reach an end
and when I reach there, I'll turn back
and you and I can begin again.
I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but there'll be no warm sheets
or welcoming arms to fall into tonight.
I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but I wouldn't trade all your golden tomorrow's
for one hour of this night.
Atlanta's a distant memory, Montgomery a recent blur
and Tulsa burns on the desert floor - like a signal fire.
and oh. my. god. the extended feedback laced, trippy intro between ryan, mike, jeff (on electric mandolin) and pete (on drums) on (the velvet's) "sweet jane" alone is worth the price of the disc. but you also get ryan tossed in trading verses and harmonizing w/margo as a bonus. damn!
they close it out with a soulful, throbbing "walking after midnight" in a way that patsy cline could never imagine, but probably would enjoy. margo, ryan & natalie taking care of the lyrics, mike and ryan shredding on guitar, jeff on harmonica and pete and alan (on bass), imho the best rhythm section in music today, thumping and driving the beat.
ryan and natalie merchant sit in and become a part of this ensemble and help take what was a classic, damn near perfect piece of music to a completely new level. it's not better, that's just not possible, but it's equally as good, which is one hell of an accomplishment.
if you are a fan of music, and especially a fan of cowboy junkies or ryan adams, this is a MUST SEE/HEAR.
sorry this was so long, fewer words wouldn't seem to do it justice.
you can see a preview (and order) here--->http://cowboyjunkies.com/
