An evening with the Cowboy Junkies: Isaac Theatre Royal
Canadian alt-country pioneers Cowboy Junkies return to Christchurch this November to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Metropol deputy editor Tamara Pitelen caught up with songwriter Michael Timmins.
In 1988, when Canadian alt-country legends Cowboy Junkies released their slow, haunting version of Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane, little did they know they’d still be playing it almost 40 years later and yes, in Christchurch. The question
is, does it ever get old?
“There was a time, maybe 10 years in, where it felt like a bit of a burden,” says guitarist and songwriter Michael Timmins, speaking on a Zoom call from Canada. “But we got older and wiser and now it’s fun to play. [Country musician] John Prine once told me, ‘A song like Hello in There, it’s not mine anymore. It’s the audience’s.’ I like that idea. And you feel the energy of the audience when they realise, ‘Oh, my God, it’s that song.’ Anytime you feel the audience is buzzed, it’s a great moment in a concert.”
The Cowboy Junkies return to Aotearoa this November, bringing their 40th anniversary tour to Christchurch. It’s a rare visit from a band that’s only made it to New Zealand twice before. “We first came in 1990,” Michael says. “Then didn’t return for about 20 years. We were supposed to come back earlier, but Covid hit, twice. We finally made it in 2023, and it went really well. So we said, ‘let’s do it again’.”
Family and friendship
The band itself, comprising Michael, his siblings Margo and Peter, plus longtime collaborator Alan Anton (bassist and honorary sibling), is rooted in family and friendship. “There are six kids in our family. We didn’t grow up playing instruments together, but we had this enormous record collection,” says Michael.
“My eldest brother, who’s not in the band, was a huge music fan in the late 1960s and early 70s. We’d share records, go to concerts together, it was very formative. We grew up in Montreal, which was a great place for music.”
He credits their shared musical taste, and a touch of serendipity, for Cowboy Junkies’ longevity. “I was in bands with Alan before the others even joined. Then suddenly we were all in Toronto at the same time, unemployed, messing around in the garage. It just clicked.”
Songs of grief and change
Cowboy Junkies’ sound is famously atmospheric and emotionally rich. Much of that comes from the way Michael writes and in recent years, ageing has become an inevitable theme.
“It’s inescapable now,” he laughs. “You just experience life differently [at this age]. There are still relationship songs; songs about my kids, who are all in their 20s now, and of course, the world we’re living in. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there; it’s impossible not to write about that,” he says. “I usually start with a personal moment, then expand it to something more universal. The last couple of albums were shaped by the deaths of our parents. That kind of grief stays with you.”
What can Christchurch expect? “It’s the full five-piece band, with Jeff Bird joining us, he’s been with us since The Trinity Session and plays everything from mandolin to pedal steel.” The setlist? “A real cross-section, from the first album, into the new stuff. We want to honour the full 40 years.”
Cowboy Junkies play Christchurch on Sunday 9 November at Isaac Theatre Royal. For tickets, go to isaactheatreroyal.co.nz
