Following hard on the heels of the release of their latest album, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels, the Jayhawks stopped in The Current for a session hosted by Mary Lucia.

The new album spotlights elements of the Jayhawks' music long beloved by fans while also forging new ground; specifically, band members Karen Grotberg and Tim O'Reagan swap lead-vocal responsibilities with Gary Louris. What's more, the album contains songs that Louris had written with and for other artists, such as Jakob Dylan and Natalie Maines (the Dixie Chicks). "Most of the time I try to write with the artists, so then you're interpreting what they want to say, or what their viewpoint is," Louris says of his work as a co-writer. "When you can write with the artist, that's the best thing. … You kind of try to channel what they want to say because it's going to be on their record."

Louris also talks about what it was like to add music to lyrics left by the late Johnny Cash for the album Forever Words: The Music, and about some upcoming shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

Use the audio player above to listen to the complete in-studio session.

Songs Performed

"Everybody Knows"
"Gonna Be A Darkness"
"Backwards Women"
All songs from the Jayhawks' 2018 album, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels, available on Legacy Recordings.

Hosted by Mary Lucia
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by Michael DeMark
Visuals by Nate Ryan
Web feature by Luke Taylor

External Link

The Jayhawks - official site

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