How do you keep a group of musicians together, releasing new music and continuing to tour, for more than 30 years? Each band is going to have its own formula that works -- or doesn't -- but for The Jayhawks, it's about the cohesiveness of the members -- and not forcing anything.
"What keeps it fresh is that the band has grown in the abilities over the years that it's just so enjoyable to play with this group of musicians, and it gets more enjoyable every time we play together," says bass player Marc Perlman. "You're playing 'Waiting for the Sun' and you're going, 'Oh I've done this a billion times,' but then you look at each other, and you're grooving together, and you realize how lucky you are to be playing with this group of people after so many years. We've all played with other musicians before, great ones, but really there's something special about us four when we get together."
FAQ
The Jayhawks
With Greg Vanderpool
WHEN — 8: 30 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — George’s Majestic Lounge, Fayetteville
COST — $20
INFO — 527-6618, georgesmajesticloun…; jayhawksofficial.com
Perlman says it's the realization that there's no other group of musicians the foursome enjoys playing with more than each other that keeps them coming back for more albums and more tours. And having fans who support their sonic explorations and are passing the music along within their own families makes the job feel all the more special.
"It's just really nice to know that there's a younger generation that still are looking for something musically outside the mainstream," Perlman says. "We have a pretty wide variety to the styles of the songs, and we play in a lot of different ways, but it always sounds like The Jayhawks."
NAN What's Up on 04/07/2017