When I mentioned that the Jayhawks had released eleven albums, Marc Perlman’s response made me question my sources and my math. “We have eleven records?” the bassist and one of the original band members seemed to question. It turned out, Marc hadn’t really been counting.
In interviewing the musicians who are part of the Silver Bay Music in the Park series over the past few months, I’ve realized that all of them share a few common traits. Despite their different backgrounds, ages, geographies, musical styles, and varying degrees of fame, each has been humble, gracious, and kind.
“These people love people, and they love the world, and then they love their music,” said Nelson French, President of Rocky Wall Productions, the organization behind the concert series throughout the summer. “And we love their music.”
The Jayhawks have also been busy this summer. Before traveling to Silver Bay, they performed in southern Indiana, southern Ohio, and northern Kentucky. In June, the band toured Spain.
“We’ve been in and out of town for the last couple of months and probably will be for the rest of the fall. It’s a good time touring for us,” Marc said.
He is no stranger to the North Shore, recalling his visits since the late 1960s and early 1970s. “It’s a tradition for those of us in the city to come up and see the leaves turn,” he said.
The band, which formed in the Twin Cities, is familiar with Northern Minnesota as well. Marc mentioned there was always a venue to play in the Duluth area. On one of these trips up North, the band learned that a beloved bar in Superior, Tony’s Cabaret, was closing.
“We were sitting in that bar one night when the owner said it had been in her family for years and she was eventually going to close it down,” Marc recalled. “We said we’d charge at the door, you keep the booze money, and we’ll play until there’s no liquor left. It became a mythical Superior-Duluth show.”
The Jayhawks gathered other Twin Cities bands, including Soul Asylum, to join the celebration.
“We had gotten to be friends with Soul Asylum when both of our bands were starting out,” Marc said. “Our bands weren’t really anything musically alike, but we were friends. We’re big supporters of each other.”
According to Marc, Tony’s Cabaret’s sendoff concert was one of the band’s most enjoyable and remains a fond memory from the late 1980s, shortly after the band had formed.
“We started in the Twin Cities,” Marc said of the band formed by himself, Gary Louris, Mark Olson, and Norm Rogers. “We were all kind of University of Minnesota-Twin Cities-Metro Area people. We met after college, actually. So, we just kind of knew each other through the Minneapolis music scene in the eighties.”
Since then, the band has undergone many changes in members. Gary, who plays guitar and is the lead vocalist, and Marc are the only two original members still with the group today. Drummer and vocalist Tim O’Reagan joined in 1995, and Karen Grotberg has played keyboards for the Jayhawks since 2008. Despite these changes, the Jayhawks have remained intrinsically the Jayhawks.
“We’ve always been a band that prided ourselves on songwriting and musicianship. Specifically, we’re known for our vocal harmonies. That’s always been a constant in the band. When we first started, it was the idea that we were going to play our music and not do covers,” Marc said. “Even though we liked doing covers, we had a lot of good songwriters in the band, so we always had our music to choose from.”
Their musical style has evolved over the years and is difficult to pin down to a single genre. Some reviewers label the band as country or alt-country, while others use terms like roots rock, Americana, and alternative rock.
Marc mentioned that the band was influenced by The Byrds, The Band, and Bob Dylan, among others.
“That was our common ground,” he said. “It kind of brought us together. So, the first couple of records reflected that. But as we went on, the other music we loved came out more in our songwriting. Pop music, British pop music, rock, and stuff like that. When we signed our first label deal, they didn’t really have a label for us or our kind of music or musicians that were doing our kind of music.”
He credits the band’s longevity to their love for songwriting, saying, “It’s tough. A lot of bands don’t stick it out because they expect a certain amount of accolades and money and notoriety. We never really got that. A lot of bands in our position would’ve probably given up. There are times where we thought maybe we were done. But what always kept us going is we were always able to write songs.”
Marc also credits the Jayhawks’ dedicated fans for keeping the band going. “We’ve grown and our fan base has grown with us,” he said. “They’re extremely loyal.”
Many of those fans gathered on Friday, August 23rd, in City Center Park in Silver Bay for a beautiful night of free outdoor music.
“It was perfect,” said Nelson. “It was unbelievable. They were just amazing, and they were in fine form.”
He estimates that between 1,800 and 2,000 people attended the concert. “Which is amazing when you think the population of Silver Bay is about 1,800.”
Fans traveled from as far as Albany, South Dakota, and International Falls. Nelson was pleased to see how large of a crowd the venue could accommodate. According to Nelson, about 100 people listened from their cars in the parking lot, and others around town reported they listened from their chairs in their yards.
The Jayhawks stayed an extra night to perform at the House Benefit Concert on Saturday. Members of the community ensured they were well taken care of during their stay. Gary and his wife even had the chance to do some fishing before the show.
“They are walking away with a very good impression of Silver Bay and the North Shore and what this community is all about,” said Nelson.
The 2024 Silver Bay Music in the Park summer series will wrap up with Martin Zellar & the Hardways on September 6th. The concert is scheduled for 7:30-9:00 PM and is free to attend. For more information visit rockywallproductions.org.
