The woman in the next seat Sunday night at the Park West leaned over and whispered urgently: ”Have you ever seen or heard anything like this before?” Perhaps only someone who had seen Lou Reed, Nico and the Velvet Underground during their days as Andy Warhol`s Greenwich Village symphony could have answered ”yes.”
On Sunday evening, during the first of their two sold-out shows, the Cowboy Junkies offered a fleeting glimpse of such great moments.
The Junkies, a veritable family affair from Toronto, seduced and hypnotized the Park West`s packed house like sirens calling to a galleon of sea-weary sailors.
Margo Timmins, her brothers Peter and Michael, and Alan Anton painstakingly wove a tapestry of country-inspired woe and trance-like bliss. It was an unusual mix, borrowing licks from Nashville pickers, Austin sliders and Chicago`s gritty blues, while incorporating the phantasm of the Underground`s outer-edge mechanics.
From the hurting of ”200 More Miles” to the light-heartedness of
”Misguided Angel” and their cover of the Velvet`s ”Sweet Jane,” there was a sublime connection between the Cowboy Junkies and the audience that sealed the room from the outside world.
Like the Velvet Underground, the Junkies` music is a transporter of sorts, moving people outside the ordinary to a place all their own.
Edie and the Brickettes: Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians have captured their rightful spot atop Billboard`s album chart. Their debut release, ”Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars,” is platinum and skyrocketing. But aside from her musical contribution, it seems that Brickell has started a fashion trend as well.
Just as there were Cyndi Lauper dress-alikes and Madonna wanna-be`s, there is a new breed of young women who are emulating Brickell`s long-haired, understated flair. They wear blue jeans and denim jackets, hair grown (or growing) long and loose. But they`re without a name of their own, so we shall oblige: Meet the Brickettes.
Giant Steps: They Might Be Giants, a strange but entertaining duo from New York, has released the first single from their major-label debut,
”Lincoln.” ”They`ll Need A Crane” was shipped on Valentine`s Day, but radio support is in doubt. The video for the single should start appearing on MTV early next week.
Duran, Duran: They`ll be back. That`s the word from insiders, who say that Simon and the boys soon will be making their third tour stop in Chicago within the last six months. Their album ”Big Thing” hasn`t been a smash, but the band refuses to give up. Their first tour since breaking up in 1985,
”Caravan Duran,” played the Cabaret Metro last fall. The ”Big Thing”
tour made a less-than-entertaining stop at the UIC Pavilion last month. Now the ”Electric Theatre” tour should be coming back at us this spring-like a bad virus.
