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Jayhawks flying higher

 
Published July 21, 1995|Updated Oct. 4, 2005

Times are good for the Jayhawks.

The group that refuses to fit into anyone's neat musical category has finally gotten the boost into commerciality by way of AOR airplay and past the point of being lumped primarily as a "critics fave" band. Blue, the lead-off single from their spring release, Tomorrow the Green Grass, propelled them into the pop market, and before a whole new audience.

"It's really cool that we get the radio play," said bassist and charter member Marc Perlman in a recent interview. "But, to tell the truth, we've never relied that much on it for success. Our fans have generally gotten to know us by coming to see us play live."

Now in their 10th year, the Jayhawks have always been a band with their hearts in the stage. From their days as a regional band gigging around Minneapolis (often in the wake of more notable locals such as Soul Asylum and the Replacements), their heady blend of lyrical bite and edgy country-rock rhythms drew the faithful through the doors and into their grasp.

"We lived for playing on the road," said Perlman. "We would be amazed sometimes how many of the same faces we would see wherever we went."

That immense fan loyalty eventually earned them the attention of American Recordings, which, having witnessed the success of Soul Asylum, Counting Crows and others similar, knew a good thing when it came along. The release of their landmark Hollywood Town Hall album brought heaps of critical praise and the promise that this was a group that was capable of catching on in a big way.

Even with a sound that is uniquely their own, their influences are quite evident. Guitarist Gary Louris plucks out jagged licks that recall an early Neil Young. And there is a certain Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers feel to the vocal lines of singer/guitarist Mark Olson, keyboardist Karen Grotberg and Perlman. "There's a certain retro feel to what we do," admits Perlman. "It's a jumping off place, I guess. We have some new members and through them I can hear the sound modifying itself all the time."

The band is nearing the end of its current tour (the past month of which has been in the company of friends and musical collaborators Wilco). Perlman hopes that the band will quickly retreat to the studio to begin work on its next album, hopefully quicker than the four months it took record Tomorrow the Green Grass.

"We've committed ourselves to spending less time hashing out the whole process," says Perlman. "Anyway, I think that with the band still kind of in gear, it would be tight. I can hardly wait."

The Jayhawks will perform in concert with Wilco Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Jannus Landing. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 day of show and are available through all Ticketmaster outlets. Call 896-1244.

CARIBE! It's just too hot for words, but if you want to dance and party Caribbean style this weekend, take note:

The Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival offers a weekend of island fun in downtown St. Petersburg with steel bands, costume contests, limbo dancing and Caribbean cuisine. Many of the events are free. See page 3 for more information.

Legendary reggae group Third World makes a stop at Kingslawn Cauldron Restaurant, 2302 E Seventh Avenue in Ybor City at 8 p.m. today. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For information, call 248-5694.

Saturday night St. Pete's Carnival Show and Dance gets rolling at 9 p.m. with Calypso Rose, Riki Jai, Sugar Aloes, Ajala and others for a night of reggae, soca and calypso music at the Howard Johnson Hotel, 3600 34th Street S. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. For information, call 522-1234.

BLUES: There just aren't many out there in the blues world anymore like Junior Wells. His intense voice, his stinging harp mastery have been indelible stamps on the music of the past three decades. But his rollicking Chicago style crossed over those lines and crept into the soul of rock

'n' roll and beyond.

Go back and listen to his recordings in the 1950s and 1960s with guitarist Buddy Guy and you hear the driving influence behind much of the work of the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers and others.

Wells is still kicking hard, and traveling around with his polished 8-piece outfit in support of his new album, Everybody's Getting Some. Tonight at 8 p.m. Wells visits Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road in Tampa, with guests Baloney Sandwich. Admission is $10 in advance, $13 at the door. Call 971-0666 for details.

BLUES SHIP: Sweet Miss Coffy brings her driving blend of southern blues to the Blues Ship Cafe, 1901 E Seventh Avenue in Ybor City tonight and Saturday beginning at 9:45 p.m. The singer of such fare as Broken Hearted Woman, Day Before Payday and See Saw Love is well-revered on the blues circuit and she is bringing with her the awesome backing of the Mississippi Burnin' Blues Band. Admission is $3 at the door. Call 248-6097.

R.E.M.: 98 Rock (WXTB-FM 97.9) has something special on tap for R.E.M. fans this weekend when the station spotlights the fabled quartet in a pair of specials. On Saturday and Sunday from 8-10 a.m., the station will air "R.E.M. Monster Radio" a four-hour feature that includes interviews, studio and concert outakes and a generous dose of R.E.M. hits. Sunday at 3 p.m. the station broadcasts a three-hour live concert originating from Milton Keyes Bowl in London, England. All of which whets the appetite for the band's Sept. 9 visit to the ThunderDome.

METAL SOUNDS: Sunday night at 7:30 all serious metalheads will converge on the Florida Expo Hall for the thunderous tones of White Zombie. Also appearing are Babes In Toyland and the Rev. Horton Heat. General admission tickets are $20 in advance, $22 day of show and are available through Ticketmaster and the Expo Hall box office. Call 621-7821 for information.