Jayhawks, Beechwood Sparks
La Zone Rosa, June 23
Long regarded as one of the leading groups in what has now become a languishing alternative country movement, the Jayhawks are on the road following the release of their latest album, Smile. The new collection is one that many are calling their best ever and one that may end up as one of the best of the year. While the band has seen a lineup change or two in recent years and moved away from its original twanged-up sound, the Jayhawks have never appeared more energized, as this performance generously illustrated. Earlier that evening, the quintet performed an acoustic set for a jammed-to-capacity crowd at Waterloo Records, which provided a brief yet effective taste of what was to come. The first 50 minutes or so of their La Zona Rosa performance was one high point after another, as they seamlessly wove old favorites like “Waiting for the Sun,” “Two Hearts,” and “Blue,” which found the audience in good voice, along with tunes from Smile. Front man Gary Louris sang each song as if it were his last, sweat dripping from his angular frame, while also managing to fire off a couple of impressive guitar solos. Drummer Tim O’Reagan was in top form, also adding backing vocals. It’s never an easy task to be a band’s timekeeper and sing, yet he added a great deal to the newer songs and made it all appear effortless. Smile is so strong, in fact, that it made one wonder why the band bothered to perform anything at all off their last effort, Sound of Lies, which when featured on a tune O’Reagan alone sang, made the set bog down. They more than made up the energy with the finale, the group raging through their latest hit and crowd pleaser, the jangly “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.” They returned for two encores, which included a lovely take of Gram Parsons’ version of “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and a bouncy version of Grand Funk’s “Bad Time.” An incongruous match, yet one that showed, when it comes to American bands that rock, taste is subjective and the Jayhawks do it better than just about anybody. Opening the show was Southern Californian quartet Beechwood Sparks. Their Western-styled shirts, jeans, shaggy haircuts, and psychedelic/garage rock musical style pegged them to be right out of 1972, and while their lap steel and keyboards meets guitar crunch had potential, their unfocused material, combined with a nervous stage presence, undermined whatever mood they intended to create.This article appears in July 7 • 2000.