Mark Olson's "Many Colored Kite" Due July 27

Posted by Chris Campbell at Saturday, May 15, 2010 0

Mark Olson's a darn busy man. Following his departure from The Jayhawks in 1995, he's released a slew of records under the name The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers, all of which are quite good, the best being 2000s My Own Joe Ellen. In 2007, he released The Salvation Blues, the best record by any member of The Jayhawks outside of The Jayhawks. Just a year later he hopped back into the studio with Jayhawks co-founder Gary Louris for Ready For the Flood, but it's really The Salvation Blues that's proven to be Olson's best work in 15 years.

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In addition to a new Olson record on the way, The Jayhawks will be playing three shows in Minneapolis this summer. Word of a new record remains up in the air and additional tour dates are unknown, but news of Olson's follow-up to the fantastic The Salvation Blues is great news for fans of any of Olson's projects.

The Jayhawks To Tour? (Photo)

Posted by Chris Campbell at Thursday, April 02, 2009 0

Mark Olson & Gary Louris @ Great American Music Hall, SF
No official tour confirmed, but they have two dates slated:

May 30th: Barcelona, Spain (Primavira Sound '09 Festival)
July 10: Minneapolis, MN (Basilica Block Party)

This is the word from Gary Louris:

"Our approach right now is to look forward. Olson and I have a record out, we're going to record another, maybe make solo records and do the Jayhawks occasionally," Louris explains. "I think the plan is that we're going to play festivals, next year we're hoping to play Bonnaroo and things like that. We'll see if it grows from there. I don't know how much Karen can tour, or how much any of us want to do a full band tour. As far as recording together, we don't have any plans to do that. But if we continue to do it and we're just loving it, then of course you need new songs."

When Olson left the band in 1995, Gary carried on and recorded a trio of fine post-Olson Jayhawks records, the most impressive being 1997's Sound of Lies. While this was happening, Mark Olson was recording one fine record after another under the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers moniker. Olson then released the fantastic The Salvation Blues in 07, while Louris brought us the uneven Vagabonds in 08. And this year's Olson/Louris collabaration Ready for the Flood has a few great songs, but as a whole, is a bit of a disappointment.

Wow was that a lot to cover. My hope is for either a Jayhawks reunion or more Mark Olson solo material. Or both. And ten-plus years ago, in a drunken stupor at Maxwell's in Hoboken, I asked Gary Louris if he'd be my best wedding at my wedding. I don't believe I received a definitive answer.