The Cowboy Junkies have sold millions of records to critical acclaim and have managed to stay true to their musical roots, and each other, since they started playing in 1985.

Alan Anton, along with siblings Margo, Michael and Peter Timmins make up this quartet that is deeply rooted in blues, folk and country styles. The band's often haunting sound and Margo's soulful voice channels the ghosts of greats like Hank Williams and Robert Johnson while forging an musical identity all their own. The band is currently touring in support of their latest release "One Soul Now." I was lucky enough to connect with bassist Alan Anton for some quick scoop on one of my favorite groups.



JD: How did you meet to form the band?

AA: I met Michael in kindergarten and we grew up listenting to music but didn't attempt to play until we were twenty.

JD: What's the story behind the name "Cowboy Junkies"?

AA: We needed a grabby name when we started out to attract people to our shows and those two words came out together and we thought it could work.

JD: And here I thought it was something profound! Who are your musical influences?

AA: We're all influenced by the 60'S and early 70'S stuff - Dylan, Neil Young, Velvet Underground especially - 70'S punk was also big for us - Joy Division, The Fall, The Cure especially. These days we listen to a wide range of stuff - O.V. Wright to P.J. Harvey.

JD: What bands/artists are you listening to now?

AA: Currently I'm enjoying "The Kings of Leon" and the new Wilco record.

JD: Was bass your first instrument?

AA: I played guitar in the first band Mike and I started, but I played it like a bass so I thought "Hey maybe I should play bass."

JD: Any particular gear you stick to in your playing?

AA: My '73 Fender Jazz is the only think I play. Rigs change.

JD: I understand that you've done some work in film. What have you worked on?

AA: Most recently I worked on the music for the film "Owning Mahoney" starring Phillip Seymour-Hoffman.

JD: cool, great actor. You're also a hockey fan... How did the Flames manage to lose the Cup?

AA: we could debate that for days!

JD: true...who's your team?

AA: My team is Montreal.

JD: well I don't want to dwell on your misery there...I read that The Trinity Sessions - one of my all time favorite cds - was recorded at the Holy Trinity church in downtown Toronto for $250 using a single microphone. Is that true?

AA: yes, and fifty dollars of that was for pizza!

JD: That's amazing considering the tens of thousands of dollars spent producing the typical hit record these days. What's the band's approach to songwriting?

AA: Mike writes the songs and brings them in to Pete and me to work on musically, to figure out where it should go. Then Margo figures out how to sing it.

JD: Where did you record "One Soul Now" and who did you work with on it?

AA: We recorded in our rehearsal space which we've outfitted with pretty good gear and managed to engineer it ourselves.

JD: You have several recordings to choose from now for material to play on tour, can fans expect a sampling of everything?

AA: We try to include a wide variety of stuff and try to work up different versions of them as well.


You can find out where to see the Junkies here - you won't be disappointed.