Is Your Mama a Llama

One of the bands that I grew up with was the Cowboy Junkies. After being together for about 10 years, they released a double album, called 200 More Miles. It was a compilation of live recordings, from 1984-1994. According to their website, 2006 is the bands 20th anniversary, which means that they or I can’t do math, or that they organized as a band twice. In any event, to celebrate their 20th birthday, their archivist has set up a website, http://www.4thellamas.com/. There are a number of purposes of this site, but one in particular that I am excited about is to make available to fans concert recordings.

I downloaded the first one yesterday, Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Co, Feb 2, 2006. Can I say it is an amazing concert? I was particularly pleased with the 9+ minute version of Sweet Jane. This was the song that gave them national attention twice (two nations, two different times), and there is already a live version on 200 More Miles. I thought that after 20 years, it would be all played out. I am impressed that Margo and company can still find new directions to take this song after so long. The concert version of Cause Cheap is How I Feel is a lot more, um, vibrant than the studio version on Caution Horses.

So what is a Llama? I don’t know, which makes me think I’m not one. I suspect that if I had ever heard In the Time Before Llamas, I would have a better idea. My guess is that Llamas are the Cowboy Junkies version of Deadheads, people to followed the Grateful Dead around from concert to concert, or the Jamily, the Pearl Jam version.