Janey & Marc CD finally out!

Janey Winterbauer and Marc Perlman step into the spotlight

“.…such a bittersweet sound”

Marc Perlman is best known as the bassist and a founding member of The Jayhawks, but among his many other talents, songwriting may very well his most formidable secret weapon, something generally known only to his close friends, collaborators and album credit trainspotters (“Trouble,” one of the Jayhawks best songs and a sadly beautiful gem, is mostly courtesy of his sharp pen; “I Hear You Cry,” released only with European versions of Sound of Lies is a startling departure, sounding unlike anything the Jayhawks ever released). Perlman’s compositional point-of-view is often from the dark side of the emotional spectrum – somewhere between Lonely Street and Heartbreak Hotel – and is imbued with a wistful melancholia that frequently is as heart-wrenching as it is intoxicating. Since the demise of the Jayhawks, Perlman hasn’t exactly been on the fast track when it comes to the music biz, being content to stay in the background with bands like Golden Smog, The Program and Polara, as well as engaging in a number of behind-the-scenes projects.

Modern day pop chanteuse Janey Winterbauer used to sing in Astronaut Wife, a provocatively interesting band formed by her husband Christian Erickson around the turn of the century. AW were frequently saddled with descriptors like “electronic” and “pop,” but they were so much more than that (Erickson’s lyrics in particular were light years removed from the simple artifice of many bands who shared AW’s sonic signature). AW put out a couple of amazing records, played infrequently, were anointed a “buzz” band by the local press and gradually moved into a seemingly semi-permanent state of hiatus, a situation that disappoints its members probably as much as its fans. In recent years, Winterbauer has joined Perlman and his Golden Smog band mates onstage for a handful of memorable live appearances. One of the highlights of Another Fine Day, Golden Smog’s underrated 2006 album, came courtesy of Mr. Melancholy himself, a gorgeous love potion called “Cure For This,” sung by Muni Loco (with harmonies from Louris), the wife of the band’s Spanish producer. For recent local gigs by the Smogsters, Winterbauer was drafted in as the female lead vocalist for live versions of “Cure For This,” a professional and personal match made in heaven as well as the germination for what would soon become the “Marc and Janey” project.

Out of this unlikely set of circumstances comes 25:32:47, a 6 song EP on Susstones that was just released this month. Overflowing with heavenly singing, sympathetic accompaniment and fetching melodies, this CD grabs the listener from the get-go and worms its way deep into the soul. This project – which has undergone a variety of possible names (Janey & Marc/Marc & Janey seems a fitting folk-style moniker) – was developed unhurriedly over the last year by an impressive roster of talent: Ed Ackerson (Polara, solo artist, Susstones impresario, longtime Perlman collaborator) produced the CD along with Perlman, and provides many of the instrumental colorings; fellow Jayhawkers Gary Louris & Tim O’ Reagan; former partner-in-bands Kraig Johnson; and Perlman’s Polara bandmates Peter Anderson and Tim Oesau. Recorded at Ackerson’s Flowers Studio, 25:32:47 showcases a style of music that is both timeless and decidedly unhip in today’s frazzled musical climate. The tempos are slow, the mood is dusky and the songs unfurl at a pace that will give ADD-addled fans fits. Some may call this music “dream pop” or “folk pop” or whatever convenient shorthand comes to mind, but it ultimately defies easy categorization. What stands out the most are the carefully crafted songs (Perlman is an accomplished writer and it definitely shows in his lyrics) and Winterbauer’s alluring voice. Many of the songs on 25:32:47 have have been around for a while – “Beautiful Day” was tried out during the last flurry of Golden Smog song activity and “Goodbye Kiss” has even older roots, evolving out of a 10 year old Jayhawks song called “Cure For This” (not the song on Another Fine Day; yes, it’s confusing) – probably since there weren’t any comfortable homes for them during Perlman’s tenure in the Jayhawks and Golden Smog. “With You” also has travelled a lot of miles and is something of a mini-epic – sporting a dramatic arrangement replete with orchestral percussion and soaring vocal passages.

Perlman and Winterbauer both seem to share a penchant for “sad songs” and have cited influences and signposts ranging from Françoise Hardy to Hank Williams. And all too infrequent Janey and Marc live shows have featured covers from the likes of Fred Neil and Tim Buckley (who once named an album Happy Sad, an apt reference for J&M if there ever was one). But J&M’s music transcends the “bummer” and “downer” tags that some will no doubt attempt to peg them with; there’s a reaffirming, almost cathartic, quality to their exquisite creations that make you feel glad to be alive while simultaneously breaking your heart -- a neat trick for sure. Sometimes a dose of the musical medicine that Perlman, Winterbauer and friends so ably peddle on this new release is the best cure for whatever ails you.

It’s taken over 25 years for Perlman to release something under his own name. After listening to 25:32:47 there no doubt will be more than a few people who will be wondering why it took him so long.

*****

25:32:47 is available in selected Minneapolis/St. Paul record shops and online at The Susstones Shop.

Jim Walsh recently profiled the “awesome twosome” in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Read it here.

Janey and Marc myspace page.