93XRT Welcomes Gary Louris of The Jayhawks w/ Miles Neilsen Over the last three decades, singer, songwriter and guitarist Gary Louris has built a deeply compelling body of music whose artistry and integrity has won the loyalty of an international audience and the respect of both critics and his peers. Best known for his seminal work with The Jayhawks, Louris is one of the most acclaimed musicians to come out of Minnesota's teaming rock scene. Gary began his recording career with the fabled Minneapolis indie combo Safety Last before co-founding the Jayhawks with Mark Olson, who in their initial two- decade career rose from their indie roots to international prominence. Concurrent with his time in the Jayhawks, Louris was a charter member of the part-time alt-rock supergroup Golden Smog, which at various times also included members of Soul Asylum, Wilco, the Replacements and Big Star. Along the way he also found time to lend his writing, performing and production talents to albums by acts as diverse as the Black Crowes, the Dixie Chicks, Counting Crows, Joe Henry, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Roger McGuinn, Maria McKee, Nickel Creek, Carrie Rodriguez, Tift Merritt, the Sadies, and the Wallflowers. Most recently, following his first-ever solo album (Vagabonds in 2008) and a duo album with his former Jayhawks partner Olson (2009's Ready For The Flood), the two reconvened the classic Jayhawks lineup for a new record and tour. The resulting album, Mockingbird Time, marked a well-received return to the group's trademark blend of dustblown harmonies and pop sensibility, and they relished the opportunity to introduce their timeless catalog to new audiences around the world. Now embarking on his first solo endeavors since reassembling the band, Gary looks forward to showcasing songs spanning his entire 30-year career in select venues this fall. - Somewhere between a bar and the recording studio, Miles Nielsen’s stirs up his own pop rock brand of Beatles-eque Cosmic Americana. Pop rock arrangements and sunny melodies tucked between a long lost country folk steel guitar floating through speakers around crashing drums, bouncing bass lines and smooth as butter keys. Born in Rockford, IL, home of Cheap Trick and ‘Symbol’, power pop DNA runs through the veins of his songs and performances. 13 years spent playing bars, clubs and theaters, Miles has played and performed as vocalist / lead guitarist in many midwestern bands from past to present, Harmony Riley, HMS, and most recently, as a member in the Appleton, WI via Rockford ensemble, Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons– as well as his own band when time permits as “Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts.” Aside from opening for acts such as Medeski, Martin & Wood, to Cake, to Moe, he also co-owns a recording studio in Rockford, IL, FUSE, that has served as the recording home to Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons. He has worked with many artists such as Augie Meyers, Lonnie Brooks, Gabriel Reed, Cheap Trick, and The Good Year Pimps. From writing and performing his own tunes to recording and performing on other artists songs, Miles Nielsen continues to help carry out that very rare rock n’ roll torch that only few can claim out loud, “that sound?… it came from the midwest.”