American Idol” may be the most popular show on television, but it has little to do with what it is to be a real musician. Real musicians aren?t discovered by Paula and Randy at a 30-second audition at the mall. Stars can be born ? or manufactured ? but real musicians make themselves.
They may have natural talent, but they must master their instrument, whether it is a violin or a voice, with hard work. Then they must take the pain, joy and passion that is in their lives and let it inspire their music.
John Cowan is a real musician. He has been for more than 30 years, most notably as a member of New Grass Revival, a now-legendary band that included Pat Flynn, Sam Bush and banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck. Through the 1970s and 1980s, they extended the boundaries of bluegrass music and laid the foundations for the jam band movement.
Cowan?s jazzy bass playing was part of their success, but his singing was essential. Soaring and soulful but without the high lonesome keen of most bluegrassers, Cowan?s voice was the perfect match for the band?s instrumental power.
Cowan has prospered as a solo artist since New Grass Revival disbanded in 1989, and his latest album ? “New Tattoo,” out this coming Tuesday ? builds on the important elements of the classic NGR sound.
“Our vision [in New Grass Revival] was to take acoustic music somewhere new,” Cowan said. “This incarnation of my band is the first time since New Grass that I?ve felt we could get back to that special place and make magic happen.”
Cowan?s vocals on “New Tattoo” are among the best of his career, and his bluegrass-rooted band is nearly as adept as the classic lineup whose vibe they successfully emulate.
But Cowan?s new record is getting a lot of attention because of a song that he won?t be playing on stage this tour. “Drown” is a song Cowan wrote about being sexually abused at the age of 8 by an uncle.
“The song kind of wrote itself, it?s not something I set out to do,” Cowan told me earlier this week. He wrote the song?s chilling lyrics in about an hour a couple of years ago, not long after seeing the film “Mystic River,” another compelling piece of art about a sickening subject.
The main reason Cowan isn?t planning to perform “Drown” is that the song features a spare backing from two musicians who aren?t in Cowan?s touring band: Darrell Scott ? who wrote the song?s music ? on piano and Bryn Bright on cello. It?s also a wise artistic choice. To try and recreate the emotionally harrowing experience of the recording would be impossible, even for such an accomplished singer.
Cowan knows that “Drown” is likely to gain more attention than the rest of the album ? especially in parts of the bluegrass world, where pain is borne stoically and such things aren?t addressed in song ? but he shrugs it off.
“It?s not self-serving by any means, because there?s nothing I have to gain by talking about this publicly,” Cowan said. “For most people it?s a source of embarrassment, but I think for men especially.”
But “Drown” is clearly cathartic, part of Cowan?s lifelong struggle with the effects of his childhood trauma, which include past addictions to drugs, alcohol, food and sex. “I just didn?t deal with it until I turned about 34,” said Cowan, who turns 53 in August. “And that?s when I got into recovery.”
Cowan?s recovery is helping others who have the same wound. Fans are using his Web site to talk about the issue, and Cowan is now working with Project Safe Place, a national organization that helps children and teens in crisis.
Cowan?s work as a musician continues with intensity no longer clouded by addiction. “Everything is immediate with sobriety, there?s no way to mask things that are tough,” Cowan said. “When I?m doing a creative thing now, I don?t really second guess whether or not it?s real.”
The John Cowan Band performs at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis on Sunday at 7 p.m. Ticket information at www.ramsheadtavern.com or 410-268-4545.
Aaron Keith Harris writes about politics, the media, pop culture and music and is a regular contributor to National Review Online and Bluegrass Unlimited. He can be reached at [email protected].
