Joshua Tree’s Janie Cowan Releases New Album “To Fall In Love With Death”
An Intimate Journey Through Life, Grief, and the Power of Music
By Lisa Lynn Morgan
In a world where music often seeks to comfort, entertain, or energize based on lofty idealized premises, Joshua Tree’s own Janie Cowan, debuts her solo album, To Fall In Love With Death, a profound and honest emotional exploration of life and death. A remarkable award-winning double bass player with an unwavering dedication to live performance, Cowan’s album is a vivid manifestation of her diverse musical inspirations, showcasing her unique approach to the bass, the artistry of sound, all reflecting the heart-wrenching journey she’s been on.
Cowan’s journey to this moment was anything but straightforward. Like many artists, she wrestled with the challenge of uniting her varied musical tastes into something cohesive. “One thing that scared me about the prospect of making my own record was how to find cohesion across my insanely varied musical interests,” Cowan reflects. “The dreaded ‘so what kind of music do you play?’ question kept me in creative gridlock for some time.”
But as with any true artist, the answer came when she least expected it. While recording with the doom metal band, Mother, the words of fellow musician, E Ray Bechard from the band, This Lonesome Paradise, struck her: “Man, you just bring ominous weight to every situation.” This comment ignited a creative spark, and Cohen embraced the concept of “ominous weight” – the feeling of life’s heavy and inevitable truths. It became the backbone of her album, symbolizing not only some of its darkness, but the power of embracing life’s transient nature and allowing it to embrace you back.
Photo Xarene Eskandar
Taco. Photo by Janie Cowan
The album’s narrative takes an unexpected and deeply personal turn, reflecting Cowan’s own confrontation with loss. Just as she neared completion, a poignant moment occurred while she was tending to her beloved donkey, Taco.
“One night,” shared Cowan, “I stepped outside to take care of the donkeys and noticed Taco was acting strange. He had actually been acting strange for a few days. He would act cute to get my attention, then when I’d come to pet him, he’d evade and intensely lock eyes with me- as if trying to mind meld. ‘Hmm… Taco is trying to tell me something,’ I thought to myself. It was in that moment I realized that it was exactly one year, to the day, since our beloved donkey companion, Cloudy Bear, had tragically died.”
“As I realized this, my heart cracked wide open for Taco in our shared grief, and we underwent a sort of ritual culminating in a teary full body donkey hug. Then he stopped acting weird. Taco’s insistence to honor Cloudy helped me understand the ‘ominous weight’ I’d been conceiving was in fact an awareness of death and a call to accept our grief. Grief becomes us. It teaches us of the unending depth of love. I am proud to share with you a crystallization of this profound and painful journey in the form of an album.”
Janie Cowan and Cloudy Bear. Photo Pola Esther
Photo Robbi Rob
Musically, Cowan’s approach is groundbreaking. As a double bass player, she employs foot pedals to expand the role of the bass, creating a rich, textured sound that pushes the boundaries of what the instrument can do. This innovative technique breathes new life into every track, allowing the bass to become both a grounding force and a vehicle for ethereal, otherworldly exploration. From Bulgarian-Roma folk dances to African American spirituals, Cohen’s bass becomes a voice of its own, moving through genres and traditions with a seamless grace that captivates the listener.
The album includes a variety of styles and influences that speak to Cowan’s diverse musical interests, yet they all resonate with the same core theme. From the opening improvisation on “Invocation” to the deeply emotional “Fall In Love With Death,” each track is an exploration of sound, feeling, and memory. The haunting “Ispayche,” a Bulgarian-Roma folk dance, and “Down By The Riverside,” an African American spiritual, showcase Cowan’s ability to reinterpret traditions and infuse them with her own personal experience.
The album also features collaborations with other talented musicians, such as on the cover of Anna Marley’s “The Partisan,” a 1943 song of resistance, and “Lamma Bada Yatathanna,” an Arabic folk song reimagined through Cowan’s improvisational approach. In these moments, the bass becomes a bridge between cultures, illustrating how music has the power to connect us all — no matter our background or experience.
One of the most intimate tracks, “Love Them Anyway,” is a poignant reflection of Cowan’s own experiences with love and loss. Written and performed by Cowan on ukulele and vocals, the song is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a raw and heartfelt expression of unconditional love.
Recorded primarily in Cowan’s studio at Sawtooth Sound, To Fall In Love With Death is an album that radiates authenticity. The soundscapes she creates are filled with both intimacy and grandeur, parts folk, jazz, and world music all blended into a seamless whole. The album was mixed and mastered by Pat Kearns at Goat Mountain Studios, with artwork by Robbi Rob, Pola Esther, and Cowan herself.
