On the Road with... Mark Olson & Gary Louris

Billboard reports the best news I'm likely to hear today even though I'm not on the West Coast. It's a short list of dates, but let's hope this gets some momentum...

After regrouping for a tour last year, Mark Olson and Gary Louris have once again reunited for brief Western U.S. swing this spring. The former principals of the now-defunct Jayhawks have 10 dates slated, beginning April 28 in Tuscon, Ariz. "There's obviously an audience for it and we like to do it. Sure, it's a bit of a money-maker, it's a job, but it's going to be fun," Louris tells Billboard.com. "One of the really appealing parts is to hang out with Mark and be friends again."While there are no official plans for the two to record again, Louris does not rule out the possibility. "I wouldn't want it to be the record that I have to market for the next two years, but I would enjoy making a record with Mark," the 51-year-old songwriter says. "We'd just have to find the time. But we wouldn't do a record that requires two months in the studio. Mark likes to write and make stuff in a grassroots situation. We don't get too fancy."

And the tour dates...

April 28: Tuscon, Ariz. (Rialto Theater)
April 29: Flagstaff, Ariz. (Orpheum Theater)
May 1-2: Los Angeles (Troubadour)
May 3: Solana Beach, Calif. (Belly Up)
May 6: Santa Cruz, Calif. (Rio Theater)
May 7-8: San Francisco (Great American Music Hall)
May 11: Portland, Ore. (Aladdin)
May 12: Seattle (Showbox)