Great story! I should clarify what I think of the Cowboy Junkies.I really like their Trinity Session album;this was before slowcore and alt country so hearing a band playing really slow and twangy was intersting to me.The Trinity Session is one of the best canadian albums ever I think.Then they did Caution Horses which I was`nt too into,covering Neil Young`s Powderfinger acoustic did`nt work(though I did like the song The Sun Comes Up It`s Tuesday Morning).Eventually they just became another dull canadian band.They did`nt do a good cover of The Post either 
I heard that Townes recorded with Tim Folijan and Steve Shelley but those sessions never were released.
