March 3
Doors 6:30 PM
$10 adv / $12 dos, 21 and over
With Justin Townes Earle’s pedigree come mixed blessings. As the son of
legendary singer/songwriter Steve Earle, high expectations are the name
of the game, and he’s shown that he is up to the task on The Good Life,
crafting stark portraits and narrative tales with elements of blues,
classic country and rock n’roll. A modern-day troubadour, Earle blends
genres seamlessly, framing his songs in warm musical settings and
creating tunes that could easily be mistaken for classics. “I started
out to make an old timey country record, but I listen to so many other
kinds of music,” Justin explained. “Some of the songs were rearranged
on the spot and took on other lives and album is now more of an
exploration of southern music.” Earle approaches universal topics like
traveling and matters of the heart (“Hard Living”, “The Good Life”)
with the same fervor with which he evokes the bleak loneliness of a
Civil War soldier on “Lone Pine Hill”.The Good Life is produced by RS Field (Billy Joe Shaver, Sonny
Landreth) and Steve Poulton. The album was recorded (with the exception
of “Ain’t Glad I’m Leaving”) at House of David studios, the legendary
room that has hosted sessions with George Jones, Elvis Presley, Neil
Young and countless others. Joining Earle in the studio are a cast of
all-star players including longtime cohort Cory Younts (Bobby Bare, Jr)
on banjo and mandolin, pedal steel player master Pete Finney (Dixie
Chicks, Patty Lovelace), bassist Bryn Davies (Patty Griffin, Guy
Clark), drummer Bryan Owings (Buddy Miller, Shelby Lynne), keyboardist
Skylar Wilson and fiddle player Josh Hedley.Justin Townes Earle is 25 years old and his age belies his experience.
Growing up in Nashville he mis-spent his youth playing in
bluegrass/ragtime combo The Swindlers and the louder, more rocking The
Distributors and developing some very bad habits. During tours as
guitarist and keyboardist (“…and not a very good one,” laughs Earle) in
his father’s band, his problems became untenable and he was fired.
Ultimately he cleaned up his act, dropped his self-destructive habits
and began to focus on songcraft. “You don’t have to be fucked up or
torture yourself to write songs,” explains Earle, “I used to write a
lot, a whole lot, and half those songs I don’t even remember. Now, I
sit there and I write it and I finish it and I keep it.”With inspirations as diverse as Townes Van Zandt (he was named in honor
of the elder Earle’s hero), Jimmy Reed, Kurt Cobain, The Replacements,
Ray Charles and The Pogues, Justin forged his own brand of American
roots music. Going through life with a namesake of Van Zandt’s stature
cannot be easy for a young songwriter, but Earle takes it in stride,”
saying, “Anyone who tries to live up to Van Zandt is a fool. I’m
honored to carry the name, but if I spent my life trying to live up to
it, I’d have a pretty miserable life.” Likewise, his father’s
incredibly acclaimed, prolific career casts a huge shadow, but Justin
Townes Earles makes a name for himself by focusing his writing on the
personal rather than the political, narrative tales instead of protest.
The Good Life melds the qualities of a short story with the lyrical
acuity of excellent songs, celebrating grand southern traditions and
blowing a fresh breeze across the musical gardens and dive bars of
Nashville. myspace.com/justintownesearle
