Part of the reason I love being on the road is that I get to check out a lot of music. Even though I’m not a music critic – hell, I don’t have a lick of formal training in music – when I come across musicians that get me excited, I want to share the joy – and joy there was last week.
On a dull Monday evening, I went to Huckleberry’s Pizza and Calzones in Rock Island, an unlikely concert venue, to see Justin Townes Earle. I hadn’t heard of him before, but the description in the River Cities’ Reader got my attention – son of country rocker Steve Earle, fan of great songwriters like his namesake Townes Van Zandt, Woody Guthrie, and Bruce Springsteen, recovering addict. Sounded like a guy with a great lineage who has no shortage of “life experience” for inspiration. (You can read his bio here.)
He was already playing when I walked into the bar, and I warmed up to him immediately. On stage he’s likeable, self-deprecating, and open about the crap he’s been through in his life. He played a mixed set of old folk songs, tunes by Van Zandt, and original works. What really got my attention is his songwriting. This guy knows how to make the most of a three minute song, with tales of loneliness, heartbreak, tough relationships – traditional country fodder played with old school arrangements that hark back to Hank Williams the First and his musical kin. No elaborate production, just good, basic tunes that pay homage to the past without sounding dated and lyrics that make you want to buy the guy a drink and be his buddy, if he drank, which he doesn’t anymore. The song “What do you do when you’re lonely?” is a great example of his songwriting, and it is brilliant.
After the show, I bought both of his CDs, shook his hand, and told him how much I enjoyed his performance. He looked me right in the eye, his face lit up with a big, sincere grin, and he thanked me. Golly, gee, what’s not to like about him??
You can check out samples of his music at his myspace page. Let me know what you think!
© Dean Klinkenberg, 2008
