Menu
Nashville's Justin Townes Earle at Frankies 8/21
Listen Up Toledo | 08/19/2010 7:00 am
Anyone who knows anything about
Nashville knows that the bullshit pop-country a la Shania Twain, Toby
Keith, and Tim McGraw that the rest of the nation thinks defines the
city has nothing to do with real Nashville culture. Within the city
limits, there are countless singer-songwriters, bands, and musicians
of all genres. Most commonly in town you'll find hardcore throwback
bluegrass, alt-country indie rock, and psychobilly galore. But, Nashville is still the home of Hank Williams' vomit-soaked alleyways, and there's still a lot of folks
hellbent on writing machismo-sappy white man blues tunes. Thank
God for it.
In the tradition of Williams, Nashville has been ripe with men who have a predilection toward whiskey, cocaine, fist fights and womanizing, but who can write songs so sad, so sensitive, and so sincere, they'll make the manliest of men weep. That's the genius and anomaly of country music, a tradition held high by the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, and countless others.
In the past few years, a number of second and third generation Nashvillians have stepped up to the mic, reached back to their roots, tweaked a few things here and there, and gone on to carry that soul-deep tradition to a new generation of music fans. Among them is Justin Townes Earle.
Earle is the son of famed Nashville songwriter, political activist, and musician, Steve Earle, who named his son after outlaw country superstar Townes Van Zant. The elder Earle penned a number of hits throughout the mid-to-late '70s, recorded a fresh mix of rock and country in the '80s, and after kicking heroin in jail on drugs and firearm charges, went on to enjoy a re-surged music career in the '90s. Born in 1982, the younger Earle followed a little too closely in his father's footsteps. He played in a mixture of rock and bluegrass bands in his younger years, and even toured with his father. Too, he took up drugs at the ripe age of twelve, and by his early 20s had nearly tanked himself out.
Thankfully, Justin got sober, and
beginning with the release of his acclaimed 2007 album, Yuma, he
began to channel his energy solely into songwriting and recording.
The result has been three of the best neo-traditional country albums
to come out of Nashville in years; in compliment with his debut, 2008's The Good Life, and 2009's
Midnight at the Movies are refreshing, soothing albums that embrace
that time-honored Nashville tradition of honest, raw songwriting
played with gruff heart and soul. Signed to the best label in the
south, Bloodshot Records (home of Bobby Bare Jr. and the Detroit
Cobras), Earle's songs are emotional, sensitive and sincere, but like
his predecessors, they are so with the life-hardened, masculine
approach of someone who has dwelled so thoroughly in the darkness,
that not only do they appreciate the light -- it just about makes
them cry.
Justin Townes Earle plays Frankie's Inner City (308 Main Street) on Saturday, August 21. Doors are at 9 p.m. Opening acts include Toledo's own Americana crooner The Late Great Lucian Townes, and the most enigmatic solo singer-songwriter on the local circuit, J.W. Carlson. Tickets are $12 advance (available at Culture Clash and Ramalama Records), $15 at the door. www.frankiesinnercity.com
COMMENTS