Justin Townes Earle Going to Memphis via London
In a few recent interviews, Justin Townes Earle has let slide some tidbits about big plans for the upcoming year. It was announced yesterday that he would be playing The Nelsonville Music Festival in the middle of May, and Bonnaroo in June, but sometime afterward he will be heading to the old continent to make some new music inspired by Memphis.
I’ve got some really good friends over there who are also great musicians. I’ve got enough players to put together a band over there. For the past two years I’ve consciously ignored the European market to put focus on the American market, and on Australia. Everything’s gone the right way with all that, so I’m going to take a year to live in Europe and concentrate on that market.
I think I’m going to make a Memphis record. I’m going to approach different forms of music that have come out of Memphis over the years, based around everything from Sun to Stax. I think it will be fun. I’m of the opinion rock ‘n’ roll and soul music are virtually the same thing, just with a difference in the beat. They’re the same chords. The songs are about the same things. One of things I like doing is finding those connections and running them all together. I’ll fly my engineer and my people over and just do it in London, just to stir the pot a little bit.
Earle was arrested in Indianapolis in September, and shortly thereafter entered rehab. In a story from the Wall Street Journal highlighting that post-rehab albums can sometimes include an artist’s best work, Earle opened for the first time about the intervention, and the realization about the almost inevitability of relapse.
“I woke up with my girlfriend, my lawyer, my booking agent and some guy I’ve never seen before sitting around my bed getting ready to take me off to treatment.”
He says he is sober, but maybe not for good. “I’m never going to say it’s not going to happen again. I’m smart enough to know that.”
Earle used that theme as inspiration of the first song he wrote post-rehab, and what will be the first song from the new album. Misfit Radio captured it on 2/9 at The Magic Stick in Detroit, and it captured the magic hush that can happen when an artist pours his heart out with brutal honesty.
Earle’s fiddle player Josh Hedley is on Outlaw Radio tonight (2-16) at 8 PM Central on SCM LIVE.
IceColdCountry
February 16, 2011 @ 10:09 am
I like the tune. Good music comes our of shitty times.
I am a bit confused how you make a Memphis record in London?
Roscoe
February 16, 2011 @ 2:57 pm
The Stones did it
IceColdCountry
February 16, 2011 @ 3:02 pm
yes, they did.
emfrank
February 16, 2011 @ 11:26 am
The song reminds me a bit of what I think is one of his Daddy’s best, “Goodbye,” which Steve wrote in rehab… thematically at least. I love the allusion to Kristofferson/Cash in “Sunday morning sidewalk.”
“I am a bit confused how you make a Memphis record in London?”
By flying in friends from Nashville, apparently. I think he just wants to live there awhile.
IceColdCountry
February 16, 2011 @ 11:49 am
I guess… but how about keeping it in America Justin, to make an american record. We could use it.
The Triggerman
February 16, 2011 @ 12:19 pm
I don’t know if anybody’s “Made In The USA” feathers need to be ruffled over this. I think it is simply a choice of aesthetics to hopefully make the best record he can, and focus on a market that usually supports this type of music more than America does. He is still an American artist, and it will be put out on an American label (likely), and he’s saying from the beginning that this is temporary.
IceColdCountry
February 16, 2011 @ 12:21 pm
yea, I wasn’t ruffled, more tongue-n-cheek was my comment.
Just funny to make a Memphis sounding album in Westminster.
Sandman
February 16, 2011 @ 12:26 pm
He made a country record about New York City, why can’t he pull off a Memphis record in London?
IceColdCountry
February 16, 2011 @ 12:29 pm
Did he make the NYC album while living overseas?
And making a country record about NYC isn’t exactly ground breaking. NYC has some good country vibe in some areas.
The Triggerman
February 16, 2011 @ 2:41 pm
This article seems like it could be germane to the conversation:
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/new-yorks-folk-legacy-forgotten-by-npr-a-rant
The Triggerman
February 16, 2011 @ 12:16 pm
I was wondering if that was Kristofferson/Cash allusion. You now have me almost convinced. Of course, Cash comes out of that Sun/Memphis sound.
emfrank
February 16, 2011 @ 7:24 pm
I can’t imagine that he would include that line and not be intentionally alluding to “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” I know that sometimes you can think an idea or phrase is original and later realise it is not, but he would have to have recognized it at some point. Don’t know if it was necessarily a Memphis connection there, though.
And it is true that the UK really supports this music. I lived in the UK for a while and it was easier to catch American roots artists there than in my small midwestern city.
emfrank
February 16, 2011 @ 11:53 pm
To be clear for those who don”™t know the song, it is the entire line, with only the end changed:
“On a Sunday morning sidewalk, wishing Lord that I was stoned”
“On a Sunday morning sidewalk, wishing Lord that I could sleep”
Seems obvious to me, but it is one of my favorite songs, in either Johnny or Kris’s version.
Walking along in the late night/ early morning with hands in pockets to stop the shaking is also a powerful image.
The Triggerman
February 17, 2011 @ 12:37 am
Man, I am just blown away right now with what JTE is doing. I know he’s not for everyone, and it’s not like his songwriting is other-worldly, but when he combines it with his performance, it is nothing short of magical. Watching the video above, watching the “Mama’s Eyes” video Misfit posted below, you can’t help but be mesmerized. You can’t fake that type of dedication and heart in a song. How many times has he played Mama’s Eyes since he wrote it? 200 times? More? Yet he is still able to connect purely with the emotion from where that song originated and sing it like it was the first time. I’m blown away. He’s on absolute fire right now, and if you ask me, they should get him in the studio ASAP and try to capture at least some of this magic.
And the more I see this, the more I’m convicted and understanding of what was going on when I saw him at SXSW almost a year ago, and his gaze was empty and his performance canned. Maybe to the untrained eye it wasn’t as visible, but I could see it as plain as day, and I was shocked, and heartbroken. It took a lot of willpower at that time to keep my mouth shut about what I was seeing, but I’m glad I eventually did open up, and that Justin got the help he needed, because he’s worth it. He’s so worth it. I would fight for him, I with fight with him, whatever it takes to make sure the magic we have been seeing for the last few months doesn’t subside.
Amazing.
Misfit Radio
February 17, 2011 @ 9:50 am
I couldn’t have said it better Tiggerman. The crowd during Mama’s Eyes was completely silent! You asked how many times he has sung that song. My question is how times have people heard that song and there was still absolute silence while he played it.. This whole performance moved me to the point of shutting my equipment down and that takes a lot.
Sandman
February 16, 2011 @ 12:24 pm
He played this song when I saw him in Jacksonville last year, one of the many highlights of the show and I’m glad it will make it on an album. Can’t wait to hear what comes out of his time in London.
Denise
February 16, 2011 @ 12:58 pm
That’s so heartfelt it’s frightening. I can say that truthfully as alcohol has messed up alot in my life. Great blog Triggerman and good for Justin.
Carla
February 16, 2011 @ 1:09 pm
Back in form! He tweeted a few weeks ago that he wanted to move to London for a year. I don’t care where he makes records, just as long as he keeps making ’em.
Burch
February 16, 2011 @ 1:48 pm
It’ll be interesting to see what he comes up with. I’d say he’s got a real shot at breaking through to a new level, he generates a lot of buzz in a lot of places and a solid new album could lead to new ground. I don’t really mean mainstream so much as an expansion of the underground.
The Triggerman
February 16, 2011 @ 2:43 pm
It’s funny. The guy has articles about him in Billboard and The Wall Street Journal. He’s one of GQ’s “Best Dressed Men” and he played Letterman a while back. But when I saw him in Austin a few months ago, it was to a crowd 1/2 as big as you’d see at a Hank III show. He occupies a strange space at the moment, but I think he could blow up at any time.
Jahshie P.
February 16, 2011 @ 5:06 pm
He nearly sold out a 1200 capacity room in Chicago, so he does just fine here.
The Triggerman
February 16, 2011 @ 5:27 pm
Well, being a Bloodshot boy, and Bloodshot being based in Chi-town, that makes sense. He drew maybe 300-400 in Austin. He is going out as the support act for The Decemberists soon, so he hasn’t even really established himself as a solid headliner yet.
Misfit Radio
February 16, 2011 @ 5:48 pm
I was shocked at how packed the Magic Stick was especially for a Wednesday night….
The Triggerman
February 16, 2011 @ 5:59 pm
Good for him! He deserves the attention. I guess my point is that normally artists who are getting articles in the Wall Street Journal and Billboard are packing amphitheaters, not The Magic Stick. That either says a lot about his publicist, or about how his celebrity precedes his music appeal. I’m not sure.
Tank
February 16, 2011 @ 4:51 pm
What a fucking song, I don’t see how anyone could deny that this is one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time.
Misfit Radio
February 16, 2011 @ 6:01 pm
Justin was full of emotion at this show. I actually stopped taping a little over half way through simply because I wanted to just enjoy the show and not deal with my equipment. Not too mention the chemistry between him and Bryn on stage was awesome. And speaking of emotion.. Check out the last two minutes of this clip.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDIbbJSiz78
The Triggerman
February 17, 2011 @ 12:41 am
You should read what I responded to emfrank’s comment up above, but yeah, Justin is on another plain right now.
The only other way I know how to compare it is with Possessed by Paul James. Possessed doesn’t play a song unless he is 100% committed to it, all in, all heart, no misgivings. That same approach is what I see in Justin right now. The guy is giving of himself something each time he preforms a song. I just don’t know what to say.
LostInNYC
February 17, 2011 @ 11:21 am
Triggerman – my very first post – longtime lurker. I couldn’t agree with your posts more – compare this video at 2010 SXSW to the one posted by Misfit – quite a striking difference – watch those eyes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKzxuqj3nAU
JTE is the real deal; an American Treasure, and truly his father’s son. Here’s wishing nothing but the best for him.
Misfit, wish I’d been in Detroit to see that performance. That video almost brought me to tears knowing the content, and after reading his tweets. F*** the Dallas Observer.
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2011-01-13/music/which-musicians-will-die-in-2011/
The Triggerman
February 17, 2011 @ 2:09 pm
Excellent comparison there. I’d seen some interviews from SXSW last year, but that live performance illustrates it perfectly.
As for the Dallas Observer stuff, I was born and raised in Dallas, the Observer is one of the very few bits of real culture that city has, but this is a disgusting bit that needs to be axed. Like JTE said on his twitter, “I have a mom.” Think if you read that about your offspring, especially if you knew they had drug problems. That’s not journalism,
Justin Townes Earle might be the best thing going on in American music right now.
IceColdCountry
February 17, 2011 @ 2:28 pm
“Justin Townes Earle might be the best thing going on in American music right now.”
Really? I do like him, but he fell and got back up and wrote some songs about it. Get in line.
LostInNYC
February 17, 2011 @ 4:13 pm
IceCold – I’d say one of the best, for sure. True, there are others.
It’s not about “falling down and getting back up and writing some songs about it”.
It’s about emotional contagion – through music. JTE connected with that Detroit audience and made them feel his emotions (and some of us as well, through video). Maybe it was because he was in Detroit (See Eminem’s Chrysler commercial) and was ‘connected’. Maybe he is at a point in his life where he is connected with himself and his own emotions and can transfer that feeling. Maybe it was the Dallas Observer article. Whatever it was/is, he is “on” right now. And that is very good news for his fans, and for folks who appreciate music.
Triggerman is right; Nashville is dying. I feel for the up-and-coming artists (and even those who are ‘established’ and trying to ‘break’ into the Nashville scene – see “Texas Red Dirt”). There is so much talent out there right now that is missed; so many great singer/songwriters that can transfer their emotions through song. That’s why I listen, and why I am posting to this article.
Triggerman – I’ve been a transplant in NYC for 4 years now. JTE’s album “Harlem River Blues” speaks to me in a way that (I think) specifically speaks to folks transplanted to New York – likely why the glowing NPR review happened. I’m not saying you have to be in NYC to appreciate it, but when you’re walking these streets listening to HRB, it touches you. Even down to different songs having different feelings per neighborhood. I can’t explain it.
One example and I’ll stop – there is one song that is considerably different (in my opinion) and gives me a different feel than the others. Can you guess which one it is?
-Rogers Park.
I looked for Rogers Park here in NYC to figure out what he was talking about and find that vibe. *It’s in Chicago*.
The Triggerman
February 17, 2011 @ 4:42 pm
I could see how having NYC ties would make that album more accessible.
I don’t hate Harlem River Blues. I like the production, but just like the video you posted a link to, it just feels empty to me, like JTE’s eyes circa SXSW 2010. Maybe this is because I know he wrote, recorded, and produced it wired. He’s said himself in subsequent articles that he is not as good of a songwriter when he’s not sober. He still made the album, put a lot of heart into it, and so he’s not going to bad mouth it or distance from it, he still plays songs from it, and I do think that seeing some of those songs performed live has helped me appreciate them more. The songs that is, not the recorded versions.
My NPR beef was mostly about incorrect facts. JTE really had little to do with it. They skewed facts to fit a script they built for their story, and that is just wrong, to portray NYC as never receiving “folk treatment”. NYC is the home of American folk. Justin would tell you that.
The Triggerman
February 17, 2011 @ 4:28 pm
I was referring mostly to the strength of his live performances at this very moment in time. I gave a very mixed review of his last album, so it’s hard to say I’m drinking the JTE Kool Aid. But seeing him a few months ago, and watching videos since then, he is on fire. That’s all I was saying. And we have no idea how long this will last, evidenced by the theme of this new song.
LostInNYC
February 17, 2011 @ 9:14 pm
Triggerman – sometimes, one *feels* empty in this city – and, you have to stay halfway-wired just to live here; hence, my username. It is easy to go off the rails. I’ve lost colleagues and friends. Good People, too.
I believe JTE’s live versions are better than the studio output – he is a talent; and, I understand your complaints with the NPR review. I can tell you he did capture the vibe of this city with HRB (again, in my opinion). Listening to the album on vinyl in a candlelit Brooklyn Brownstone is an amazing experience…
I agree NYC is the home of American Folk (a fact sorely missed in the review). But, I’d also argue that most of the original American Folk was written ‘wired’ in one way or another. And this city ain’t what it was back in the 60’s/70’s….it is a much more ’empty’ space, even if it is more crowded. There is a darkness here – even though the city is safer than it was back then. Hard to explain, but I can see why his eyes were empty, and why you felt that way with the album. It’s why I feel so out of place here…but, connect with the album.
I think it is telling that his tweets were so complementary of Detroit and London, and now he’s considering recording an album in London about Memphis (another town that has seen better days…). I hope he finds his muse, peace, and safety there. He is a complex character, a geek, and a talented singer/songwriter. As I said before, he should be regarded as a true American Treasure.
Carla
February 17, 2011 @ 4:07 pm
Thanks for posting the link to that article LostInNYC. I’d heard about it via JTE’s tweeting. He was understandably pretty upset about it. Just appalling something like that was published. Yeah, I get it’s a dark attempt at humour but it’s not funny. It’s sick and macabre. If the writer was so determined to do something in that vein why not do it for fictional TV characters or something equally inoffensive? I am curious about the fallout from that article? Does that person still have a job?
“Justin Townes Earle might be the best thing going on in American music right now”. I concur. IceColdCountry: all I can do is quote The Red Hot Chili Peppers: if you have to ask, you’ll never know. Either you get him, or you don’t. Just like Jamey Johnson. You get him, I don’t. End of the day, it’s all good 😉
IceColdCountry
February 17, 2011 @ 4:14 pm
I do get Justin. I just think he is one of several good things going and hasn’t separated himself from that pack so far to say he is the best going.
I would also say to Carla (and some others on this site), simply because I am a fan of Jamey Johnson, doesn’t mean I can’t be a fan of others, or not a fan of others. Simply because I don’t agree with some positions and statements, doesn’t mean it all goes back to Jamey Johnson.
I have said this before, why are people damned to hell on this site by some for liking someone that others don’t like? I don’t get that?
Denise
June 24, 2011 @ 11:03 am
Just listened to the JTE cover of Maybe Baby for the Rave On Buddy Holly Tribute album. That was some kinda special. Sounded real good!