The Daily Procrastinator

Recently, I had the good fortune to discover a talented new musician I’d never even heard of before. I attended an Old Crow Medicine Show concert, and the opening act was a performer named Justin Townes Earle. I dig OCMS, particularly their song Wagon Wheel, and I knew that I was going to love their performance. Discovering Justin Townes Earle, though, was the extremely pleasant surprise of the evening.

Just picture him with a thin, barely discernible mustache.

When Earle first took the stage, I was a little skeptical. He was dressed like a 1950s used car salesman. He wore a high-waisted, pencil-thin fitting suit with zip-up boots. His hair was slicked back like George Clooney’s in O Brother, Where Art Thou, and his mustache was barely a line above his lip. With his guitar slung so high that his belt buckle was visible beneath it, Earle approached the microphone with a nervous, twitchy demeanor that didn’t exactly raise my expectations.

Then he began to play.

Accompanied by only one other musician, who alternated between mandolin, banjo, and harmonica, Earle proceeded to put on a truly impressive display of playing, singing, and songwriting. His sound reminded me of Hank Williams, Sr. and Woody Guthrie with a modern edge. If those two geniuses were still writing songs today, they’d sound like Justin Townes Earle. The lack of percussion lends Earle’s sound an “old-timey” feel that makes me want to stomp my feet and shout “Go, man, go!” while he plays.

Before the show, I had never heard of Justin Townes Earle, so each song was totally unfamiliar to me. I got the feeling that 90% of the people in the crowd were in the same situation. Despite the unfamiliarity, the entire crowd had a blast. We danced, sang along to the choruses, and raised hell between songs.

After the show, I had to find out more about this guy. Upon doing a little reading, I discovered that Justin is the son of Grammy Award winner Steve Earle. I’m impressed that the promotions for the concert didn’t publicize Earle’s connection to his father. He never mentioned it on stage, either. Justin Townes Earle wants to make it on his own, it seems. That’s not to say that he doesn’t give credit where credit is due. In several interviews which I looked up online (here and here), Earle states that his family’s musical history has made him into the performer he is today. He also reveals some interesting details about a rather colorful past.

Further online investigation revealed that Justin Townes Earle has released two full-length alums, The Good Life in 2008, and Midnight At The Movies in 2009. I picked up the two albums as quickly as I could, and I’ve been playing them nonstop in my truck ever since. I started my listening with the more recent album, and so far, my favorite songs are They Killed John Henry (edit from BRP: DAMN, I love this song!), Poor Fool, and Midnight At The Movies. Earle sticks to an old-time feel in his songs, including the old AM radio standard of about three minutes per song, so the albums seem to fly by in a montage of images and sounds. Thus, even though it contains 12 songs, Midnight At The Movies is only about 35 minutes long. Luckily, I don’t mind if it plays again and again.

For those seeking something interesting and original in a sea of cookie-cutter pop music crap, I recommend Justin Townes Earle. The CDs are a refreshing change, and his live show is a boot-stompin’ good time.