Music / Reviews
Review: Justin Townes Earle, The Tunnels
The Tunnels have a consistently sound booking policy so it was great to attend a show that had sold out on a night when brass monkeys were staying tucked up in doors.
Support came from Andrew Combs, a Texan songwriter currently residing in Tennessee, who provided a set of beautifully sung and played tunes. They were mostly introspective and well executed but the set lacked an ear worm to niggle away at the new fan after the show. Ironically the most memorable tune is hated by his mom (sic), but then most moms would be disappointed at their son telling audiences the world over they’re Too Stoned to Cry. That said, newish tune Foolin’ breaks the genre mould to a certain extent as it tackles the opportunities for all and sundry to present fake personalities to the world via social media.
Justin Townes Earle certainly has no need to fake his personality to make it more interesting… rehab, high school recordings bootlegged and sold online, single parent upbringing (including drug taking from a rather young age) and minor jail time after an altercation. That said he has an enviable catalogue that was played with aplomb, ably supported by Paul Niehaus (Lambchop, Calxecio etc) and received by the quietest audience in town. Well, at least during the songs, plenty of cheering and banter in between. How refreshing – people listening at a concert.
is needed now More than ever
The tunes were eclectic but all rooted in country & blues – JTE on acoustic and Niehaus swapping from electric to pedal. A mid-set break for the latter gave JTE chance to play solo to good effect, and interestingly his rather deep voice belies the fact that he sings in a higher register, and sings well too. As an aside it also has to be said that should his muse ever deserted him, JTE would certainly make a good living as a raconteur with his between songs patter raising plenty of laughs.
Closing the set with a cover, JTE announced a song by the “second drunkest band in the world…” but rather than something from the Orange Goblin oeuvre it was a Replacements tune – and having seen both let me assure you that the former would give the latter a damn good run for their money. Anyhow, Can’t Hardly Wait went down well but was trumped by an entertainingly re-tooled cover of Thunder by Fleetwood Mac, but that was bettered by song of the night Harlem River Blues.
And anyone who thinks the Feeder is a bit of a state should check in with JTE and his extensive knowledge of American river pollution: I doubt any of our water waterways have tested positive for syphilis…well at least not for a century or two. Justin Townes Earle: great songs, great player and revolting river facts in one gangly package.
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