earle to earle

Another music post, it happens. I was surfing around for good live clips of artists I like - while staying away from Hell's Kitchen and after watching Angel by Shaggy - and I came across two great pieces. The first is Galway Girl by Steve Earle from a performance at the Kennedy Center. This was during the one of Steve's Irish phases (I think he was dating an Irish lass at the time) and is one of my favorites songs. Of course, for those that know Earle's work you could have gotten any number of things thrown at you on any album - Dukes loud, folk, Irish, bluegrass, DJ, country, Americana, or some Townes. I chose this one because it's a good recording, excellent camera work, a great band, and he looks quite content.

(If you're listening on a laptop, wear headphones...they sound much better. If you're on a PC or iMac, turn up the speakers.)



The second is Steve's son, Justin, doing a cover of his dad's Tom Ames' Prayer - another great song. As you can tell from the chit chat, Justin doesn't much like doing Steve's songs for whatever reason so it's rare to get a video of this quality. I first saw Justin play at a show at the Barbican in London when he toured with Steve and Steve's sister, Stacey. They all played acoustic sets and popped on and off the stage for duets or trios throughout the night. That was probably 7 or 8 years ago and Justin was just a long, tall kid. I've been waiting for him to release some of his stuff and he finally opened with an EP a few years (barely) back, Yuma. He's followed it up quickly with two full-length offerings: last year's The Good Life, and the just-released Midnight at the Movies. Both are excellent works and I think this could be a huge year for him; Midnight is that good. If you see him touring nearby, make an effort to get out and catch a set.>

sidle up to the bar, bring a #2 pencil.

X called this morning from the parking lot of the Bar Exam testing location. She’d been parked for a little while and gave me a call before heading inside and the inevitable filling of bubbles on a computer scan sheet. She primarily reported on other arriving drivers – and lawyer nominees – who felt the need to navigate the parking area by slipping between her car and a car two spaces over instead of simply going the additional 15 feet to the end of the row. As much as anything, it seemed an indictment of local drivers more so than law school alums. She said there was also some guy walking in and drinking from a paper bag; turns out it was soda but I wouldn’t be too sure. With that, we finished our call and I wished her luck as she headed into the jaws of the hypotheticals.

L. and I went to see Wall-E last night; my first, her second viewing. For those that have watched Pixar movies develop you can’t help but be amazed at the changes in computer animation since Toy Story. It’s not a knock on Toy Story, but the differences in the entire process are particularly obvious in Wall-E. After the debacle of Cars, Pixar got back to the basics of a good story with Ratatouille and then deliver a pretty tough punch to the solar plexus of the America in Wall-E. It’s nominally a love story that kids will find acceptable – cute robots, computers, funny voices – but the backdrop of the film is more of a haunting hidden behind the usual well-written dialogue and comedic efforts. The real target is consumerism and our faulty logic that everything will continue on forever and there’s no need to worry ourselves about the outcome. The people in the movie are simply soporific beings managed by food, video games, TV, Wal-Mart, and big easy chairs. I found myself quite taken aback at how easily the producers slipped the screwed-up humans right passed us – candidates for laughter instead of pity. I don’t know that a lot of the theater got it the first time through but I suspect that if there’s any spark of light in a person’s mind then it might hit light a fire later this week. Maybe I’m being to optimistic. It reminded me of something Steve Earle said at a show in Reno a few years back. He was playing some of his bluegrass songs from The Mountain and laughed at just “how much socialism you can slip into a bluegrass song and no one seems to notice”; I think Pixar has copied the formula.

We’ve got a bit of a heat wave rolling in over the next three or four days. I’ll try to keep cool and ungrumpy.

t

summer's musical opening

A few notes on music as the month opens, I can't help myself.


It took well over a month to arrive but my shipment that included the new EP from Justin Earle, and the newest from UK-based american wunderkinds, Redlands Palomino Company, finally arrived. Both are worth the wait for different reasons. Justin Earle (under the moniker that includes his middle name, Townes) is Steve Earle's eldest child who has a distant sound of his father. I had a great opportunity to see him about five years ago in London when he, his father, and his aunt Stacey were together doing acoustic sets at the Beyond Nashville festival. Justin did a song that night that I don't fully remember but I'm guessing it could have been Yuma from his new CD. What's so very interesting in the music is that I can hear the intensity of Steve Earle in a type of music that just beyond his sound. They can both tell great stories but Justin is more a folk artist than his father; it's a short chain between them, but it's one that's long enough to hear that distinct diffence. It might all reside in Justin's pounding guitar playing laid up against Steve's strumming and chords...I don't know, I can't even play guitar. It's an excellent opening effort.


I've read some not-so-great reviews of the Redlands Palomino Co. shows in the UK. Considering that they are the sweethearts of the americana-UK crowd (along with the long-lost Arlenes) I was a bit concerned about the new CD. No worries. Maybe Alex has rubbed some folk the wrong way for a few shows, maybe the endless touring takes its toll, maybe it was an off night; the new CD sits just below their debut, and that may change with more listens. Though the music isn't the same, what Redlands reminds me of is the feeling I had when I heard the first Son Volt album: this is the perfect mix of sound, music, and lyrics that I've always wanted. I'm trying to get them to America because they'd do well here in the mid-Atlantic. Maybe a bakesale to raise money for the trip. Another top-rate CD.

The heat has taken and won't go away until September. Come at your own risk.

T.

(Justin Townes Earle photograph by Joshua Black Wilkins. Redlands Palomino Co. press photo courtesy of the band's website...see link over on the left <<<<)

in a teapot

I’m generally on board with anyone turning the phrase “failure of leadership.” It’s not said enough, as if pointing a finger at those that should be leading is gauche. Fits into the same vein as Steve Earle saying that “questioning your government is never, ever, [explicative] unpatriotic.” Barack is officially in (I appear to have jumped the gun a few entries back, or had some scoobies…NYTimes calling) and he’s thrown a few nuggets to the crowd. He needs to keep hammering away at the problems, be decisive, be aggressive, and DO NOT politic-me-off; I don’t want him to walk the line…step over, draw a line, step over that, and take some stands. Two things that concern me; first, if he becomes president and serves two terms then he’s gone by the time he’s 55-years old…the prime of one’s life. (Maybe he’d consider some UN work?) Second, I can’t bear the thought of anyone spouting off the fact that he’s 45 and hasn’t the experience to run the country. (Stifling the need to dropkick our current “experienced” leader.) Get over it…he’s 45, he’s not part of the establishment problem we have, and I think we’re ready for youth. We’re ready for serious change, but I’m not convinced…yet. He’s got until the end of 2006 to convince me.

Back into the motorcar today to see The Tempest at a quaint little theatre off Dupont Circle*. Kt camped out for four days to get tickets for the Twins, the gatekeepers, and me. Oops…nevermind, that camping out was at Best Buy for the PlayStation 360. An excellent show, some middling acting (are the King and Prospero listening?), a good run time: 125 minutes of action – just like my live music requirements. The ‘Hot Toddies’ for this show, the envelope please, go to Ariel (played by Courtney Weber) and Stephano (played by Tim O’Kane). Both threw a ton of light on the show and overrode some stiff delivery (are the King and Prospero listening?) It was a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon…

I’m off to check the weather forecast for the AM…I want to ride but 15 degrees is asking more than the normal payment to the cycling Gods.

Here's a shot of "Wonder Twins, shape of the Sopranos..." and H studying his Shakespeare between acts. The boys really enjoyed the show, they were great...

Love to all.

T

*TforTodd is a city driving Ghandi.