Justin Townes Earle
Mar 26, 2012
Like father, like son, so they say. And in many ways that adage holds true for Justin Townes Earle. Like his father, Steve, this young man has had his bouts with substance abuse, but unlike his father, he seems to have gotten a handle on his demons earlier in his life. And just like his father, he was born with a natural talent for taking the traditional sounds of America and giving them a fresh coat of paint.
Born and raised in Nashville, he now resides in New York's East Village. In September 2009, Earle received an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year and in 2011 he won a similar award for Song Of The Year. Just one week later, Earle retreated to the western mountains of North Carolina to record his fifth studio album, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now. It was recorded live (no overdubs) in a converted church in Asheville, NC over a four-day period with Harlem River Blues (his previous album) co-producer Skylar Wilson.
In many ways this effort shows a maturity to Earle's music that should allow him to enter the more mainstream consciousness of the Triple A format. While still rootsy, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now moves the artist toward a Memphis-soul direction. In addition to the first single, "Look the Other Way," you should also pay attention to "Am I That Lonely Tonight?," "Maria," "Down on the Lower East Side," "Memphis in the Rain" and the title track.
"Great songs are great songs," Earle said. "If you listen to a lot of soul music, especially the Stax Records stuff, the chord progressions are just like country music. And just like country music, soul music began in the church, so it has its roots in the same place."
Earle is currently on an extensive tour with runs over to Australia, New Zealand and Europe between gigs in the States. He will be on "The Later Show with David Letterman" on March 28th. He is also scheduled for appearances on Mountain Stage, World Cafe and eTown.
- 3/29 Castle Theatre, Bloomington, IL
- 3/30 Mission Creek Music Fest, Iowa City, IA
- 3/31 Ellen Kennedy Fine Arts Center, Cascade, IA
- 5/03 Fitzgerald's, Houston
- 5/04 Antone's, Austin
- 5/05 Club Dada, Dallas
- 5/07 Varsity Theatre, Minneapolis
- 5/08 Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI
- 5/10 Park West/ Chicago, IL
- 5/11 The Bluestone, Columbus, OH
- 5/12 The Opera House, Toronto, ON
- 5/13 Town Ballroom, Buffalo
- 5/14 Pearl Street Nightclub, Northampton, MA
- 5/16 Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA
- 5/17 Webster Hall, New York
- 5/18 The Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria, VA
- 5/19 Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia
- 5/20 Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis, MD
- 5/22 Lewis Ginter Bontanical Gardens, Richmond, VA
- 5/23 he Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC
- 5/24 The Square Room, Knoxville, TN
- 5/25 Roswell Cultural Arts Center, Roswell, GA
- 6/01 Track 29, Chattanooga, TN
- 6/02 The Ryman Auditorium, Nashville
- 6/03 Mountain Stage, Charleston, WV
- 6/28 El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
- 6/29 Great American Music Hall
- 6/30-7/01 Kate Wolf Music Festival, Laytonville, CA
- 7/03 Aladdin Theatre, Portland, OR
- 7/04 Rio Theatre, Vancouver, BC
- 7/06 Showbox Theatre, Seattle
- 7/14 Forecastle Fest, Louisville
- 7/26-29 Calgary Folk Music Festival, Calgary, AB
- 8/18 Hot August Blues, Cockeysville, MD
For more information about the artist visit www.justintownesearle.com