Remember when country music
was full of bad-asses? Men like George Jones, Porter Waggoner, and Johnny Cash.
Men who lived fast, dressed sharp, and sang passionately — before
partying hard once the show was over.
Instead, contemporary
country in the 21st century is full of almost-rans masquerading as divas.
Leather pants. Highlights in their hair. And not a rhinestone or Stetson in
sight. Hell, if you watched Keith Urban perform at halftime of the New Orleans
Saints-Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving football game, you probably thought you were
watching an emo-rock band bring the house down in country music’s heartland.
All of which makes the
vintage smoky-voiced aesthetic of Justin Townes Earle all the more desirable.
The skinny troubadour boasts that ghostly, early country look. Tattoos litter
his bony arms. Repeated run-ins with the law (and rehab) have only shored up
his street cred, while giving him plenty of real-life angst to draw from when
it comes time to sit down and write a song.
And make no mistake —
songwriting is in Justin Townes Earle’s blood. His father is Steve Earle, a
maverick country-rocker as well known for his political rabble-rousing as for
his own sinful transgressions. And Justin’s quirky middle name? That comes from
legendary cult hero Townes Van Zandt, who himself died 44 years to the day
after Hank Williams, Sr., perhaps the most iconic country songwriter of all
time. EasternSurf.com caught up with
Earle just after Thanksgiving to talk about his own troubles, his newfound love
for New York, and his desire to stimulate as many senses as possible.
ESM: Did
you have a good Thanksgiving, Justin?
Justin Townes Earle: Yeah, except I was driving for the entirety of the
day. I left New York around noon, and got into Nashville around 2:00 a.m.
ESM: Which
gives us the perfect opportunity to ask about your move a few years ago from
Nashville, TN, to the Big Apple.
JTE: I
needed to expand artistically, and Nashville had offered me everything it could. The
only thing left to do in Tennessee was move to Memphis, and I didn’t think that
was a good place to be for someone who was trying not to drink and use drugs.
So I decided to follow Woody Guthrie up to New York. I’ve always loved the city,
especially the East Village area of Manhattan, which is where I live. I’d say
that moving here has probably been the best decision in my life.
ESM: You
mentioned Woody, but your move also has shades of Bob Dylan’s — except
for the fact that you were already well known, with a critically acclaimed body
of work, before you came East.
JTE: New
York’s given me a lot more to write about, because the city spins 24 hours a
day. New York has that magic about it — if you’re there and you’re
focused and you’re ready to work, good things can happen if you’re smart about
it. I went from a relatively unknown Americana artist who was only known by
reviewers and record label owners and other musicians, and now I’ve definitely seen
a surge that has raised my profile a lot. That wasn’t offered to me in Tennessee.
ESM: Even
with your new urban surroundings, your music is still paying homage to
traditional country, classic folk, and early blues. Have those early 20th-century
art forms maintained their appeal?
JTE: They
always will — it’s kind of just what’s in my blood. I’m first generation
on either side of my family born into a city. My mom’s family all came from
Eastern Kentucky, and my father grew up in a tiny town called Schertz, TX, on
the outskirts of San Antonio. I’ve always mixed my urban surroundings with the
old formats. And it’s more the formats than the content that I’m interested in
— I don’t know anything about Leadbelly’s content, because I’ve never
lived it. But I know about mine, and that’s the great part about this music, is
it’s kind of universal. You can fit anything you want into it, and talk about
satellite radio and cell phones.
ESM: Your
2010 album Harlem River Blues charted
higher than any of your previous records. Did you ever think your brand of old-timey
charm could find success in this modern world?
JTE: It’s
definitely given me a big boost, with much higher ticket and record sales this
time around. I’m glad that it’s all coming together — when you have to
struggle through it the whole time, this is a hell of way to make a living.
It’s very tiring work.
ESM: And
we know you’ve had your fair share of struggles — you were arrested in
September after an Indianapolis show for battery and public intoxication. Did
that serve as a wake-up call?
JTE: Yeah,
it did — that whole thing humanized me again. I have this flaw in my
make-up where I started using drugs so young, and I’ve spent so much of my life
in this alternate reality with patches of clean time in the middle, that it’s
really hard for me… It planted my feet back on the ground. When I drink and do
drugs, bad things happen. That’s just the way it is. Stupid things. I go to
jail, spend too much money… and those are the least of what happens. So I think
it was good timing — I’m gonna be 30 in a year, and I’m slowly realizing
that I’m not 18 anymore. It hurts [laughs]; I don’t bounce back like I used to.
ESM: Do
you feel like you’ve completely slayed those demons?
JTE: I’m
not saying it’ll be the last time I drink and use drugs again. God knows I’ve
learned to quit trying to predict what the hell is gonna happen in my life, because
it’s never, ever been what I thought.
ESM: You
had to cancel some dates back in September because of rehab, but now that
you’ve restarted your tour, has everything gone according to plan so far?
JTE: Yeah,
we did two nights in Nashville at the Mercury Lounge, and it worked out great
with two sell-out shows. And doing that in Nashville is a very rewarding thing
— this is not a town that gets crazy about music, because they live with
it every day. You’ll see national acts come to Nashville that do great
everywhere else, but they won’t do fuck all in Nashville.
ESM: But
you’ve got a host of East Coast dates upcoming, mostly in small venues. Do you like
mixing things up like that?
JTE: Yeah,
I definitely do. The place I played in Mobile, AL, was in a room that only held
50 people. Of course, it was a $45 ticket, but it gave me the chance to be in
the crowd again. I’ve gotten to the point where I do dread places that don’t have
dressing rooms, but you gotta just roll with the punches.
ESM: You’ve
been expanding outside of the music world — appearing on TV shows like
“Treme,” popping up in mainstream magazines. Are those extracurricular
activities important parts of an artist’s career?
JTE: It’s
pretty vital in this particular climate we’re in. The U.S. is supposedly
climbing its way out of this recession, but I don’t really believe it — I
don’t see it on the street level as we travel around. It affects all aspects of
life, including art, and in order to be successful you have to get your face and
name out there in as many ways as you can.
ESM: Like
being named one of GQ’s 25 Best Dressed
Men for 2010? That doesn’t seem very country — until you look back to the
genre’s early days, when showmanship was paramount. Is that side of performance
important to you?
JTE: Without
question. I get so sick and tired of seeing bands all look the same, all in
ratty ass blue jeans, all looking like they just woke up wearing plaid shirts. I
dress like that in my everyday life, but when people are paying hard-earned
money — and these days, it really is hard-earned money — they
deserve a spectacle. They deserve something that’s visually and audibly good. That’s
very, very important these days. Hell, you’ve also got to remember that the
attention span of the average person is getting short and shorter. So you’ve
gotta stimulate as many senses as you can possibly can.
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE TOUR DATES:
12/9 Crowbar……………………………….. Ybor City, FL
12/10 The Social…………………………….. Orlando, FL
12/11 Mojo Kitchen………………………….. Jacksonville
Beach, FL
12/12 Pour House…………………………… Charleston, SC
12/13 Cat’s Cradle…………………………… Carrboro, NC
12/14 The Grey Eagle……………………….. Asheville, NC
12/16 First Unitarian Church………………… Philadelphia, PA
12/17 Royale………………………………….. Boston, MA
12/18 Webster Hall…………………………… New York, NY
12/19 9:30 Club……………………………….. Washington, DC
For all things Justin Townes Earle, visit www.justintownesearle.com
