Damn Fine: Justin Townes Earle at the Tractor
If Justin Townes Earle hadn't become a musician, he'd probably have to change his name. The son of Steve Earle, one of the most critically acclaimed singer-songwriters, he was also named for the equally legendary songwriter Townes Van Zandt. When two thirds of your name come from music royalty, you'd best get on stage, and quick. Fortunately for the crowd at the Tractor Tavern last night, Justin Townes Earle lived up to his name. We'll tell you all about it after the jump.
The crowd at the Tractor last night was diverse: two pretty college girls milled around before the show discussing their cell phone contracts while a group of plaid-clad grizzled Ballard regulars quietly nursed their Rainiers. A sizable contingent of couples in their 40s and 50s walked in, excited to be out on a Monday. Someone pulled a folding chair from somewhere and sat calmly in the middle of the crowd. It was an impressive audience for a Monday night, and the audience seemed to know what they wanted. The cowboy boots hanging from the ceiling of the Tractor seemed to fit.
Opening for Earle, Chicago singer-songwriter Joe Pug sang songs of lost love and social upheaval, frowning as he played his guitar. He gave it all he had, but his earnestly Guthrie-esque commentary fell a little flat on the crowd: They were here for some barnstorming country fun, not for protest songs.
Steve Earle played on the PA between sets - what was his son's reaction backstage? Was Justin Townes Earle reassured or pressured by those songs? Or just bored by songs he'd heard thousands of times before? Questions like these evaporated as soon as Earle and his band got on stage. You can tell how engaged a crowd is by the cell phone glow of people texting distractedly, and no one was touching their iPhones last night.
Flanked by a bearded, bow-tied violinist and a buxom stand-up bass player, Earle wore a goofy smile almost too big for his face the entire time. He wore a natty suit and tie, but his mood was anything but serious.
Earle dedicated one song to Woody Guthrie "wherever he is, and he's out there somewhere," and another to his mother, a "six foot woman who could kick the ass of any man in here, guaranteed." His songs were often little stories, but aside from that, JTE's music didn't have much in common with his father's wry (and often cynical) political narratives.
"Damn fine! I'm feeling damn fine!" he whooped at one point. He had a reason for feeling so good. Earle owned the Tractor. From the moment he took the stage on, we knew we were in the presence of a grinner and a charmer. Earle sings slow songs about sad people, and fast songs about people who used to be sad, but as much as his music is about turbulent relationships and week-long drunks, his performance was one of sheer unalloyed fun. He wore a suit and hit every cue, but we could tell he was having a blast, and he played the crowd's mood like a professional. Grinning like he could have a fine career in comedy, Earle got the crowd hooting and stamping their feet all night long.
