A Far Cry From Dead

Steve Earle - Townes

Note: While I'm busy doing something close to nothing, but different from the day before, Tyge from The Neon Lounge chimes in with another guest post.

Townes Van Zandt was a songwriter's songwriter. His songs have been covered by Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones and The Cowboy Junkies, among others. In 1996, Nashville's own Jonell Mosser released Around Townes, a thirteen song cd of Van Zandt covers. Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt was released in 2001 and features various musicians including Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Lucinda Williams and Robert Earl Keen.

Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle were long-time friends. Both hailed from Texas and both came to Nashville for the music. They lived hard and played guitar even harder. Steve would later say of Townes, "He was a good teacher but a bad influence." One only needs to see Be Here To Love Me, a documentary about Van Zandt, to understand Steve's sentiments.

So it was with great anticipation that I picked up Earle's new cd of Van Zandt songs, simple titled Townes. I heard the pre-released version of "Lungs" and was impressed with Earle's harsh (ala "Copperhead Road") take on it. Unfortunately, it's one of only a few songs on the album that grabs you. At first it seems there's no continuity between the songs. It's also obvious that many of them would have faired better on any number of Earle's past albums. His bluegrassy version of "White Freightliner Blues" would have been at home on his cd The Mountain while the serene melodies of "Colorado Girl" and "No Place To Fall" would have been great additions to Transcendental Blues. "Brand New Companion" would have fit well on I Feel Alright or at the very least, as a b-side to "CCKMP." There's also some songs that should have never been touched by Steve ("Rake" and "Marie"), as no amount of effort will do justice to Van Zandt's originals. Earle does do an impressive duet with his son, Justin Townes Earle, on the fast-paced "Mr. Mudd And Mr. Gold." If you've never heard the song, it's complex lyrics make R.E.M's "It's The End of The World As We Know It" look like remedial English.

The silver lining is that for a limited time (and for a few dollars more) you can buy Townes with a bonus eleven song disc that features most of the songs stripped-down to the basics. If you don't like Earle's distorted/amplified voice on "Lungs" or the throbbing drums on "Loretta," this disc is for you. In fact, the bonus disc is definitely the better of the two. By eliminating Earle's "bling" and bringing the songs down to their original beauty, you'll realize the now uncluttered album is right up there with Earle's critically acclaimed cd, Train A Comin'. Also, when listening to the bonus cd you'll realize that Townes Van Zandt was indeed one of the best American songwriters to have lived. I think that's what Steve wanted us to know all along.

Gimme Some Money

I had imagined that this post would be a review of Sunday night's "Unwigged & Unplugged" concert at the Ryman. For those not in the know, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are currently on tour performing songs from This Is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind, among other material. And I was really looking forward to seeing them... right up until the point that I realized by the time Ticketmaster's "service" fees were added, the tickets would be just shy of seventy bucks a pop. As much as I loved Spinal Tap (and really liked A Mighty Wind), the price of admission was just too rich for my blood. I mean, Flight Of The Conchords only set me back $35. Now I realize there's only two of them, but it hardly seems like hearing "Big Bottom" on acoustic guitars was worth twice what I paid to see everyone's favorite Kiwis turning "Sugalumps" into a slow jam.

So instead, I'll reminisce about the time I saw Spinal Tap at Starwood Ampitheater back in 1992. I remember my friend and I had bought lawn tickets, but apparently demand didn't come close to meeting capacity. We arrived to find the hill roped off, and ushers directing us to the reserved seating area. Even after getting all the general admission folks under the shed, the place was half full at best. It wasn't quite like when they played the amusement park and debuted their "new direction" after Nigel left in the movie, but it was close.

The show however was fantastic. It was chalk full of all the ridiculous 80's heavy metal cliches that made the movie so great. Derek got stuck in a pod during "Rock and Roll Creation." Nigel played the guitar with a violin during his guitar solo, then threw horseshoes around it. And when it came time for "Stonehendge," a UPS guy delivered the still too small model of the monument. But undoubtedly the highlight occurred during "Break Like The Wind." The band brought out Bela Fleck as a special guest, and during an extended solo, Bela proved that it is absolutely possible to shred on a banjo. Christopher Guest basically broke character and spent the entire time staring at Fleck in amazement.

As great as the show was though, my most lasting memory is the concert t-shirt. It commemorated their single at the time, "Bitch School," and looked remarkably like the fabled lost album cover to Smell The Glove, minus the glove. I spent two years hiding that t-shirt from a feminist ex-girlfriend who thought it was the most sexist thing she had ever seen (I thought it was sexy), and wanted nothing more than to tear is into shreds, then burn it. Luckily it survives to this day.

Music For Airports

Last month the GF and I took a weekend trip up to Pennsylvania. Our flight back was on Sunday night, and once we got up to cruising altitude and the use of portable electronic devices was approved, I broke out the ipod and starting dialing around trying to find the soundtrack for the short two hour flight back to BNA. As has happened the last couple of times I've flown anywhere, I ended up listening to The National's Boxer.

It's funny how sometimes music can become linked to a particular place or event. And for me, Boxer has become the sound of a night time flight. I've tried to figure out exactly why that is... maybe it's that the combination of Matt Berninger's voice and the band's pull/drag rhythms somehow captures the lethargy of sitting in a pressurized cabin in the dark. Maybe it's that they have that kind of slightly distant, modern sound that somehow matches the futuristic sense that air travel has always had. Whatever it is, that album has become my go to listening for PM air travel.

Another example for me of how music can become inextricably linked to a particular time and place is Mazzy Star. Like everyone, I'd heard "Hallah" and "Fade Into You," but the first time I'd ever listened to one of their albums wasn't until I visited Las Vegas for the first time. The combination of reverb drenched vocals, languid strumming and tambourine perfectly captured the feeling of late autumn nights (and booze filled early mornings) in the desert.
So if you're flying to Las Vegas anytime soon, consider these my gift to you...

The National - "Slow Show" (mp3) from Boxer
Mazzy Star - "Happy" (mp3) from Among My Swan