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| Steve Earle plays harmonica & guitar simultaneously |
No sane, pop-musically aware person denies that Steve Earle is a great songwriter. Several superb Americana artists have recognized Earle's genius by covering his tunes. They make for a diverse Who's Who, from the sublime to the ridiculous: Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Travis Tritt & that achy-breaky Miley maker, Billy Ray Cyrus.
Steve also plays his own songs brilliantly in concert. I've now witnessed him do it twice & I can attest to the Hardcore Troubadour's enduring performance chops. But on Saturday night (August 8th) at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin (USA), Steve Earle & the Dukes blew the roof off the joint with a pair of groovy covers, both rock 'n' roll radio hits released in 1966: Jimi Hendrix's menacing "Hey Joe" & The Trogg's riff-rich "Wild Thing."
The latter was itself a cover of a Chip Taylor song first recorded by an obscure US group, the Wild Ones, in 1965. And it was later covered, of course, by the Jimi Hendrix Experience during their incendiary set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
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| cover art by Tony Fitzpatrick, a Chicago-based painter |
Steve Earle & the Dukes played a half dozen numbers from their bluesy February release, Terraplane (New West Records; produced by Ray Kennedy). One of the finest cuts is "You're the Best Lover I Ever Had," a touching duet between Steve Earle & Eleanor Whitmore. In his liner notes, Steve explains why he turned to the blues for inspiration on his 16th studio album:
"Hell, everybody's sick of all my f***ing happy songs anyway."
Part of what made Saturday's concert feel special was Steve Earle's charming affection for the people of Madison - or "Mad City," as he called it in one of his many brief but entertaining monologues. Ever the gentleman, Steve said he understood long ago that we Madisonians "know what's going on."
Introducing "My Old Friend the Blues" (from his masterful 1986 album Guitar Town, which also delivered such gems as "Someday" & "Fearless Heart," which the audience also got to hear live on Saturday), Earle quipped:
"There are many remedies for the blues," Steve said. He paused dramatically, then delivered the punchline: "But there is no cure."
There's also no cure for idiocy. I'm talking about that inebriated concertgoer intent on ruining the experience of others through his obliviousness. For example, at this show I had to deal with a pair of drugged-out, talkative, gesticulating morons in the row of folding chairs ahead of mine. I could finally take no more, so I leaned in to serve a reality check to one of those young buttheads (he was sporting a red bandana headband, no less).
"Less talk and more listening, otherwise I'll have all of you f***ers ejected. Got it?"
Apparently he did. After recovering from the shock of my threat, he moved up to the front row. Even so, he was warned by ushers several times to stay in his seat instead of dancing in the aisle. He finally left the show early & went outside to bother a pedicab driver. By then, I'd already relocated to the back of the 1000-seat theater, where the volume of the music didn't quite require earplugs.
The Dukes are a tight backing unit. On drums is Will Rigby, a co-founder of power pop pioneers the dB's. Will has been a member of Steve Earle's crew since the turn of the century. The giant acoustic & manly electric bass was handled by Kelly Looney, a collaborator since 1988 who now resides in France. Opening duo The Mastersons, comprised of husband Chris Masterson (lead guitars, vocals & celebratory pick-tossing) & wife Eleanor Whitmore (fiddle, keyboards & vocals), fill out the band.
In addition to his growling baritone vocals, Steve Earle chimed in on rhythm guitar (acoustic & electric), mandolin ("Galway Girl"!) & harmonica (when possible, using a retro hand-held microphone). He has a forthcoming memoir in 2015, the year ol' reliable Steve turned 60 (in January). Onstage the ex-con & former crack addict mentioned that he's celebrating 20 years of sobriety this year as well.
The Terraplane was an affordable automobile, manufactured by the Hudson Motor Company from 1932 to 1938. I advise you to take a ride with Steve Earle & the Dukes on this tour. Their late model Terraplane blues album, featuring all original Steve Earle songs, will take you to some beautiful sonic places. Precious few records manage to accomplish that much nowadays.
Links:
http://steveearle.com/
"Go Go Boots Are Back" (audio stream)
Twangnation 's Terraplane review & update on Steve Earle
http://www.americansongwriter.com/2015/09/steve-earle-tackles-confederate-flag-controversy-with-mississippi-its-time/
