Did Steve Earle Have the Best Three Album Run in Rock History? - by Colin Gawel

Steve Earle and the Dukes will be playing the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio Sunday, June 10th.

Among the many subjective questions music geeks like myself love arguing about online and in line at bars is the classic quandary: What are the best three album runs in rock n roll history? (Not including live records), Hell, almost every band with some success has made a pretty great record. Less have made two in a row. And fewer have cranked out three consecutive five star efforts.

I would like to use this space to suggest that starting with I Feel Alright and continuing with El Corazon and Transcendental Blues, Steve Earle had an amazing three record run that deserves to be mentioned among the most worthy of all time.

I Feel Alright (1996)  A great record by any standard, context is what really pushes I Feel Alright into five star territory. By this point in his career, Steve Earle was just an addict who under-achieved despite his enormous talents and opportunities. And quite frankly, as he writes in South Nashville Blues, was always on the verge of being killed or locked up again.

Along with Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle was going to save country from Nashville and its Music City excesses. And though all the guys in my band Watershed liked Steve Earle, something was always a little off. Guitar Town was good, not great. Exit 0 was uneven to say the least. And for all of its calculated AOR success, even Copperhead Road had kind of an unfocused, muddy pall about it. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the record, but compared  say, If There Was a Way by Dwight Yoakam, it was just missing something..

Turns out what was missing was sobriety and a clear mind from Mr. Earle. Following The Hard Way, Steve disappeared for five long years before dipping his toe back in the water with the folky Train a Comin’. It was pretty cool and the Watershed van was happy to be spinning some new Steve Earle again, but for guys who has spent New Year's Eve seeing KISS on the Crazy Nights Tour a mere seven years before, we weren’t really prepared for the mighty wind Steve had blowing on this record.

Then…. Steve dropped I Feel Alright. From the opening chords of the title track to the stunning finale of “You’re Still Standing There” (featuring a jaw-dropping cameo from Lucinda Williams), this record ruled our world.  

The very next year El Corazon was released. The album opener stopped me dead in my tracks. Nobody led off a record with a song like Christmas in Washington. Did they? That ain’t your granddaddy's Xmas song. Republicans bad. Woody Guthrie good. El Coro felt like an extension of the previous record and Steve was still rolling. Heavier moments like Here I Am (Live with The V-Roys!) balanced with heartbreakers like Fort Worth Blues. Man, Biggie would drive the van, dip and play this one all night long. 

(Ok, I know I’m cheating a bit, but Earle's next record, The Mountain, was a collaboration with the Del McCoury Band recorded as a tribute the founder of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, who had died in 1996. We are going to skip that one.)

Just when it seemed Steve was going to disappear up his own ass on a bluegrass bender he released his best, and possibly my favorite record of all time, Transcendental Blues (2000) Outside of Darkness on the Edge of Town, no record has meant more to me than this gem. Just spin it top to bottom over and over until you die. I have never tired of the title cut despite not being able to spell the word Transcendental or really understanding what it means. Even after reading the definition and after repeatedly looking up how to spell it. 

Coffee customers staring at me. I better jump. Check out these amazing records and catch Steve at the Newport June 10th or on tour later this summer with...wait for it…. Dwight Yoakam and Lucinda Williams.

Colin Gawel founded Pencilstorm and plays in the band Watershed. He wrote this while spilling hot stuff at Colin’s Coffee in Columbus, Ohio.

Concert Review & Gallery - Steve Earle & The Dukes - Fillmore, Detroit, September 21, 2017 - by Jeremy Porter

Steve Earle is really good at his job. Even if he hadn’t reminded us about three times during the course of his set, we would have known. He brings an air of professionalism, comfort, and yes - work - to the stage. “I’m sure that this is what I was put here to do, and I’m pretty good at it.” he said during an extended soliloquy over the intro to his last song. “I’ve fucked up pretty much everything else I’ve ever done.” he admitted, adding “I’m a pretty good dad.” as an afterthought.  

He’s become a bit of a polarizing figure over the years. His fans love his dedication to songwriting, his outspoken politics, and the history around his descent into heroin addiction, resulting in arrests and jail time, and ultimately his recovery and his subsequent return to the stage as one of the most respected and in-demand statesmen of the Americana music scene. There’s also the actor (great smaller roles on HBO’s Treme and The Wire) and the author (Doghouse Roses), adding to the resume of one of America’s greatest musical treasures.

His detractors have a hard time stomaching his intense southern-drawl-delivery, and there is some dichotomy in a hillbilly guitar player from Texas, then Nashville, taking such a hard-left political stance in an industry that generally leans the other way.  No doubt many bailed ship when he sobered up and took a more visible place on the soapbox, these days set up right in the heart of liberal Manhattan.  

Any naysayers seemed far away at The Fillmore last Thursday night. More often than not a general admission venue, it was a different setting, with folding chairs set up and no standing room.  It was clearly an older, mellower crowd, in stark contrast to most of the other shows I’ve seen there. It seemed pleasant and safe, lacking that punk-rock tension I am so familiar with at shows. (Is that a positive?) All things considered, I was open to and happy for the change, and settled in comfortably to enjoy the show.  

At 8 pm sharp, Earle came out to introduce the duo of Chris Masterson and his wife Elanor Whitmore - collectively The Mastersons - followed by 30 minutes of their folkrock/americana. The sound was rich & warm and surprisingly full for the 2-piece. as they focused mostly on their new album “Transient Lullaby.” Chris has a distinctive delivery that’s reminiscent of Gary Louris of the Jayhawks (I imagine he tires of hearing that). Elanor’s beautiful harmonies and leads, accompanied by her fiddle playing, blend well with Chris’ voice and guitar, creating a rich depth. They have great songs and an undeniable chemistry.   

Exactly 30 minutes later, they came back out for their day jobs as members of The Dukes, with their boss right behind, dressed in jeans and a leather vest, looking more fit and healthy than I’ve seen him, and playing a baby-blue Telecaster Deluxe. They kicked right into the title track of his latest album “So You Wanna be an Outlaw,” an homage to the great country albums of the early-to-mid 70s, specifically the classic “Honky-Tonk Heroes” record by Waylon Jennings. Energy was high and there were smiles all around as he was clearly taking an early stock of the audience, the room, and the sound bouncing around.  

The majority of the set was focused on the newer material, which is really strong and well-suited for the seated crowd. "News from Colorado" was an early standout, and one of my favorites from the album. He snuck his first single, "Guitar Town" in there early, with Masterson easily handling the vintage Nashville licks fans have grown accustomed to since it was a top-10 hit in 1986.  At about the mid-point, the triple whammy of Copperhead Road > Tanneytown > Hardcore Troubadour was unleashed to the delight of the crowd, who were now on their feet.  For any newbies, Copperhead Road is probably his best-known song, and like Tanneytown, a great visual narrative that is backed by gritty guitar work and ascending dramatic delivery.  If you’re looking, both are great places to start.  

When you walk into a Steve Earle show, you know going in that the music isn’t the only thing you’re going to get.  He has something to say, and he’ll make damn sure he gets it out. His banter can be dark & self-assessing or charged & political, and often delivered with a dry, humorous punchline. He touched on everything from the hurricanes, earthquakes and fires we’re seeing in North America, to the “orangutan” we elected as president last November, to his realization that he’s ultimately a romantic in every sense of the word. It got particularly deep and personal as he pondered the recent end of his seventh marriage and how he may eventually have to face the fact that there just might not be someone out there for everyone. If it came across like a therapy session, the audience was right there on the couch with him, enjoying the revealing look into the head that wrote all those great songs.  

Yeah, Steve Earle is really good at his job, and there was a certain feeling that he was at work during the show, but not in the way some miserable rock stars obviously phone it in and just want to get it over with. He treats it like work, with a full comprehension around the expectations of the product he’s being paid to deliver. But he loves this job, and never for one moment seemed to be going through the motions. He came across as sincere, gracious and engaged, focused and determined. His work ethic resulted in a quality couple hours of great art, and we walked away feeling thoroughly fulfilled.  Seeing someone like Steve Earle, who is 30+ years into a music career, and enjoying the new stuff as much as the old stuff, and witnessing a master at his craft, is a gift. Just pro in every way.  

Steve Earle's Website

Steve Earle's new album So You Wanna Be An Outlaw is available now! It's a fantastic collection of bluesy rock and roll, traditional country rock, and honest Americana.  One of the best of the year!  

~~~

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road-blog chronicling their adventures and see his photo series documenting the disgusting bathrooms in the dives they play. He's a whiskey snob, an unapologetic fan of "good" metal, and couldn't really care less about the UofM - OSU rivalry since he once saw The Stones at the Horseshoe. Still, go blue.     

www.thetucos.com
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