TAS Live Review: Justin Townes Earle At Webster Hall, December 18

If Justin Townes Earle did only public speaking, then he might appear as a bit of an unsavory character. He talks openly and bluntly about his vices; he is smirking and unapologetic. He even makes it seem sort of fun, so you find yourself wondering, "Would I be this entertaining if I gave in to these activities too?" It's hard to tell whether he is making light of his demons - stints in rehab, addiction - or merely clearing any elephants from any rooms, yet it all coalesces for the greater purpose of becoming inextricably bound with his music. And in a way, he does this all with a sense of mischief, to carry on the musical legacies of both his father and his namesake.

Earle, son of Steve Earle and named for Steve's mentor, Townes van Zandt, is an honest-to-goodness charmer, and that was no more evident than when he took the stage at New York's Webster Hall last Saturday. With his fiery band consisting of Josh Hedley slicing open the fiddle and Bryn Davies walloping her upright bass, Earle delivered a set  that would make even the stuffiest judge give in to his roguish abandon.

After poignant solo opener "Who Am I To Say," Earle and his band began to rock, like the house band at the hootenanny. The Nashville-bred songwriter showed off his innate grasp of junky blues, Southern gospel and travelers' folk music in the style of an apparent hero, fellow rascal Woody Guthrie. There were 1950s rockabilly solos you'd expect to hear on a vintage Gibson, but played instead by Hedley on the bluegrass fiddle, while Earle stuck to his acoustic guitar for the whole set.

Lyrically, Earle provides more introspective insight to his habits, from the generally benign (fried chicken) to the destructive (alcohol, cocaine, pain pills) and experiences with women that never seem to end well. "Harlem River Blues," the title track from his recent third album, imagines a sort-of baptism for his misdeeds whilst drowning in the dirty shores of New York City. But then there's "Mama's Eyes" which Earle prefaced by stating, "My mom raised my wild ass on her own, this is the least I can do," showing that he is, at heart, a mama's boy.

Quoting Townes van Zandt, Earle explained that there are only two types of music: the blues and "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."  "Happy songs make you feel like s**t," he added, indicating the latter type. It's hard to imagine what Earle's music might sound like if he were happy and stable, but his music is mature, fun and raucous despite the pain at its roots. Scratch that -- perhaps it's precisely that it comes from these rather dark places that makes it just so enthralling.

Sadly, we missed the emotive singing of planned opener Jessica Lea Mayfield, who got stranded due to a Midwestern snow dump. But luckily, Dawn Landes' adorable country swagger and the Teddy Thompson's British-style folk rock more than made up for her absence. If Earle channeled Guthrie's wiles, then Thompson added some Buddy Holly wholesomeness to the evening.

Set List:
Who Am I To Say
Move Over Mama
They Killed John Henry
I Don't Care
Ain't Glad I'm Leaving
Mama's Eyes
Mama Said
One More Night in Brooklyn
Ain't Waitin'
Christchurch Woman
Wanderin'
Slippin' and Slidin'
I Been Burnin' Bad Gasoline (Lightnin' Hopkins cover)
It Won't Be the Last Time
South Georgia Sugar Babe
Someday I'll Be Forgiven For This
Halfway to Jackson
Midnight At the Movies
Walk Out
Harlem River Blues

Encore:
Louisiana 1927 (Randy Newman cover)
Can't Hardly Wait (The Replacements cover)

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ0u5xJhpIc]

Justin Townes Earle plays the YMCA Boulton Center For the Performing Arts in Bayshore, NY on January 8