grass stains: Justin Townes Earle at Webster Hall

I was late finding Justin Townes Earle. The son of legendary Americana musician Steve Earle and critically acclaimed young star from SXSW 2009, Justin caught my ear on The Big Surprise Tour at the Beacon Theater, which also included David Rawlings Machine (featuring Gillian Welch), Old Crow Medicine Show and The Felice Brothers. I don’t know if was a poor sound system (we could barely catch any lyrics for Old Crow or The Felice Brothers), the Jersey rednecks on my row (yes, they exist and they spilt beer on my bag) or the fact that the Felice Brothers were just so awful (I hate them), but it just wasn’t the best show overall. However Justin, David and Gillian saved the night for me with amazing sets.  Justin hits NYC this Wednesday at Webster Hall with Dan Auerbach and Jessica Lea Mayfield.

Since the show at the Beacon, I’ve bought all of Justin’s albums and have listen to them all the way through more times than any another album in the last month or so. His latest album, Midnight at the Movies, and his EP from a few years back, Yuma, are loaded with a mix of old-time tunes and brilliant originals. Of note, “Mama’s Eyes” of Midnight touches on his relationship with his dad (see performance at Paste below) and “What I Mean To You” is probably my favorite track.

Midnight at The Movies on Amazon

JTE on MySpace

Webster Hall site