His dad is Steve Earle and he’s named after Townes Van Zandt. So, for musician Justin Townes Earle, finding his way in Americana-folk-country has been a rather seamless endeavor. His career began with an EP called Yuma—a quiet, guitar plucking few songs that’s a mild introduction to some of his more well-rounded full-lengths, especially as heard on Harlem River Blues and Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now. But his collective sound has led him to some high profile gigs, such as SXSW, Newport Folk Festival, Bonnaroo, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where JTE lived and played in other bands in his early career called The Distributors and The Swindlers.
Known for his surprise pop-up shows at 11th Street Bar in the East Village, JTE is just that kind of cool and under the radar type of musician—just a lanky guy smoking cigarettes outside the bar with a beer in his hand and his intelligent glasses on, waiting to dominate loyal (and in-the-know) fans with his super deep, vintagy, whiskey-leather voice, and then slither out when the show’s over and return to life in the city. It’s songs like “Down on the Lower East Side”—a rainy, bluesy tune that romanticizes his beloved New York as he sings: “And the city is unforgiving when you got nobody to love. But it’s more and more these days I find I need a place to hide. And it’s easy to get away when you’re down on the lower east side.”
Whether it’s about loneliness or the city or love or the troubles he’s had with both his parents, it’s in Justin Townes Earle’s slower songs that you can’t help but to be pulled all the way in and feel exactly what it is he’s singing about. Feel it, love it, and sing it all with him at City Winery.
Jan 10
8 p.m.
With: Carsie Blanton
$25+
Citywinery.com
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