New Music From Steve Earle on Calabash Music

Just Another American Boy

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:44:53 -0600

One of the strongest voices to come out of the Nashville singer songwriter scene, Steve Earle remains a dogged individualist, who has written country music classics, tours the US with his hard rocking band, the Dukes and has even collaborated with Bluegrass great Del McCoury. But the other side of Earle is political. In the documentary "Just An American Boy" he tells his audience,"The most important thing to remember is, no matter what anybody tells you it is never, ever unpatriotic or un-American to question anything in a democracy." His songs, such as 'Over Yonder' and 'Billy Austin' with their anti death penalty message, and 'The Ballad of John Walker Lindh' an empathetic look at the 'American Taliban' have placed him in the center of controversy. The song 'Amerika v. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do)' written for the movie 'John Q.' proved too critical of the status quo to be used.

'Just an American Boy' documents Earle's 2002 tour supporting the release of his CD 'Jerusalem' and provides an up close look at a talented artist with an uncompromising agenda, and a decidedly populist viewpoint. The film is available on DVD and there is a double CD with live performances from the film, and several extra tracks.

Jerusalem

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:44:53 -0600

In describing, Jerusalem, Steve Earle says, "This is a political record because there seems no other proper response to the place we're at now. But I'm not trying to get myself deported or something. In a big way this is the most pro-American record I've ever made. In fact, I feel URGENTLY American. I understand why none of those congressmen voted against The Patriot Act, out of respect for the Trade Center victims' families. I've sat in the death house with victims' families, seen them suffer. But this is an incredibly dangerous piece of legislation. Freedoms, American freedoms, things voted into law as American freedoms, everything that came out of the 1960's, are disappearing, and as any patriot can see, that has to be opposed."

Transcendental Blues

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:44:53 -0600

Steve Earle became a guiding light in the alternative country of the '90s with his ambitious blend of the attitude of outlaw country, the sheer power of heartland rock populism and the well-crafted lyrical commitment of America's greatest singer/songwriters.

All of that would have been more than enough for most folks, but Steve Earle - like Bob Dylan, John Lennon and John R. Cash--is in it for the long haul; repeatedly uncovering and tapping into myriad sources while maintaining an artistic essence which is unmistakably his own. Drawing on strong, snaky roots which tap into ancient waters, Earle welded rock muscle to country, Texas to Nashville, traditional to progressive, Beatles to Stones, Irish to Americana, punk to bluegrass and, uh, the blues to transcendence.