lamradio Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Last time I saw Justin (about a year ago) he was playing with pre-recorded tracks so that it sounded like three guitars (because it was.) He may not have been doing that the night you saw him. He is a good picker though. LouieB Are you positive it was pre-recorded tracks? He really is that good.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 He's unbelievably good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Fantastic playing on this one too. I wish he'd release a solo live album of tunes played in this style. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Are you positive it was pre-recorded tracks? He really is that good....Maybe I was flashing back on Jon Brion or Andrew Bird. Seemed like he was a bit augmented, but you are right he is a very good guitar player. (There are alot of folks using loops these days.) I could well be wrong. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Yeah, he's been a major inspiration to me as a guitarist. The Travis style picking is very difficult to learn, but once you do so much can be done with it. Daniel Romano is another player that is great at the style. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dagwave Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 fro m my 11/14 post in "live tonight": Killer picker- i was checking around corner for second guitarist when he was solo (opening and mid-show), my friend even checked rig for looping gear, and there was none present.Encored w/ full band "Can't Hardly Wait" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RaspberryJam Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 He's really great and I enjoyed him immensely when I saw him earlier this year. I would love it if someone could show me how that is done without prerecording. I hear sounds without corresponding finger work. Does not compute, but I'm not a guitar player, so I'm totally ready to admit that I don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jknne Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I can confirm that he doesn't use any looping or prerecorded tracks. I saw him in Minneapolis last summer and he made some comments aroung how people have been saying he uses prerecorded tracks because there's no way he can make all the sounds they're hearing by himself. He said "I just want to say for the record, that i DO NOT use any prerecorded or looped tracks." He then proceeded to tear into Bad Gasoline all by himself. I followed his fingers very closely as i was sitting pretty close and he really does do it all himself. The beauty of travis picking is that the 2 fingers give you flexibility to be quicker with your licks than just about any other style. Much of the sounds he gets are created by very subtle left hand movements and he lets a LOT of strings ring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I was sitting very close to JTE on the 12-12-12 show and I can confirm that there were no prerecorded tracks or loopers involved. Only Gibson Nick Lucas and a capo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Okay, that is kind of nice that we cleared this up. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dagwave Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 "justin" time for xmas. whew. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cold as Gasoline Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Drove from Chicago to Appleton, Wisconsin this past weekend just to hear JTE and wanted to share what was a highlight of my summer. Cory Chisel was the impetus behind the Mile of Music festival in Appleton, and it was pretty spectacular what he was able to achieve. I thought it would be a handful of mediocre local bands, but (at least the Saturday I attended) packed with talent and local charm. I especially loved the band PHOX which played a free show in Houdini Square in the middle of town. The vocalist was subtle and jazzy and lovely. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jcp1ViS0Pk Can you believe that the headline show on a Saturday with Rodney Crowell, Justin Townes Earle, Nicole Atkins (In my next life I want to be a badass rocker chick like her http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmOFrDtcX3w) and 2 other local acts was $30 in the local Lawrence U. chapel and was NOT sold out? 5 acts on a saturday night including JTE for $30? Maybe this is shocking to me because in Chicago the bill would go for so much more and everyone would complain about how tickets were inaccessible. Justin's guitar skills are just jaw-dropping to witness up close. It sounds like he has 2 or more guitars and a percussion person playing along, but it's just him. He played all my favorites right up front (They Killed John Henry, Harlem River Blues, One More Night In Brooklyn) and continued to impress, with a killer version of Lightnin' Hopkins' "Automobile Blues" that brought down the house http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk677khGbUI. The banter was great. He commented about how a lot of his songs were about his "Mommy and Daddy issues", and said that he has been off the circuit because he's been staying with his Mama in Tennessee, as she has been ill. He played the title track of his upcoming new album, which he says is titled "Single Mothers". I cannot stop thinking about how good he was. Rodney Crowell did a surprisingly moving and lovely show, featuring a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty" which he optimistically assumed the whole audience would know well enough to sing along to. His songwriting got a distinct spotlight in the tiny venue, and the crowd just loved him. This kind of small local music festival is like a little treasure. Already planning to go next year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Checked out "Single Mothers".. Not too keen on it.. I liked his last album ok, but I'm afraid he's getting away from what made him awesome--that rootsy/country/dixieland jazz sound.. Now he's doing straight soul type stuff and his voice doesn't match well with it.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RaspberryJam Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I need to take a listen. Seeing him live and trying to figure out how he gets that much sound out of his guitar was pretty cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Yeah he's still a phenomenal guitarist, and I'd see him live again if he came to town. But I just don't like the direction his music is going. Hopefully he'll go back to his roots eventually. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Magnetized Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 There's a new Tiny Desk concert up featuring his new songs here http://www.npr.org/event/music/346846756/justin-townes-earle-tiny-desk-concert Haven't listened to it yet, but I'm always interested in what JTE is doing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
howdjadoo Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Drown this single mother in the harlem river Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Sadly he has left Bloodshot records. It happens. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I'm always struck by the brevity of his records. Single Mothers was no different -- it was over before I even realized it. Gave it a few more listens and it just didn't resonate with me the way Midnight at the Movies and Harlem River Blues did. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cold as Gasoline Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Really nice interview and performance on the Current yesterday:http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2014/09/25/justin-townes-earle-performs-in-the-current-studio Did not realize that Justin produced Wanda Jackson's album, including this one, which I haven't heard, and which makes my head hurt a little: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
howdjadoo Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 "justin"time for X-mas Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shug Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Guess I should also post this in the JTE thread since that was the highlight of the show for me. And I forgot to mention that as good as JTE was with the Sadies backing him, he did a 4 song solo acoustic part of his set. It was shocking to feel his music get MORE powerful when he played solo, but those who know his live show know that's what he does and he's still doing it. Son Volt show last night in Phoenix turned out to be the Sadies opening doing their Ennio Morricone spaghetti western/rockabilly thing and then them backing Justin Townes Earle with the addition of Justin's guitar player Paul Niehaus. Son Volt headlined. It didn't help Son Volt stand out for me that they had to go on after a fucking stunningly brilliant set by Justin Townes Earle. The Sadies backing him were incredible! Instead of their guitars, they switched to mandolin and fiddle and electric piano and JTE's guy Paul Niehaus played pedal steel and slide (also on a Les Paul). They could play any style Justin threw at them, old timey blues or classic country, folk or rockabilly, and make it sound authentic. I felt like I was watching talent on that was close to the level of Petty or the Grateful Dead or the Band backing Dylan or the Heartbreakers backing Johnny Cash, in the sense that it was just a superb pairing of a seasoned, road tested roots rock band backing a genius solo performer with musical telepathy. Justin has such a mastery of his craft as a performer and singer/songwriter and he makes it looks effortless. I really just hated to see his set end. It looks like this tour has just started and I don't know if the Sadies have ever backed him before, but they were tight and totally spot on. If you like either Sadies or JTE or just like solid roots rock, try to catch this tour, it was amazingly great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Guess I should also post this in the JTE thread since that was the highlight of the show for me. And I forgot to mention that as good as JTE was with the Sadies backing him, he did a 4 song solo acoustic part of his set. It was shocking to feel his music get MORE powerful when he played solo, but those who know his live show know that's what he does and he's still doing it. Son Volt show last night in Phoenix turned out to be the Sadies opening doing their Ennio Morricone spaghetti western/rockabilly thing and then them backing Justin Townes Earle with the addition of Justin's guitar player Paul Niehaus. Son Volt headlined. It didn't help Son Volt stand out for me that they had to go on after a fucking stunningly brilliant set by Justin Townes Earle. The Sadies backing him were incredible! Instead of their guitars, they switched to mandolin and fiddle and electric piano and JTE's guy Paul Niehaus played pedal steel and slide (also on a Les Paul). They could play any style Justin threw at them, old timey blues or classic country, folk or rockabilly, and make it sound authentic. I felt like I was watching talent on that was close to the level of Petty or the Grateful Dead or the Band backing Dylan or the Heartbreakers backing Johnny Cash, in the sense that it was just a superb pairing of a seasoned, road tested roots rock band backing a genius solo performer with musical telepathy. Justin has such a mastery of his craft as a performer and singer/songwriter and he makes it looks effortless. I really just hated to see his set end. It looks like this tour has just started and I don't know if the Sadies have ever backed him before, but they were tight and totally spot on. If you like either Sadies or JTE or just like solid roots rock, try to catch this tour, it was amazingly great! Wow man! Thanks for the review. Sounds so great! Nothing better than when a concert just comes together and time stops. And when it's a surprise...even better. JTE with Sadies sounds like a killer mix. Really hope they are recording some of this. I saw Justin solo open for Jason Isbell. He is great solo. Must listen to him now! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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