INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Justin Townes Earle
Friday, April 25, 9 p.m., $7, 21+
These days, when someone dials Justin Townes Earle’s cell phone number, they are treated to a Roy Orbison classic as they wait for an answer to their call.
Appropriately enough, Earle worked hard to emulate the music and recording techniques of the 1950s on his debut full-length The Good Life.
“I wanted my album to sound like [those 50’s records], and I think we pulled it off,” Earle says. “There are no frills about it.”
The Good Life is a collection of intelligent originals that mix bare-bones country, folk and rock. For Earle, an important element in the making of the record was where it was recorded — the legendary House of David in Nashville, where greats like George Jones, Elvis Presley and Neil Young had previously recorded.
“Recording at the House of David was a big part of the way I wanted to make the record,” Earle admits. “It’s a cool studio. I sang through the mike that Sinatra sang through. It was the ultimate in dorky cool.”
The son of songwriter Steve Earle and named after his father’s musical hero Townes Van Zandt, the 25-year-old Earle admits that while he does play some of his dad’s songs, he avoids getting political when he writes his own material.
“I make music for people to enjoy and forget about their troubles,” Earle says.