Feature

When you’re the son of Steve Earle and named after Townes Van Zandt, it’s not all that surprising your life would be dedicated to music. What is surprising is the eventful and sometimes turbulent life Justin Townes Earle has lived thus far.

At just 25, this young musician has gone from being a homeless drug addict to performing on the legendary stage of the Grand Ole Opry. His debut full-length “The Good Life” is an excellent album filled with traditional country sounds and a voice that could be called the second coming of Hank Sr.

As Earle bought the day’s first pack of American Spirit Blue, we discussed his life and his music.

SC: With your name and legacy, was it a given that you become a musician, or did your father have other plans for you? What was it like growing up in the Earle household?

JTE: Well, I didn’t really grow up in the Earle household. I grew up in the Hunter household, which would be my mother’s side of the family. You know, my dad was never one of those people, or my mother, that were like, “You’re gonna be this.” It was pretty much a, “Well, when you’re old enough to decide what you wanna do, you do whatever the hell you wanna do” kind of family.

SC: I read that you had a “misspent” youth coming up in the Nashville scene. Why would you say it was misspent?

JTE: My drug problem is the main reason for that. By the time I was 18 years old, I was a homeless cocaine and heroin addict. That’s why it called for that tag.

SC: How would you say that it is reflected in your music?

JTE: I’ve been told that there’s this world-wariness kind of feeling to my music, so I think it does that. I’ve definitely seen the darker sides of life and know what goes on out there. So, I think that it reflects in more of a no-nonsense kind of approach to the way I write.

SC: I always get polar opposite answers when I ask people about the Nashville music scene. It’s either that it was really easy or really rough. What was it like for you making your way up the ladder in the Nashville scene?

JTE: It was actually little bits of both. I got gigs real early on, and people paid attention to me because of my last name. Before I even played a note, they paid attention to me. It was harder for me to find what it was I wanted to do and convince people what I wanted to be doing, as opposed to picking up an electric guitar and growling at people. It just took some time. It wasn’t that difficult of a thing. It was just time consuming. I tend to be patient – at least with some things.

SC: You mentioned playing with different sounds and what-not, and you played in everything from bluegrass to rock. With your new stuff on “The Good Life,” you’ve created this really organic, raw sound for your music. What brought you to this point?

JTE: The old timey stuff that I used to do was the precursor to the stuff that I do now, historically speaking. The stuff that I’m doing now, I see it as the natural forward evolution of my music. I started with some really old stuff. Now, I’ve gotten into the more country stuff, but it’s still mixed and speaks with the tones of the old timey stuff. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to revert back and create a really hokey record at some point.

SC: “The Good Life” is a great album! Some of those songs are like the second coming of Hank, Sr. What was it about that old school, traditional country sound that attracted you to it?

JTE: It’s such an emotional form of music, and it’s emotional about crying. Nobody cries anymore in country music except the women. That’s kinda the thing. These days, what people consider good, emotional music are these whiney bastards who cry about everything that ever happened to them.

Country guys would always say, “My woman’s left me and took my dog, I killed the bitch.” That was the difference. Not that I condone violence toward women, but that was the whole idea of country music. There’s always some way that I’m gonna feel better, you know?

SC: With “The Good Life,” you had quite a cast of guest musicians playing with you. Were they friends or someone that your producer hooked you up with?

JTE: They were friends and acquaintances of various people in my organization, (including) Tracy Thomas, my manager. I’ve known Bryn Davies (bassist/Patty Griffin and Guy Clark) for several years. I’ve been friends with Buddy Miller (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin) for a long time. My buddy Steve Poulton (producer of “The Good Life”) used to live with Bryan Ownings (drums/ Shelby Lynne), so that’s how I got Bryan Ownings. Pete Finney (fiddle/Dixie Chicks, Patty Loveless) was a phone call from my manager. I’ve worked with Pete when he was playing in the house band at a couple of shows.

SC: This album earned you a spot at the Grand Ole Opry last month. What was that experience like?

JTE: It was pretty magical. For years, I said that I didn’t care if I ever got on the Opry because it had changed so much. To this day, it doesn’t embody what it used to, and the Opry knows that it doesn’t embody what it used to. I used to say that if I got asked to do the Opry then I wouldn’t do it, but as soon as they asked, I said I’d do it, and I really felt something special. You know they got that circle of wood that they cut out of the Ryman stage that’s embedded in the floor under the center microphone. So, my boots hit the same boards that Hank, Sr. did and that Webb Pierce did, you know, George Jones did, that Uncle Dave Macon did. That’s something really special.

SC: You’ve got a successful album, a calendar full of gigs, and a debut at the Grand Ole Opry all at the age of 25. How does it feel to have this success as a musician at such a young age?

JTE: I hate using the word “blessed,” because it sounds so religious, but, I mean, that’s what it is. I’m one of those people who is very lucky to be alive with the way that I’ve lived, and I’m grateful for every f*cking moment of it.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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