American singer-songwriter Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed storytellers of his generation. The country rocker widely known for his 1988 hit Copperhead Road, which has been streamed more than 175 million times on Spotify, has carved out a successful career over the past four decades, with multiple albums and tours under his belt. He is currently on a tour of North America in support of his new album, Alone Again (Live), which was released last Friday. The album and tour see Earle in solo and acoustic mode, a throwback to the days of old.
“I started out playing in coffee houses,” Earle said.
“I didn’t have an electric guitar or play with a band until I was 27 years old, so it’s part of my background.
“As my band has ceased to exist, and since I’m a songwriter, it led me to go out on my own with my acoustic guitar again.
“And with this record, I wanted to document some of the songs, and while some have ended up on live records before, I wanted to get more of them live on this album.
“So, it’s a form of a greatest hits record that isn’t just a compilation album in order of getting something out there.”
Earle has an affinity with Australia, too, as he has toured here on many occasions and is looking forward to returning.
“The way I get to Australia at this point in my life is by way of the Byron Blues festival,” he said.
“So, if an offer from East Coast Blues and Roots comes not this year but the next, then you’ll go see me back there at some point.”
Earle believes being a voracious reader is a vital element when it comes to songwriting.
“I have got a whole thing about that topic as a lecture on Audible,” Earle said.
“I think lyrics elevated rock and roll to a high art.
“Otherwise, it would be songs only about cars and girls, and while it's cool, it’s not art with a capital A.
“I think the bar was really high for a long time, but it’s lower now, where you don’t have to write at that level to get a record deal.”
Earle also has plans to write a musical.
“My focus is on writing songs for a musical called Tender Mercies,” he said.
“It is based on the [1983] movie of the same name that was directed by Australian Bruce Beresford.
“That’s where my writing is moving to.”
For more info, go to: http://www.steveearle.com/
Music news
1980s synth-pop star Alison Moyet is set to release her eagerly awaited 10th solo studio album, Key, on October 4.
And speaking of the 1980s, two legendary ’80s Australian bands, The Models and Boom Crash Opera, have teamed up to embark on a tour together, with the first dates kicking off in November with more to follow in 2025.
Christian metal band Stryper has also announced a new studio album titled When We Were Kings, which is due September 13.
The upcoming Hoodoo Gurus tour that kicks off in November to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their Stoneage Romeos album has seen further shows added this week due to demand, with most of the previously announced dates already sold out.
Metallica mainstay James Hetfield stars as a sheriff in a new western thriller film titled The Thicket, which is scheduled for release in September.
Australian country music fans can look forward to a new festival next year and a boost to the local music scene with the inaugural Howlin Country Music Festival at Newcastle on February 15. The all-ages event will feature international and local artists.
In retrospect: Classic albums
Nebraska (1982) — Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen’s sixth album, 1982’s Nebraska, is comprised of a batch of demos that were recorded in a makeshift studio in the spare bedroom of a house Springsteen was living in at the time in New Jersey. Sitting down with only an acoustic guitar — and for one song an electric guitar — along with a harmonica and a mandolin, Springsteen went to work and recorded 15 tracks in one session, of which 10 were chosen to form the final track listing of Nebraska.
Because the material was recorded as demos, the album lends itself to a lo-fi quality, with the songs themselves sounding unfinished and works in progress, as is evident with the same lyrical line turning up in more than just one song. With Nebraska, Springsteen was continuing a tradition of storytelling that traced a lineage back to Bob Dylan and through to Woody Guthrie. And with much of the album’s subject matter heavily underscored by darker themes, it is also both desolate and haunting in its sonic scope.
Stripping his songwriting and acoustic performances down to their very essence and core proved to be a remarkable achievement for Springsteen artistically. The album has become one of the most influential of his career as it’s Springsteen at his most intimate and raw.
In an interview with the CBS Sunday Morning television program last year, Springsteen looked back on the album and said, “If I had to pick one album out and say, ‘This is going to represent you 50 years from now,’ I’d pick Nebraska.”
Nebraska also became the benchmark for the 1980s singer-songwriters that followed, and it continues to influence artists right up to the present day. And the album has been held in high regard by many musical icons. One such icon was the late Johnny Cash, who recorded covers of two songs from Nebraska (Highway Patrolman and Johnny 99) for Cash’s 1983 album Johnny 99.
Global music charts
Australia: ARIA Top 50 Singles: A Bar Song (Tipsy) — Shaboozey
USA: Billboard Hot 100: A Bar Song (Tipsy) — Shaboozey
UK: Official Top 50 Chart: Espresso — Sabrina Carpenter
Fun fact
Prior to Gene Simmons finding fame as the fire-breathing and blood-spitting bass player in Kiss, he worked as a typist assistant to the editor of Vogue magazine and spent six months teaching sixth-graders at a public school in New York City’s Spanish Harlem.
Joe Matera is a local singer-songwriter, recording artist, guitarist and music journalist providing readers with all the latest music news.