Entertainment For Lively Minds
James McMurtry
Posted by THE LEKK on 6 October 2009 - 12:27pm.
Anyone else at his gig at The Borderline last night ?. Why isn't this guy huge ?. He is Neil Young meets Bob Dylan meets Steve Earle and yet he hardly seems to ever get a mention anywhere. The place was packed to the rafters and he went down an absolute storm. I'd have thought that the massive would have cottoned on to him ages ago but the site is bereft of any hint of interest.
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I'm right there
Saw his debut UK gig in Bristol earlier this year and he was amazing. Band were tight as a ducks nethers and had Ian McLagan on keyboards (sadly not on this tour though).
Sings like Lou Reed, looks like a cross between Jerry Garcia and a cool university academic.
Lyrics outstanding - try "We Can't Make It Here" or "Choctaw Bingo".
Got tickets for tomorrow night at Bristol Fiddlers so looking forward to a treat!
I can't say I've ever heard of him
but maybe he falls into the trap that we've already GOT a Neil Young, a Bob Dylan and a Steve Earle and they're enough for the casual listener?
To be fair
I just did a search on his name and found twenty mentions on this blog. And didn't we have him on the CD at least once?
He was on the CD
and that was what got me into him. Never seen him live but some terrific albums.
The Borderline
I was there last night. I had the same thought about his relative lack of success having also had thought the same about Chuck Prophet when I saw him last week.
Part of McMurtry's lack of success here could be due to this only being his second tour. Until his first gigs in the UK earlier this year (excellent at the The Lumiere) he famously had said (well famously among his fans "I don't travel"). Until I heard him on Bob Harris a couple of years ago I was totally unaware of him.
I'd also like to recommend last night's support act, Otis Gibbs. Apart from sporting a luxuriant beard worthy of a Word cover, he is a massive personality, who at the end of his set had us eating out of his hands. A simple political folk / blues singer ("Fuck Eric Clapton" he had us all chanting at the end of his roots blues anecdote) I've rarely seen anyone come on stage unknown to most of an audience who has gone on to make such a huge impression. I haven't checked his web site yet, but there is supposed to be a lot of free stuff there which I'll check when I get home. I had a quick word with him and he seems a genuinely, lovely guy.
Otis Gibbs
I saw this guy supporting Billy Bragg and he was excellent. It's not often you have a support act come on and get the whole crowd singling along but somehow he managed it. A proper protest singer...
I'm a fan...
...though I've never seen him live.
I have 3 of his CDs. Childish Things, Live In Ought Three and Just Us Kids. All very good!
His dad is the novelist Larry McMurtry.
Please dad don't say I can't
I just want to see the elephant.
McMurtry is Great.
I saw him at the Lumiere in February and I would have gone to see him in Buckingham on Thursday but I have to work.
If you like James McMurtry, check out my blog entry on Tom Russell - they are singing from the same page, as it were.
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/tom-russell