A softer, gentler road of copperheads….

What a few days!!  As a huge fan of Steve Earle I thought I would celebrate the release of his new album (Sept. 25 on New West) by jotting a post that attempted to put his catalog in some sort of symmetrical perspective.  I did that, and have enjoyed some great feedback and opinions on how others view the work of Mr. Earle.  The feedback was so thoughtful and convincing that I was forced to review the manner in which I categorized his body of work.  When I posted that little love note to Earle’s career, I didn’t know that I would get to meet the man himself, and be in the audience for a small, invitation only acoustic show at the studio of 92.5 KZPS (Dallas/Ft. Worth).   Friday at noon I walked into a room adorned with bean bag chairs and funky couches with 12 or 13 others and was greeted by the opening strums of the classic “Copperhead Road.”.  Hearing it, not only live (I had only seen him live once before), but up close and in such an intimate setting gave the song a different vibe.  A song that is a rock-classic and covered by any band that wants to prove they are as “cool as Steve Earle” (thanks, Roger Creager), morphed into a ballad that could be featured on an unplugged “story-teller” type album.  I love the original and the madness that sounds as the solo soars and Earle screams, “Copperhead Ro-o-oad,” but seeing Earle dedicate himself to the song while sitting on a stool, stomping his boots on the ground to the beat was pretty awesome.  After that unbeatable intro he brought his wife, the lovely Allison Moorer, up and they sang the duet “Come Home to Me” and followed it with “Tenessee Blues” which is being described as a sequel, albeit a somber one, to his career starting hit, “Guitar Town.”  He closed with the lead single from Washington Square Serenade, “City of Immigrants.”  He broke out the mandolin for this number and I was delighted to see the evidence of wear on the face of the instrument. The marks were congruent with the directions of motion that Earle’s fingertips traverse.   Similar to Willie’s guitar, you just know that this instrument has been true to him and helped him find the right sound for songs such as “Galway Girl,” and “Harlan Man.”  Rare is the artist that is so compelling live when he is sonically stripped-down, armed with only a couple of stringed instruments and a duet partner, that you feel it would’ve been a let down had the whole band showed up. Thanks to such a great afternoon I am more eager to go grab the new album than ever. Until then, please enjoy the video below and please ignore the slight audio in the background of me singing along.  It’s not that noticeable, I promise.

 Steve Earle – Live @ 92.5 KZPS Studio – Copperhead Road