{"id":2562,"date":"2015-12-28T20:30:06","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T20:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/?p=2562"},"modified":"2016-01-05T22:22:55","modified_gmt":"2016-01-05T22:22:55","slug":"james-mcmurtry-mucky-duck-houston-tx-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2015\/12\/28\/james-mcmurtry-mucky-duck-houston-tx-2\/","title":{"rendered":"James McMurtry – Mucky Duck – Houston, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"122815-mcmurtry\"<\/a>Written by Eddie Ferranti<\/p>\n

Being a reviewer, I get to say what is on my mind for the most part. That being said, I much prefer when the performer I\u2019m covering says what is on THEIR mind. In the case of one James McMurtry, you get a boat load to chew on!<\/p>\n

Backing his latest album, Complicated Game, JM cruised thru the evenings late set weaving his 5-6 minute novels masterfully. This is his first release in seven years and it showcased his spot on lyrics of today\u2019s world framed by underrated guitar prowess.<\/p>\n

Opening with \u201cMelinda\u201d JM tore it up on his guitar backed by a robust sound that was crystal clear.\u00a0 McMurtry is a man of few words between songs, but his IN song words are priceless like on \u201cRed Dress\u201d where he barked: \u201cI\u2019m drunk, but you\u2019re ugly and when I\u2019m sober you\u2019ll still be ugly!\u201d Classic. His thought provoking and keenly observant views\u00a0 delivered in his rhetorical growl were non-stop and refreshing all night.<\/p>\n

A four bagger of new gems\u00a0 rolled like a snowball downhill and really got the packed house\u2019s attention. One he wrote in New Orleans called \u201cYou Got to Me\u201d, stellar \u201cI Ain\u2019t Got a Place\u201d, roadhouse rock beat on \u201cHow\u2019m I Gonna Find You Now\u201d and bad ass \u201cLong Island Sound\u201d all demanded attention. McMurtry\u2019s songs all seem to have a common thread of cold weather,\u00a0 small town middle class life, women that came and went and good ole boy blue collar realistic hard times involving booze or drugs. His tune \u201cLevelland\u201d was made famous by Robert Earl Keen and it paints a picture of the early days when mama rolled her before air conditioning and now never sees the sky because of the satellite dish!<\/p>\n

\"122815-mcmurtry2\"<\/a>\u201cNo More Buffalo\u201d hit home with lines like \u201cNo more buffalo, blue skies or open road\u201d which is so true in the tear it down concrete world we live in. Epic newbie, \u201dCarlisle\u2019s Haul\u201d, envoked lines like: \u201cCrabbin\u2019 and fishin\u2019 hangin\u2019 on to a pot to piss in\u201d brought home true life story of some of my buds in the gulf coast area making their livings doing that exact thing.<\/p>\n

This off the wall Austin sumbitch has a raw and real take on life seen thru his bizarre eyes and his ability to get in your head and make you think is very cool to see live. You can tell the man does not really give a rat\u2019s ass what you think, but is anything but a jerk about it. Hell, he even said : \u201dMaking money on records doesn\u2019t happen much any more. You need to put out new albums to get people\u2019s attention and hope you get booked. You can find my new CD at Cactus or Amazon, but I won\u2019t see a nickel from it\u2026..\u201d James McMurtry has earned his cred as one of the best American songwriters and it seems to come so easy to him just talking about life as it passes before him. Maybe the best lines of the night were left for the end before he rocked out \u201cPeter Pan\u201d and left like Johnny Ramone thru the kitchen with zero encore.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember to tip your waiter starting at 20%. Be careful driving home, but if you get pulled over make sure to be nice to the cop. Even if he\u2019s a dick\u201d.<\/p>\n

Some how that seems like the making of yet another classic song down the road…SUPPORT live music please!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Eddie Ferranti Being a reviewer, I get to say what is on my mind for the most part. That being said, I much prefer when the performer I\u2019m covering says what is on THEIR mind. In the case of one James McMurtry, you get a boat load to chew on! Backing his latest… <\/p>\n

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