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<\/a>Accompanied by his seasoned band, The Dukes, Earle is presently touring in support of his latest album, \u201cGuy,\u201d (New West Records). This collection of 16 songs is Earle\u2019s interpretation of some of the late songwriter Guy Clark\u2019s best-known work. Clark, who passed away in 2016, was one of Earle\u2019s mentors and best friends, and the subject matter of Earle\u2019s song, \u201cGoodbye, Michelangelo,\u201d from Earle\u2019s 2017 release, \u201cSo You Wanna Be an Outlaw.\u201d The last line from that song succinctly sums up Earle\u2019s respect and reverence for Clark: \u201c\u2026Cause you taught me everything I know\/ Goodbye Michelangelo,\u201d and this veneration was made crystal clear in the 2 hours that Earle and his band graced the stage in front of the packed house last Friday.<\/p>\nSetting the tone for the evening was a lovely and noteworthy set by The Mastersons, the husband and wife duo comprised of Chris Masterson (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Eleanor Whitmore (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, vocals). The duo, who are also members of Earle\u2019s band, The Dukes, took the stage at 8 pm sharp and entertained their appreciative audience for a beautiful and thought-provoking 40-minute set comprised of both their older and soon-to-be-released newer material. Their lush harmonies and the passion with which they execute their songs is undeniable, and their delightful set was over much too soon. Highlights included \u201cDon\u2019t Tell Me to Smile, \u201cfrom their 2017 release, \u201cTransient Lullaby,\u201d and \u201cEyes Open Wide,\u201d and \u201cIn the Name of God,\u201d both of which will be included in their new release, which is yet to be titled. Truly, The Mastersons are a force to be reckoned with all on their own, and they continue to push the envelope\u2014both musically and politically\u2014as they improve with each new release.<\/p>\n
By the time Steve Earle & The Dukes hit the stage, I was perfectly primed to hear from one of my all-time favorite artists on the planet. Earle and The Dukes launched right into a Guy classic, \u201cDublin Blues,\u201d and followed it with \u201cTexas 1947,\u201d another tune from Earle\u2019s mentor. It was not until the 6th<\/sup> song of the evening that Earle played some of his own material. After hearing \u201cRita Ballou,\u201d \u201cHeartbroke,\u201d and a soaring rendition of \u201cDesperados Waiting for a Train,\u201d Earle finally treated his crowd to \u201cThe Mercenary Song\u201d and \u201cTom Ames\u2019 Prayer,\u201d both off his 1995 Grammy-nominated album, \u201cTrain a-Comin.\u201d As much as I enjoy the new album from Earle and applaud him for honoring the memory of his friend with such reverence and integrity, I was thrilled to hear him play a few songs from the hundreds of masterpieces he has written over his 4+ decades long career. He followed up with \u201cFort Worth Blues,\u201d and eventually made his way into playing a couple of songs that perhaps he is best known for, \u201cGuitar Town\u201d and \u201cCopperhead Road.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the rest of his flawless, nearly two-hour set, Earle basically alternated between his own material and Clark\u2019s tunes from the new album. Stellar performances of \u201cBaby\u2019s Just as Mean as Me,\u201d \u201cGoodbye,\u201d \u201cThe Randall Knife,\u201d and \u201cL.A. Freeway\u201d filled the venue with both the genius of Earle and Clark, as Earle regaled the audience with hilarious tidbits from his years of friendship with Clark and touching stories of their journey through the years together. Looking at my phone to check the time every now and again, I felt a twinge of sadness around the hour and a half mark, knowing that this superb evening of musical mastery, interwoven with precious snippets of Earle\u2019s personal history with his mentor would soon be coming to an end.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Although Earle is a master craftsman when it comes to the art of songwriting, I must take a moment to acknowledge what I consider to be the best \u201cPosse of Dukes\u201d Earle has ever had as his bandmates. Being a diehard, lifelong fan, it did not take me but a second to realize that his long-time friend and bassist, Kelley Looney, was missing from the lineup on this particular evening. Instead, Earle\u2019s pedal steel player, Ricky Ray Jackson, stepped in to fill Looney\u2019s shoes while he was down for the evening with an illness. Looney has been with Earle since 1988, and has stuck by him through years of recording, touring, and personal and professional ups and downs. While the palpable camaraderie that the 2 friends share on stage together was missed, Jackson did a stellar job of filling in and the show was a shining example of the prowess of The Dukes. Joining Jackson were the aforementioned duo of Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, and Brad Pemberton on drums. These folks are all so steeped in the genres of bluegrass, folk, and rock & roll that they are a natural fit for Earle\u2019s gritty songwriting, and the ease with which they throw down their craft is undownable. Earle could not find a better band to showcase his songs if he tried. Quite simply, they\u2019re The Dukes of all Dukes, and Earle is a lucky man to be able to call them all both bandmates and friends.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cid_16bf11e46276594d0841-300x293.jpg\")
<\/a>As the 2-hour mark came quickly around, Earle rounded out the evening with a couple of tunes from his 2017 release, \u201cSo You Wanna Be an Outlaw\u201d (Warner Bros records). The title track was followed by \u201cFixin\u2019 to Die,\u201d and Clark\u2019s \u201cOld Friends,\u201d which became a singalong as Earle finished out the evening, asking his crowd to join in the chorus a couple of times for his departed friend and mentor. While Earle graciously thanked his enthusiastic crowd and waved goodbye, I found myself already hoping for a 2 or 3 song encore, which has usually been the norm for Earle at the dozens of shows I\u2019ve attended over the years. A few minutes later I got my wish, as he and The Dukes returned for a 3-song encore that included Bruce Springsteen\u2019s \u201cRacing in the Street,\u201d followed by a rousing rendition of Earle\u2019s \u201cSweet Little \u201966.\u201d The cherry on top was Steve\u2019s rollicking version of \u201cPink Cadillac,\u201d another Springsteen tune, which finally closed out the evening and left the crowd wishing that this brilliant man and his kick ass band would stick around for at least another hour or two.<\/p>\n