In an excellent article in LA Weekly, Andy Hermann recently wrote that Texas songwriter James McMurtry’s “specialty is funny, heartbreaking, richly detailed character studies of midwestern rural white Americans — the demographic that, more than any other, made Trump the winner on Nov. 8.” McMurtry’s rich stories – though mostly fiction – have always provided us with a window into the America that is often overlooked by coastal liberals. For this reason, his set at Portland’s Aladdin Theater on Thursday seemed to take on a new significance in these dark times.
Opening with longtime fan favorite “St. Mary of the Woods”, McMurtry appeared clean-shaven, making his perpetual scowl more visible. This is a scowl of a man who has no time for bullshit and calls it like he sees it through songs. Calling it like he sees it means telling the stories of the working class, the subject matter for much of the material on his most recent album, 2015’s Complicated Game. Songs from that album made up about half of McMurtry’s set, with tunes like “Copper Canteen”, “Long Island Sound”, and “Carlisle’s Haul” relaying the struggles of average Americans looking for something better and disenfranchised with the government. Older songs like “Choctaw Bingo” – which, even played acoustic, had people dancing in the aisles – and “Lights of Cheyenne” traversed similar terrain.
Performing solo acoustic meant that the lyrics shined through, and McMurtry supplemented his lack of a band with impressive guitar picking. Nothing compares to catching him at the Continental Club in Austin, Texas for his legendary Wednesday night residency, cranked up and rocking with a Lagunitas IPA at his feet, but his solo set offered something different. His songs gave the audience a look into a part of America that most of us had either forgotten or written off until the shocking election results came in. James McMurtry’s songs have always been poignant and hard-hitting, and though he’s been performing them for damn near thirty years, these days they feel more relevant than ever.
Setlist:
St. Mary of the Woods
Red Dress
Copper Canteen
You Got To Me
Ain’t Got a Place
Choctaw Bingo
Hurricane Party
How’m I Gonna Find You Now
Long Island Sound
Carlisle’s Haul
Lights of Cheyenne
These Things I’ve Come To Know
Peter Pan
New Orleans musician Anders Osborne is also someone that is usually full-on electric, so it was interesting to see how he tackled a solo acoustic set. Unlike McMurtry’s character-driven narratives, Osborne’s songs revolved mostly around personal struggles with drugs and alcohol, commentary on the world, and a love of New Orleans. Osborne was in good spirits as he made his was through stripped down versions of songs like “Mind of a Junkie”, “Ash Wednesday Blues”, the reggae-tinged “Flowerbox”, and the Van Morrison-esque “Back On Dumaine”. In a way it felt odd to see such an intense rocker donning reading glasses and sitting with an acoustic guitar, but Osborne managed to inject energy and passion into his set, and the lack of a band allowed his voice and lyrics to shine through.
One Response
Some of us don’t feel like these are “dark days.” Leave your politics at the door.