Title: James McMurtry played in Eugene last night -- He Rocks Source:
The old Woodsmen of the World (WOW Hall, Eugene) URL Source:http://jamesmcmurtry.com/ Published:Oct 2, 2010 Author:Mike McCarthy Post Date:2010-10-02 10:44:39 by Ferret Mike Keywords:None Views:3696 Comments:3
I have been watching this guy fro Austin, TX's videos on You Tube and so when I saw the poster for the show, I had to see it. The WOW Hall is an old wooden building run like a coop as it was us, the people of Eugene who bought it and saved it turning it into Eugene's best counter-culture music venue.
The place was packed, much older then the usual crowd, and everyone was there knowing this would be quite the experience, and it was. I was highly impressed with how him and his band rocked. I talked to a friend who saw the Portland show the night before, and he said there was obviously a very tight resonance between James and the Eugene crowd.
James knew he was in Kesey/ Grateful Dead Country where his loathing of corporate country music was shared quite deeply. And everyone slipped into that tight, Jerry Garcia-like performer/audience bond unusually well.
There are only seats on the walls, and the wooden floor vibrated from sound and the dancing of a few hundred men and women, and the marvelous sound of some of the best music I've heard in a long time.
The Further shows a week earlier with the surviving Grateful Dead and friends was good too, but James McMurtry did far better a job finding the groove with a tight and hard rocking sound with lyrics that were far better attenuated with the times.
He plays in San Francisco Sunday, wish I could be there. I surely will see him again. He is a class act and will be back.
He was obviously impressed and appreciated the attentiveness and love from the crowd and felt the connection that formed between the stage and the floor.
Here is We can't make it here anymore with him buying that beautiful Guild Guitar of his:
I also mis-spoke in the header, he played Seattle according to his website jamesmcmurtry.com. I said Portland was where he had just came from, and I must of not remembered what my friend had said about where he had just seen him the night before. Guess that is why reporters take notes.
I'm also out of practice with listening to loud rock music and feeling it this morning. (grumble grumble, must be getting old, grumble)
McMurtry has had a cult following for years,,,bootleg "tapes" and the like. Thanks for reminding me.
I was so busy this past trip and was disappointed that I didn't make it over to the Haight to drop a rose at 710 Ashbury...but the drive down the PCH to Santa Crus was one that Jerry would have approved of...he not busy being born is busy dying...
He deserves airplay and larger venues. He makes somewhat similar artists like Steve Earle look like understudies.
I bought a black McMurty shirt, a vinyl record and CD to use with my computers as I just used cassettes or records on my very old stereo system. Got to support the good ones.
Not to mention that I alway appreciate a fellow Irishman doing good works.
