New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The New York Times Magazine's cover story "25 Songs That Tell Us Where
Music Is Going" (Sunday, March 12) prominently features a four-page spread focusing on
James McMurtry's "Copper Canteen," from his 2015 release Complicated Game. The author points directly to the song's frequently quoted opening line as a representative passage in McMurtry's work: "Honey, don't you be yelling at me while I'm cleaning my gun." "Though that line about the gun got a big laugh when McMurtry played it in Dallas," Ruth Graham writes, "I still don't know whether to hear it as a joke or a threat, and McMurtry has never been one to offer the easy comfort of a straight answer."
Additionally, while many fans consider McMurtry an overtly political songwriter ("We Can't Make It Here Anymore," "Cheney's Toy"), Graham notes that he's actually more concerned with the effect of policy on personal workaday matters. "McMurtry often writes about how seemingly distant political concerns nudge his characters' choices and prod their psyches," she says, "the stretched budget of the Veterans Affairs Department or the birth of a new national park's consuming the neighbors' land through eminent domain." Read the New York Times Magazine in full here: https://nyti.ms/2mqjFM9.
Those living and visiting Austin during South by Southwest this week will have several chances to catch McMurtry, from his full-band showcase at Mojo Nixon's Jalapeno Pancake Mayhem at the Continental Club to a solo gig at El Mercado's Backstage. Fans on the East Coast can see him on his Stateside Solo tour later in March, which launches at the Clementine Cafe in Harrisonburg, Virginia on March 25 and routes throughout the region before concluding at New York City's City Winery on April 2.
"Nothing makes you miss Waffle House like a couple of weeks in Europe," says McMurtry, who has been touring abroad recently. "The term 'Continental Breakfast' is an oxymoron."
James McMurtry's South by Southwest shows
Tues, March 14 Sun
Radio Showcase at El Mercado 12 noon (solo)
Tues., March 14 Continental Gallery 8 p.m. (solo)
Fri., March 17 Lucy's South by South Austin Fried Chicken Revival 6 p.m. (solo)
Sat., March 18 Mojo's Party Continental Club 4 p.m. (full band)
Sat., March 18 Jenni Finlay and Conqueroo's Rebels and Renegades at Threadgill's 6 p.m. (full band)
Sun, March 19 Catfish Concert Townes Van Zandt tribute, 2506 Lazy Oaks Drive 5 p.m. (solo)
James McMurtry's 2017 U.S. East Coast tour dates
Sat., March 25 HARRISONBURG, VA, Clementine Cafe
Mon., March 27 RICHMOND, VA, Tin Pan
Tues., March 28 ALEXANDRIA, VA The Birchmere (with Tift Merritt)
Wed., March 29 BLAIRSTOWN, NJ Roy's Hall
Thurs., March 30 NORFOLK, CT
Infinity Hall
Fri., March 31 PHILADELPHIA, PA World Cafe Live
Sat., April 1 MILLHEIM, PA Elk Creek Cafe
Sun., April 2 NEW YORK, NY City Winery
"James McMurtry may be the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation" - Stephen King.
