Steve Earle isn’t one to leave an audience guessing.
A concert by the much-acclaimed singer-songwriter-activist is something akin to sitting in a comfy living room with a friend who tells you stories about his songs, his life and his passions. At a recent 100-minute, 22-song concert in Canada, Earle did just that with a special emphasis toward his political views, including his thoughts about politicians’ actions during these hard economic times.
What some might not know is that Earle is just as candid about his own life, talking about his addictions, facing down demons, his multiple marriages and more. And let’s not forget that he also brings his much-acclaimed, multiple Grammy Award-winning music to his concerts, too.
Earle is working on a new album, so concertgoers may be treated to a new song or two. And it’s a fair bet that Earle will pull out some new instruments, too. Canadian fans heard him play banjo and bouzouki, a plucked string instrument in the lute family, at the recent show.
| Onstage |
| Steve Earle |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday |
| Where: Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria |
| Info: Sold out at press time, but tickets might be available through resellers; ticketmaster.com; 202-397-SEAT |
Earle is currently touring behind his much-acclaimed album “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive,” produced by T Bone Burnett. He also wrote a fictional book by the same name that imagines Doc Ebersole, the physician who was reportedly with Hank Williams when he died.
Death has presumably been on Earle’s mind a bit lately. As a prot?g? of the legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Earle turned his ruminations about his father’s death into some of the music on his latest album. That’s clear, he said, when you consider how many of the songs touch upon mortality.
“A parent’s death definitely puts you in touch with your own mortality,” he said. “For me, it’s sweet, too, because I look almost exactly like my father. When I walk by mirrors, I scare myself sometimes!”
