Concert Review: Justin Townes Earle @ The Birchmere, Alexandria

If you ever want to know the definition of “handsome devil,” look no further than Justin Townes Earle. Armed with a sly grin, goofy sense of humor, and charm to spare, Earle had the tiny crowd at the Birchmere eating out of his hand. For some reason, ticket sales were not as high as planned, thus the show was moved from the venue’s Bandstand to a smaller room. But the sixty or so fans who did show up got a fantastic show in an extremely intimate setting.

Unfortunately, to get to Earle, we had to sit through an opening set from DC local “Rose.” Yes, she goes by one name like she’s Madonna, or Cher, only she doesn’t have the talent or the legions of devoted drag queen followers. Perched on a stool with her acoustic guitar and dyed, pee-colored hair, it seemed as though Rose was going for some sort of Grace Potter meets kooky, early ’90s Courtney Love meets Neko Case indie/country songbird; instead the result was more “girl with annoying vibrato and clichéd lyrics.” A man sitting at my table tried reading The New Yorker during Rose’s performance, giving up when the lights dimmed and settled for closing his eyes, head in hand.

After enduring thirty minutes of Rose’s caterwauling, Earle finally took the stage. With his lanky body hunched over the microphone, spine curved like a question mark, Earle could almost be mistaken for Hank Williams if it weren’t for the tattoos punctuating his hands and arms. Touring partner Cory Younts played the role of straight man to Earle’s hillbilly comic in between switching from clawhammer banjo to mandolin to harmonica and generally being an all around joy to hear and to watch. If there’s any justice in this world, on their next tour the duo will no longer need the shirts they’re currently peddling which ask “Who the fuck is Cory Younts?”

The two ripped through a ninety minute set that included material from Earle’s two full-length albums, some new material, and covers of everything from Woody Guthrie to Randy Newman. Though he has an obvious love for country music of all kinds, Earle also has both feet planted strongly within the blues tradition as evident in his fingerpicked cover of Mance Lipscomb’s “So Different Blues.” After a brief solo encore, Earle made his way to the lobby, not leaving until everyone who wanted got an autograph, a picture, or a handshake.

What struck me most during this show is how much Justin Townes Earle seems to love what he does. After a rough few days in which his broken down van had to be abandoned after an Ohio gig, forcing him into a rental, and doubtlessly dealing with all the stress and press that accompany a national tour and new album (though he was particularly pleased when he informed the crowd that Midnight at the Movies received four stars in Rolling Stone), it seemed like there was no place Earle would rather be than playing to sixty people in Alexandria, Virginia.

The feeling was mutual.