Concert Review--James McMurtry, Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2 weeks ago I made a rare trip to Santa Fe. Why would I do something like this to myself? Not for nothing, I assure you. But the chance to see James McMurtry is far from nothing. I had always wanted to see McMurtry. He had an unfortunate tendency to play in New Mexico when I am out of town. This is at least the 3rd time he's played here and I couldn't miss him again. So I went, even though it meant being assaulted by the sight of ex-hippies and turquoise-laden New Yorkers. But what can you do?

James McMurtry came as the headliner of a festival by Frogville Records, a sort of Americana label. They are small and I was unfamilar with the rest of the acts. The two that I saw were quite avoidable anyway, particularly the jam band from Portland. God have I come to loathe jam bands.

But McMurtry is great. The Bard of the Great Plains, I call him. He tells stories about the worst places to live in the United States. West Texas, Wyoming, unnamed places that I'm glad I don't live in. The son of the writer Larry McMurtry, James is as good of a writer in his own genre as his father. And I don't say that lightly. He is just great. Take the magical song, "Choctaw Bingo."

Strap them kids in
Give em a lil bit of vodka
in a cherry Coke
were goin to Oklahoma
to the family reunion
for the first time in years
its up at Uncle Slatons
cuz he's gettin on in years
no longer travels but he's
still pretty spry
he's not much on talk
and he's too mean to die
and they'll be comin down
from Kansas and west Arkansas
it'll be one big old party
like you've never saw

Uncle Slaton's got his texan pride
back in the thickets with his Asian bride
hes got an airstream trailer and a
holstein cow
still makes whiskey cuz he still knows how
plays that Choctaw bingo every friday night
you know he had to leave Texas but he won't say why
he owns a quarter section up by lake Eufalla
caught a great big ol bluecat on a driftin jugline
sells his hardwood timber to the chippin mill
cooks that crystal meth cuz his shine don't sell
he cooks that crystal meth cuz his shine don't sell
you know he likes that money, he don't mind the smell

My cousin Roscoe, Slaton's oldest boy
from his second marraige up in Illinois
hes raised in East St. Louis by his
mamma's people where they do things different
thought he'd come on down
hes goin to dallas texas in a semi truck
caught from that big McDonald's
you know that one thats built up on that
big old bridge across the Will Rogers Turnpike
took the big cabin exit stopped and bought a carton of cigarretes
at that Indian smoke shop with the big neon smoke rings
and the Cherokee nations hittin the skogee late that night
somebody ran the stoplight at the shawnee bypass
roscoe tried to miss him but he didn't quite

Bob and Mae come up from
some little town way down by
lake Texoma where he coaches football
they were two-A champions for two years running
but he says they won't be this year
not they wont be this year
and he stopped off in Tuska at the pop knife and gun place
bought a SKS rifle and a couple full cases of that steel core ammo
with the beardam primers from some east bloc nation
that no longer needs em
and a desert eagle thats one great big old pistol
i mean fifty caliber made by bad-ass Hebrews
and some surplus tracers for that old BAR
of Slaton's as soon as it gets dark
were gonna have us a time
were gonna have us a time

Ruth-Anne and Lynn come from Baxter Springs
thats one hell-raisin town way down in
Southeastern Kansas
got a biger bar next to the lingerie store
thats got rollin stones lips up there in
bright pink neon
and they're right downtown where everyone can see em
and they burn all night
you know they burn all night
they burn all night

Uncle Slaton's got his Texan pride
back in the thickets with his Asian bride
hes got a corner pasture and an acre lots
he sells them owner financed strictly to them
its got no kind of credit
cause he knows they're slackers
and they'll miss that payment
and he'll take it back
plays that Choctaw bingo
every friday night
he drinks his johnny walker
at that club 69
were gonna strap those kinds in
give em a lil bit of benadrill
were gonna have us a time
were gonna have us a time

Now that my friends is a song. What attention to detail! Plus this song saved my life. A couple of years ago, I was driving from Las Vegas to Santa Fe. After a few days in Vegas, I was getting really sick. Too much going from heat to air conditioning and back I guess. Anyway, a nasty cold had come down upon me. I could barely speak. I was driving with a friend but I was too stupid or stubborn to let him drive. Instead I kept plugging away but I was having trouble staying awake and just felt like hell. My friend put on McMurtry's Live in Aught Three album that includes a live version of "Choctaw Bingo." I heard it and was instantly awakened. What a great song. I still felt terrible the rest of the trip but that song took me out of my doldrums and got me back to Santa Fe. So I'll always credit it as a life saving song.

McMurtry has so many songs like this--"Levellland," "Rachel's Song," "Lights of Cheyenne," "Holiday," "Childish Things," "Out Here in the Middle," "Too Long in the Wasteland," etc. All of them get at the heart of middle America in a way that no other songwriter does. He both loves and hates these places. They are both great and terrible at the same time and McMurtry shows both sides within the same song. Just an amazing writer. Live in Aught-Three is a great place to start for any novice to his music.

Plus I didn't know he was such a strong guitar player. He can simply thrash on his guitar. Most songwriters are marginal on the guitar. There are some exceptions--Willie Nelson and Richard Thompson come to mind. McMurtry plays a very different style of guitar than these two--his is more of a bar-band rock out thing. It works perfectly.

So here you have it--amazing, sometimes jaw-dropping lyrics combined with a kick-ass roots rock band. How can you beat that?