Townes Earle is speaking to Beat from a suburb just outside of Washington DC, where he and his new band have played a huge string of dates across the country to celebrate his latest release, Single Mothers. While the title of his sixth studio album could be a subtle nod to his childhood (his father Steve Earle left Justin’s mother when Justin was two), one thing is for certain, things were very different when he wrote it.
“I was in a really dark place after my last break up, and I’d lost my faith in just about [everyone]; women and my friends… I wrote this record during that period, well before I was married, so it has nothing to do with my marriage at all.”
Townes Earle’s is known to be deeply honest. His songs in Single Mothers are as autobiographical as his previous releases, but, he adds, “I steer clear of just my information in it, because there are a lot more interesting people than me.”
His genuine, unfiltered persona is not only reflected through his music, but his rather active social media persona. Earlier this year, he tweeted a photo of his open palm with several, different coloured pills with the caption, “Sweet mental stability.” But he also explains he’s been in the best place he’s ever been in his life, and things are really, really good.
“I have this security in life that I’ve never had, I have someone who’s promised to take care of me, which they do… It’s very overwhelming,” he says.
As he’s mentioned, life as a world-touring, critically acclaimed songwriter hasn’t been without its bumps in the road. A fight he had with a club owner back in 2010 landed him in the newspaper, a night in jail and a month in a Tennessee rehab centre. The incident provided an opportunity to reflect upon where he was headed and Townes Earle put himself back on the straight and narrow. Although, he clarifies, the interpretation he has a long, unswerving history of drug abuse is not entirely warranted.
“I was sober for eight years and had a slip up… I’ve been sober now for over three years.”
A myth that is often perpetuated by the lifestyle many musicians lead is the ability to produce their best work on illicit substances. Jazz luminary John Coltrane is one of many who this belief surrounds, but Townes Earle is a realist.
“[Drug use] affected my song writing clarity-wise for sure, the idea that you can write better fucked up is very, very, very wrong,” he insists. “Nobody can tell me that they can write better songs with their fucking brain impaired… If they’re writing their best stuff on junk, imagine how good it would be if they didn’t.”
While no stranger to our shores, this time will be different as Townes Earle is set to head down to Australia with a full band for the very first time. With a new record already well on its way, he says they’ve got a couple more stops before making the trip down under, then the cycle of touring a record starts all over again. No rest for the wicked, huh? “Exactly… We always like to keep moving.”
BY SOPH GOULOPOULOS
