Justin Townes Earle was wise enough from an early age to know what to take from his father, esteemed singer-songwriter Steve Earle.
When it came to music, the younger Earle, 33, absorbed his father’s music like a sponge, particularly seminal early work such as 1986’s “Guitar Town” and 1988’s “Copperhead Road.”But when it comes to love, Earle does not mimic what his dear old dad, who is the Larry King of the music world, has done. Earle, 60, has been married seven times.
“You know he’s the last person I would take advice from about relationships,” Earle said while calling from Nashville. “I don’t know what to say about my dad and love but I don’t want to get married seven times. But when you’re talking about his music, I’ll always have respect for him. When I was growing up, I remember putting on his first couple of records. ‘Guitar Town’ is my favorite. That album had a huge impact on me.”
You can tell that Earle, who will perform Thursday, March 5 at Infinity Music Hall & Bistro in Hartford, is a chip off the old block when spinning such albums as 2008’s “The Good Life,” 2009’s “Midnight at the Movies,” 2012’s ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now.” And then there is his bookend of albums, “Single Mothers,” which was released in September and “Absent Fathers,” which dropped in July. Each of the projects, which are full of somber songs, are about broken families.
Earle says the tunes aren’t autobiographical. “But It has that reality to it,” Earle said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. That’s not who I am.”
Like his father, Earle, who is a product of his pop’s third marriage, crafts well-constructed, poignant, intimate, meaningful music based on experience. The experience may not be his but it was inspired by someone’s existence.
“Life influences me,” Earle said. “It ranges from smoking crack with the nastiest hookers in Nashville to eating dinner with some of the finest writers in Nashville.”
Earle’s grit, honesty and ability to write a solid hook, make him consistently compelling.
“I think there is something to telling it like it is that people connect with,” Earle said. “I was probably the first kid in Nashville with a copy of (Nirvana’s) ‘Bleach. Part of the reason Kurt Cobain was so incredible was because he was so honest. And look at Bruce Springsteen and what he writes. He’s honest and such a brilliant writer. Look at everything he’s done.’ “Nebraska” is pretty incredible.”
Earle doesn’t want to change. “I want to continue being the guy I am,” Earle said. “You look at guys, who are musicians, who stayed true to who they are, like my dad. And then there’s Bruce Springsteen. He tells it like it is.”
As far as love goes, Earle has moved all over the place to stay with the same woman in perpetuity. “I want to make things work out,” Earle said. “I’m not going to be like my dad, who has been like Elizabeth Taylor. I don’t know how he has gotten married so many times.”
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE appears Thursday, March 5, at Infinity Music Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford. Gill Landry will open. Tickets are $30 and $45. Show time is 8 p.m. Tickets: 866-666-6306 and infinityhall.com.
