RIP Justin Townes Earle

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countryfeedback
Posts: 1221
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:00 am
Location: San Fran-Austin-Galveston

Re: RIP Justin Townes Earle

Post by countryfeedback »

Wow, what a great story. I couldn’t help but tear up thinking of how similar this was to my interaction with Jay Bennett almost 20 years ago.

TragicFig
Posts: 348
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:02 pm
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: RIP Justin Townes Earle

Post by TragicFig »

Damn it. Terrible, terrible news.

turpentim
Posts: 882
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:23 pm
Location: Kamloops, BC Canada

Re: RIP Justin Townes Earle

Post by turpentim »

This is lovely. Thank you for sharing. This loss has hit me particularly hard. I’ve had a lump in my throat and haven’t been able to listen to anything but Justin over the last 48 hours or so. The ‘Harlem River’ and ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change...” records are two of my all-time favorites.

Tim in the ATL

crowlan2
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:24 am

RIP Justin Townes Earle

Post by crowlan2 »

It was late on September 14, 2010. I was at one of my favorite neighborhood bars in St. Louis, celebrating a buddy’s birthday, when whaddya know... one of my favorite musicians, Justin Townes Earle, walks in and takes a seat just a couple of barstools away from me.

After debating inside my head whether I should bother him by introducing myself, I mustered up the courage to say hi and let him know I was a big fan and that I’d be attending his concert in town, just down a few blocks down the road from that very bar, the following evening.

We talked off and on for about the next hour. During our chat, I came to learn that Justin was a huge Cubs fan, and with Busch Stadium just down the road from the venue he was set to play that next night, that he and his band / road crew were hoping to scalp tickets to the Cubs-Cardinals game that happened to be scheduled the next afternoon. As luck would have it, I had a few tickets for that game that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to use, so I gladly offered them to him for free. He was ecstatic.

This picture of us was taken following his concert at the Old Rock House in St. Louis on September 15, 2010. Justin ended up buying me a drink after the place had cleared out. He seemed thankful to have caught most of that afternoon’s ballgame in person between his sound check and concert. And to my demise, but his joy, the Cubs not only beat my Cards but swept the series that day. Justin gave me a few jabs that night, but really, he couldn’t have come across as a friendlier guy from my brief but meaningful time with him.

The very next day, September 16, 2010, Justin was arrested for battery, public intoxication, and resisting law enforcement officers following his concert in Indianapolis. I still remember reading that news and having a hard time believing it was the same guy I’d interacted with the previous two nights. Shortly thereafter, he postponed the remainder of his Harlem River Blues tour to enter rehab and take care of himself for a few months.

Addiction is a sad, cruel beast. Praying for Justin’s widow, his little girl, his mom and dad, and all who loved him.

Image

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