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Songs
and Places
Steve Earle, Fort Worth Blues and the Roisin Dubh, Galway part two 'Townes Van Zandt Texan Singer Songwriter and Gentleman' words Jess Codd, Vic King pictures Vic King |
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Roisin Dubh,
Dominick Street, Galway (photo Vic King)
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'And
every place I travel through I find
Some kind of sign that you've been through' - Steve Earle |
| In 1994 Townes Van Zandt recorded his last studio album, No Deeper Blue, in Limerick, Ireland. That year he also played the Roisin Dubh in Galway. "I had seen the a black and white photo of Townes in the pub last year (1998) near the entrance where the gigs are held. The picture was taken on April 18th, 1994, with the inscription underneath: 'Townes Van Zandt singer songwriter and gentleman'. This year I also discovered a colour photo of Townes in the main bar, opposite one of Arlo Guthrie. 'Townes Van Zandt he's a God,' remarked a guy as he saw me snapping a photograph." |
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Vic
King (from his Galway 1999 Festival diary)
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Roisin
Dubh, Dominick Street, Galway, (picture Vic King)
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| Following Townes death Steve Earle came to Galway where he performed two solo and acoustic gigs at the Roisin Dubh pub. Jess Codd was there: |
| I'm a big Steve Earle fan and the most evocative gigs I have been to of his were held in the Roisin Dubh in Galway last year in November and December. |
| The first night in November was Steve's first night ever playing that venue and he knew Townes had always played there while in Ireland - it was a moving gig and Steve pointed out the framed photo of the "gentleman and poet" and played his tribute to Townes "Fort Worth Blues". There's a great bootleg of this night circulating which is well worth tracking down... |
| Quite an amount of El Corazon was written in Galway, as well as The Mountain - indeed, in that November stint Steve also got down some short stories and poetry which we await publication of. Steve has also just recorded a wonderful song with Sharon Shannon called "Galway Girl", for release on her new LP and maybe on an EP in the States - he debuted that song at the December gigs and did mighty fine versions of it with those wonderful McCoury boys on the recent tour too. |
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Steve has also now recorded another song with Sharon Shannon called "Dominick St." after a street in Galway. I attended those Galway gigs last year and submitted reviews to EXIT O the day after each. - Jess Codd |
| Jess Codd's reviews of Steve Earles two nights at the Roisin Dubh in November and December of 1998 are brilliantly written and convey the emotion and the magic of what it is like to be in a small venue (the Roisin Dubh holds 130). See page 3. |
| "My days, they are the highway kind, they only come to leave but the leavin' I don't mind, it's the comin' that I crave" - TOWNES VAN ZANDT |
 Fort Worth Blues, Roisin Dubh, Galway |
 Steve Earle at the Roisin Dubh, November 1998 |
 Steve Earle at the Rosin Dubh, December 1998 |
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Steve Earle website:
http://www.steveearle.net |