By Rick Zeigler—
MUNCIE, IN—Acclaimed Americana singer-songwriter James McMurtry and his band will be performing a FREE outdoor concert as part of the 2022 Muncie Three Trails Music Series. The concert will take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, July 30th at Canan Commons (500 S. Walnut St.) in the heart of downtown Muncie, IN. Muncie native Mike Martin and the Beautiful Mess will open the show.
More than 30 years after his debut release, the critically acclaimed Too Long in the Wasteland, co-produced by John Mellencamp, James McMurtry has become what’s known as a songwriter’s songwriter, someone whose facility with words and influence on other artists far outstrips his mainstream notoriety and album sales. Much like his late father, Larry McMurtry, James is a fiction writer rather than a confessionalist. He just so happens to choose heartland rock as the vehicle for his tales of Americans at their lowest, searching for a fast buck, a little salvation, or maybe just a quiet moment to get their hearts in order. He crams his songs full of vivid details, the kind that many other writers might not even think up but that create a sense of a larger world outside the song.
After his auspicious start, a Grammy nomination and five more albums followed, including long-player St. Mary in the Woods, which features one of McMurtry’s most popular songs, “Choctaw Bingo”. Taking a three-year break, he released his seventh album, Childish Things, in 2005, which went on to win Album of the Year at the American Music Awards, with “We Can’t Make It Here” also capturing their Song of the Year award. In 2010, famed music critic Robert Christgau ranked “We Can’t Make It Here” as the best song of the decade. In 2015, McMurtry released Complicated Game, which became his highest charting record to date, reaching #9 on Billboard’s US Indie chart.
And now, after a long break, comes The Horses and the Hounds, released on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records. McMurtry again hones in on his favorite subjects, with hardscrabble songs about good people at bad extremes, the disintegration of small towns in flyover America, and the corruption of corporations during times of war. McMurtry sounds even more engaged here, more focused, and more generous to his hard-luck characters.
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is proud to have James McMurtry and his band, Ronnie Johnson, Darrenm Hess, and Tim Holt, grace the Canan Commons stage.
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is a non-profit partnership between Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Muncie Arts and Culture Council, and Rick Zeigler, series founder and organizer. The mission of the series is to bring critically acclaimed, national recording artists to perform at Canan Commons, Muncie’s premier outdoor performance venue, located in the heart of Downtown Muncie. A second mission is to promote the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to, Canan Commons and Muncie’s popular “Three Trails” — The White River Greenway, Cardinal Greenway, and Muncie Arts and Culture Trail. We hope attendees will heed our slogan, “Explore the Trails, Enjoy the Music.”
Complete information about the Muncie Three Trails Music Series can be found at www.munciethreetrails.com.
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