The day before his senior year as a
playwright student at the University
of North Carolina, Joe Pug sat down
for a cup of coffee and had the clearest
thought of his life: I am profoundly
unhappy here. Then came the second clearest.
Pug packed up his belongings and drove
the longest route possible to Chicago.
Working as a carpenter
by day, the 23 year-old Pug spent nights
playing the guitar he hadn't picked
up since his teenage years.
Using ideas originally slated for a
play he was writing called "Austin
Fish," Pug began creating the
sublime lyrical masterpiece that would
become the Nation of Heat EP.
The songs were recorded fast and fervently
at a Chicago studio where a friend snuck
him in to late
night slots other musicians had canceled.
He was short on money, but his bare-boned
sincerity didn't
require much more than a microphone
and it dripped off of each note he sang.
In May of 2008, Pug played the first
headlining slot of his young career
to a sold out crowd at
Chicago's storied Schubas Tavern. Two
weeks later he released the Nation of
Heat EP, which has
garnered near-universal critical acclaim
and established him as one of the most
respected songwriters of his generation.
Pug has since played shows with Todd
Snider, Susan Tedeschi, Kasey Chambers,
and James Hunter. He plans to release
his debut full length record in 2009. |
|
The Flatlanders
with
guest
Joe Pug
Fri.,
Apr. 3, 2009
8PM
| TICKET
PRICES: |
Reserved
Seating:
Gold Circle: $32.50
Sections A, B, C, D: $26.50
|
Three
legends form one hot band!
The fact that Texas music titans Joe Ely,
Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock - on
their first go-round as The Flatlanders in
1972 - were completely rejected by the country
music establishment is surprising in retrospect
but, ultimately, poetic. That each went on
to have formidable solo careers is a testament
to their talent and determination. Add to
this their diverse yet complimentary styles
- Joe the street-wise rocker, Jimmie Dale
the mystic with the classic country voice
and Butch the cerebral folk singer - and you've
got a story of one of the most extraordinary
kinships in American musical history.
|
