Steve Earle was the latest participant in Rolling Stone‘s ongoing “In My Room” remote concert series. The webcast program features artists performing solo from the comfort of their own quarantines, and so far has included Graham Nash, John Fogerty, Brian Wilson, and more.
The concert series, airing on Rolling Stone‘s Instagram page, opens from the veteran singer-songwriter’s living room in Fairview, TN. Earle’s performance was one of the most straightforward so far, as the folk singer mainly stuck to the music rather than interlacing the performances with monologues reminding people to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, he launches straight into his rendition of the traditional folk classic “John Henry Was A Steel Drivin’ Man”, which is set to appear on his forthcoming Ghosts of West Virginia album with his band The Dukes. The album serves as the musical accompaniment for the play Coal Country about the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster that killed 29 in Raleigh County, WV in 2010.
Without any further banter, he rolls into the next song, “Christmas In Washington” from 1997’s El Corazón. The ever-relevant political ballad remains as true today as it was when it was written over 20 years ago, chronicling the class divide between politicians and the people they were elected to serve. Lastly, Earle closes with his 1988 chart-topper “Copperhead Road”. Earle has said of his breakthrough hit, “I always play ‘Copperhead Road’ because I want to get out of the gig alive.” Even though the song comes from Earle’s first “rock record”, the tale of bootlegging and Vietnam still translates flawlessly to a solo acoustic performance. Earle then ends the session with the simple advice, “Be good. Stay well. Wash your hands.”
Watch Steve Earle perform in the latest edition of ‘In My Room’.
Steve Earle – “In My Room” Concert
Earle is still set to begin a run of tour dates alongside The Dukes beginning on June 8th at the Kent Stage in Kent, OH. While his May shows were canceled due to the ongoing efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, tickets for the June dates are still available on his website.