Gig Alert: James McMurtry at City Winery NYC February 6th

Courtesy: Conqueroo

When: Saturday, February 6th 
Where: City Winery 155 Varick St. NYC
Showtime: 9 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$32

“Back before Napster and Spotify, we toured to promote record sales,” McMurtry says. “Now we make records to promote tour dates.” Clearly, the sea change has only inspired the songwriter. “[McMurtry] might be our finest narrative storyteller working today,” CMT Edge raves of the new record, Complicated Game, released earlier this year.

McMurtry's first collection in six years spotlights a craftsman in peak form as he turns from political toward personal (“These Things I've Come to Know,” “You Got to Me”). “The lyrical theme is mostly about relationships,” the longtime Austin resident says. “It's also a little about the big old world verses the poor little farmer or fisherman.” Either way, McMurtry spins his stories with a poet’s pen (“Long Island Sound”) and a painter’s precision (“She Loves Me”) throughout.

Folks notice Complicated Game delivering McMurtry’s trademark story songs time and again (“Copper Canteen,” “Deaver's Crossing”). “At a stage where most veteran musicians fall into a groove or rut, McMurtry continues to surprise,” Texas Music magazine notes. “[Complicated Game] is a collection of narratives as sharply observed as any from McMurtry, but with a contemplative depth that comes with maturity.” “[McMurtry] Fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio echoes. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”

Longtime fans know McMurtry’s vibrant vignettes have turned heads for a quarter century now. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don't think anybody writes better lyrics.” Yes. Spin “South Dakota.” You'll hear. “McMurtry is arguably the quintessential Americana artist,” Rollingstone.com proclaims, “seamlessly combining rock, country and folk.”

McMurtry tours year round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances. The Washington Post notes: "Much attention is paid to James McMurtry’s lyrics and rightfully so: He creates a novel’s worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he's an accomplished rock guitar player... serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band."

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