40 Days Touring are pleased to announce the return of Steve Earle for two solo and acoustic New Zealand shows on Wednesday 11th April at the Kings Arms, Auckland and Thursday 12th April at Bodega, Wellington. Having last graced our shores and stages a few years ago, Texan raised Earle is coming back to charm his audience again with musical tales tall and true, drawn from his life, times and song-writing partnerships. Described by Rolling Stone as ‘the shaggy outlaw’, Earle is one of life’s great hardcore troubadours and a man whose creative artistry extends into many arenas. Singer-songwriter; actor; author; political activist; producer – indeed, there are many Steve Earle’s. There’s the singer, whose raw brand of country rock saw him become a touchstone of roots music in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. There’s the author whose debut novel was published last year. There’s the songwriter who came within a whisker of writing for Elvis before the King up and died. And of course there is the actor, whose work on The Wire and Treme has made his face as recognised as his music. And this April the body of the man containing all of those ‘Earles’ journeys to New Zealand to play an intimate set comprising songs from throughout his acclaimed and illustrious career. A protégé of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Steve Earle quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by artists including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, The Pretenders, Joan Baez and countless others. 1986 saw the release of his debut record Guitar Town, which shot to number one on the country charts and immediately established the term “New Country”. What followed was an extremely exciting and varied array of releases including the biting hard rock of Copperhead Road (1988); the minimalist beauty of Train A Comin’ (1995); the politically charged masterpiece Jerusalem (2002); and the three Grammy Award Winning albums The Revolution Starts…Now (2004); Washington Square Serenade (2007); and Townes (2009). Currently touring his 14th studio album named I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (also the title of his debut novel) Earle and his latest release has been recently honoured by the Recording Academy, receiving a Grammy Nomination in the Best Folk Album Category for next months awards. Produced by T Bone Burnett and a follow up to the award winning Townes, Earle has this to say of the collection of songs: “They are all, as far as I can tell, about mortality in one way or the other; death as a mystery rather than a punctuation mark or at least a comma rather than a period.” Do not miss out on seeing a career-spanning set which showcases not only his latest Grammy Nominated album but the range and artistry of Steve Earle – a true American original! $53+ booking fee
