James McMurtry

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In the week prior to the 2004 election, singer/songwriter/guitarist James McMurtry offered “We Can’t Make it Here,” his blistering examination of the sorry state of the American dream, as a free download. Complete with two radio-friendly bleeps, the song was soon in heavy rotation, and not only on the community and alternative radio that had long supported Austin-based artist. Stations such as Chicago’s powerhouse WXRP were featuring the seven-plus minute political tune. Representative Bernie Saunders (I-N.H.) chose the song as a campaign anthem.

In fall 2005, McMurtry released Childish Things, his eighth album, and included a sans-bleep version of “We Can’t Make it Here.” His best-selling album in a decade, it earned him a Best Song and Best Album nod at the fifth annual Americana Music Association Awards.

McMurtry has long been lauded by critics, peers and music aficionados as being among the strongest songwriters of his generation. His works, which range from atmospheric ballads to no-holds-barred rockers, are populated by world-weary souls often longing for something different, if no better, than what they’re now enduring. Perhaps in part because of his powerful reputation as a lyricist, coupled with his stirring vocal style, McMurtry is often not given his due as a guitarist. Though not one to stoop to flash just for the sake of effect, he can rip forth with a flurry of fat-toned notes when the material demands it. In the next breath, he’ll frame a tender composition with poignant lead lines. He tends to travel with half a dozen or so guitars, which offers him a wide palate of tones and tunings from which to choose.

The Heartless Bastards (not to be confused with the Ohio-based Fat Possum recording artists of the same name) are McMurtry’s rhythm section of nearly a decade. McMurtry’s Bastards include bassist/harmony vocalist Ronnie Johnson and drummer Daren Hess. The trio’s sets have been honed to Bowie-blade sharpness by their demanding touring schedule and their steady hometown gigs in Austin, Texas. Johnson and Hess are journeymen musicians in their own rights, sharing decades of solid band time between them. Tim Holt, the band’s stalwart soundman, also frequently adds his sizzling guitar support to the band’s second set. .
James Lawrence McMurtry was born in Fort Worth, Texas on March 18, 1962. He grew up primarily in Leesburg, Virginia, a place he describes as being neither truly northern nor southern in nature. He was still a child when he saw revelatory concerts courtesy of Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. McMurtry also cites Little Feat and The Band as being among his early influences.

Given his first guitar at the age of seven, McMurtry soon dedicated himself to mastering the instrument. He was writing song fragments by his mid-teens. While studying English and Spanish at University of Arizona in the ‘80s, he began his songwriting in earnest. In Tucson, he played with a loose affiliation of musicians and started his performance career as a soloist at the Sawmill Caf