Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Joe Purdy: Play That One Called Sad Clown

Tonight, just a couple hours from this very moment, Joe Purdy will be playing at Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD.  I, unfortunately, will probably be on my couch writing report card comments... I love and hate the end of the school year all at the same time.  This is an utter shame.  Joe Purdy is one of my favorite modern musicians.  I don't think he cares about becoming famous or being #1 on some list.  He just cares about making quality music.  Over the past 10 years he's released 12... yes 12, full length albums.  That's just ridiculous!  Well over 100 songs.  Usually very sparse, Joe Purdy most often plays and records all of his music himself.  His lyrics are very personal, yet relatable, often dealing with love, losing love, or the occasional balled.  As an example of how much I respect Joe Purdy as a musician, and how much I enjoy his work, I once set out to make a mixed cd of my favorite Joe Purdy songs for a friend.  The process was so difficult, I ended up with a list so long that I had to make painstaking decisions just to get the list down to 30 so I could fit it onto two discs.  It's a blessing and a curse that Joe Purdy isn't as popular as he probably deserves to be.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Joe Purdy twice, and I already regret not being able to make it tonight.  Just this past year he released his latest album This American.  I own every one of his 12 albums, and while it's hard to pick favorites, the top two I'd recommend to a new listener are You Can Tell Georgia, and Paris In The Morning.  You really can't go wrong with either of those records.

Here's Joe Purdy performing, "Ode To Sad Clown", off his 2006 release You Can Tell Georgia.


Go check Joe Purdy out!  Just a few listens, especially to the records listed above, and I guarantee you'll have new staple in your music collection.

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