Songwriter will weave his modern epic on Palmer stage

November 13, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - As Tom Russell weaves his way through the clubs, bars and cafés of America, he wears a big cowboy hat and slings a guitar up high over his shoulder the way Johnny Cash used to do.

When his show veers north into Palmer and stops at Vagabond Blues on Thursday, Russell's, audience members will notice similarities to the original &#8220Man In Black.” A deep voice and rocking Western ballads drive many of Russell's tunes.

With 18 albums of original material, though, Russell is definitely his own man.

Born in Los Angeles but now living on the border town of El Paso, Texas, Russell is known for fashioning songs that speak of bankrupt American culture, country-western mythology and the modern cowboy who seems to be taking his final steps into a vast sunset.

The prolific singer-songwriter's most recent release, &#8220Hotwalker,” is part two of an American trilogy, which combines original music with the recorded rants of circus midget Little Jack Horton, as well as recordings of Lenny Bruce, Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and other poets, writers and musical ramblers of 20th-century America.

The musical and cultural collage that emerges has been compared to a Homeric epic of American life.

Guitarist Andrew Hardin will accompany Russell on his Alaska tour. Hardin is an accomplished guitarist who is best known for his work with Russell. For nearly 25 years, the two have collaborated on dozens of albums and thousands of live shows.

The Thursday concert in Palmer begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. For more information, people may call Vagabond Blues at 745-2233.

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266 or joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.