Tim Easton, Saturday 15 March 2014, Tap Room at the Market, Austin, SXSW 2014

A treat of SXSW is to catch an artist you’ve never heard of because you’ve arrived early for the next act. Tim Easton was an unexpected pleasure to watch. He played acoustic guitar accompanied by an electric guitar and upright bass. His set reminded us of early rock’n’roll, with its country DNA still apparent.  He is an engaging performer who chatted wittily with the audience, describing his musical genre as “gentle outlaw dad”.

His set included a touching song for his young daughter about being away from home. He explained that his song writing process includes absorbing what he sees and hears around him. The songs create a narrative. The opening song of his new album, which he performed, was based on an argument he saw between a couple in the street. The sentiment it conjured was pretty raw.

Tim mentioned fellow Nashville musician Jonny Fritz who we’d also seen at SXSW. He later played a song he had written with Keith Richards in mind about how he would cheer him up by showing him a good time in Nashville, having read in an article that Keith didn’t want to tour any more.

His Tennessee trio produced a great driving rhythm. When he built a song introduction by creating feedback between his guitar and wedge we knew we were watching an accomplished and creative musician at work.

This was an opportunity to watch top notch seasoned and passionate musicians.  They created a great sound and made us want to form a band to experience the joy of musical creation that they were experiencing on stage. A really excellent set.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice