If you’re an Americana music fan you’ve heard superstar sideman Gurf Morlix and if somehow you don’t recognize that name it is time to go read some liner notes because you do have a cd Gurf played on and/or produced! Helpful hint on where to start: Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Mary Gauthier, Tom Russell, Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, Julie Miller, Buddy Miller, Butch Hancock, Peter Case, Sally Spring and Blaze Foley (follow link to The Fall and Rise of Blaze Foley by Joe Nick Patoski) to name just a few. Blaze who? The son of Red Foley and Blaze Starr that’s who. Okay, bullshit. That last part’s not true. Lover of duct tape and larger than life, Blaze was the inspiration for both Townes Van Zandt’s “Blaze’s Blues” and Lucinda Williams’ “Drunken Angel”.
“Music You Mighta Made” from Gurf’s 2008 release Last Exit To Happyland was written as a tribute to Blaze and the songs he would never write. Blaze Foley’s 113th Wet Dream (release date 02/01/11 but available as a download now) honors the songs Blaze did write. Gurf has recorded a collection of 15 tracks that lets Blaze step, at least briefly, out of Townes’ long shadow. These are songs of drinking and bus rides, disaffection and affection often written with a touch of introspective humor. Morlix’s low gravelly laid-back growl is the perfect voice to interpret Blaze. This probably isn’t party music but more likely late night listening for fans of Townes/Jon Dee Graham and of course Blaze Foley. Unfortunately Blaze, not unlike his running and drinking mate Townes, was a talented songwriter who fell into an alcoholic spiral leading to uneven shows, alienation of his friends and fans and an untimely death. Although “Clay Pigeons” (John Prine) and “If I Could Only Fly” (Merle Haggard) might be familiar to most listeners my favorite tracks are “Baby Can I Crawl Back to You” and “Big Cheeseburger and Good French Fries” where Gurf (Blaze) sings:
“I like to drink beer, hang out in the bars
Don’t like buses, and I don’t like cars
Don’t like presidents, don’t like stars
Never had stitches, but I do got scars
Love to go to parties, I love my friends
I got no books, just got bookends
Think I’m crazy, well that depends
It don’t seem that crazy to me”
1/18 Austin, TX Broken Spoke
1/23 New Braunfels, TX Gruene Hall
2/1 Austin, TX CD RELEASE Waterloo Records Instore Performance
2/4 Galveston, TX Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe
2/5 Houston, TX Heights Live
2/9 KUT Instudio 2pm, www.kut.org
2/11 Austin, TX CD RELEASE at Cactus Cafe
**2/12 San Antonio, TX San Antonio Cafe and Concerts**
**2/26 Palestine, TX Texas Theatre**
**3/4 Oklahoma City, OK Blue Door**
**3/5 Dallas, TX Rock House Films**
**3/6 Round Rock, TX Bayou Music House Concert**
**3/17 Austin, TX G&S Lounge**
**3/24 Alpine, TX Railroad Blues**
**4/2 Austin, TX Evangeline Cafe**
**4/15 Birmingham, AL Moonlight on the Mountain**
**4/16 Nashville, TN Douglas Corner**
**4/21 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle**
**4/23 Carrollton, GA Lowell Opry House**
**Shows where Blaze Foley Documentary Duct Tape Messiah will also be screened**
