Tim Easton has been singing and writing songs since he was 14 years old. He never considered another career. After finishing college, Easton hit the road with his guitar and spent seven years singing and playing on European street corners. When he got back to Ohio, Easton joined the Haynes Boys, a roots-rock outfit that made one album before breaking up. Free again, Easton picked up his guitar and returned to the road, touching down long enough to make nine albums that earned him a loyal following with their blend of gritty roots-rock and heartfelt songwriting. Every LP took a slightly different approach and his latest, Not Cool, shows off his love of rockabilly and early R&B. Easton will be quest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on him.
Easton: Perhaps you have an idea of what the blues are and where it comes from and how it’s been re-invented by people over and over throughout the years. Perhaps you are a student of American music like Patrick Sweany and had parents who took you to the Folk Festival and made sure that you learned a thing or two about history. I have seen John Lee Hooker, and B.B. King, and Honeyboy Edwards, and T-Model Ford, and scores of dudes playing the music they love so much. There is no color to the music anymore. It’s all of ours now. It belongs to anybody who wants to experience emotion and life in general. I toured with Patrick on two different occasions and have never crossed paths with a young man so invested in his craft and technique. He is the modern-day bluesman, and I don’t mean that in a schmaltzy way whatsoever. He is a great singer, an amazing guitar player, and most importantly he knows how to hold up his end of the deal when it comes to entertainment. He knows how to conjure the greats, but he can also fire up some Eddie Money on a long Pennsylvania Turnpike drive just to check your mood. He’s got a playlist on his iPod called “my jams,” and he should probably publish it.
Video after the jump.
