Indy In-Tune #126: Jethro Easyfields Returns

Spend any time talking to the players in the local folk, Americana, and singer/songwriter scenes, and I guarantee the name Jethro Easyfields will come up, usually connected to a story that should be made into a song, or possibly an episode of some sitcom about being a musician. I've never had the nerve to ask how many of these are true and how many are just part of the mystique. Really, I don't want to know. I have my own ideas, and I don't want them tampered with. As a prolific songwriter, poet, artist, and personality Jethro is one of those guys who just seems out of time in this era where music is either over-produced synthetic pop or over-driven guitars played percussively out of tune. Jethro is organic. Jethro is about the story. Jethro is about actually listening to the music. In an age where the Black Eyed Peas have a top-selling album and the world's ear and all they can contribute to the conversation is "Boom Boom Pow," Jethro gives us The Outland -- eleven stories, eleven characters, and at least eleven different styles and moods. Better still, as he puts it, he went dumpster diving through a couple hundred songs in stash of old, unused tracks to find them. Am I the only one who sees the irony here? Links referenced in the show: Jethro Easyfields can be found here Facebook | Reverb Nation | MySpace | Musical Family Tree His latest album, The Outland, is available via Bandcamp. It was produced by the ubiquitous Scott Kern. Jessie Lied written by Owen Neighbors, features Jakis Strakis (of Veseria among other projects). It is, of all things, a prequel his song, Jessie Died, which is a sequel to Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl. It was conceived during a trip to Haughville, where he played the local VFW. The Outland also features guest vocals from John Wayne Pastor, a New Orleans musician Jethro has worked with in the past. Yes, Journey did have a video game ... and it was nothing like Guitar Hero. This interview was recorded at Kolo Bell's Open Mic at Claude and Annie's Fishers, aka "Studio C." As such it features guest appearances by some of the regulars there. Namely, Darren Brush (ex Fernhead and Kilgore Trout) and Jack Barkley (of Whoa!Tiger fame) Friend of the show, Coot Crabtree, lent his talents to our third track, Stoneyville Jethro played the Broad Ripple Music Fest's MFT Stage at Za Pizza For those of you who are not familiar with the instrument, Darren Brush brought his Chapman Stick to open mic that night.