Belligerent Justin Townes Earle Arrested in Indianapolis
Justin Townes Earle’s Thursday night (9-16-10) performance at Radio Radio in Indianapolis apparently went horribly wrong, with Earle getting in verbal altercations with the audience and venue staff, reportedly trying to start fights and breaking things, and eventually taking it outside where he continued to taunt audience members until he was eventually arrested.
“Sorry for missing the radio Louisville. I was in jail! We will be making the show at headliners though. Free again!!!” Earle posted on his always entertaining Twitter Feed on Friday afternoon, while angry fans posted their disapproval with Justin’s behavior on his website:
“What I saw in Indianapolis the other night”¦flask on stage, bitching about the crowd, asking for drugs at a record shop, smashing up the club, starting fights, and getting arrested, looks like someone has relapsed and needs to check himself back in again!” said Sandra.
“I feel completely ripped off after spending my hard-earned money to see his show in Indianapolis last night. He was wasted and belligerent. After the show we encountered him on the street. He was bitching and ranting about the audience! The same audience that paid $15 each to see him!” James posted.
Earle seemed anything but contrite, later posting on his Twitter feed, “Oh and Radio Radio in Indy and all it’s staff can kiss my fucking ass! I think the Felice Bros. Would agree.”
The problems apparently started with banter between the crowd and Earle according to Sherry who was in the front row:
…someone yells out how sexy Josh (Hedley – the violin player) is. JTE and Brynn just laugh and JTE says, “I love it!” At one point another fan yells out “Freebird” and JTE, (humorously) says “Fuck Freebird, I fuckin hate Lynard Skynard!” Then someone yells “Take off your shirt” his response was “you fuckin take off your shirt!” He starts singing Can’t Hardly Wait and all of a sudden some dude throws his shirt on stage and It lands on JTE’s guitar. JTE throws it down, looks at the dude very irritated and pissed off and says “FUCK YOU!”
He very angrily finished the song”¦”¦trying to keep his composure and dropping his capo between songs, they finish with (the song)Walk Out. They then “walk out” with no encore”¦
Sherry also stated that an audience member put the aforementioned flask on the stage, and only recalls JTE taking one drink. Other audience members state that Justin and opening act Jessica Lea Mayfied complained about the sound in the venue, and that the audience was loud.
“”The crowd was larger and very noisy. . .The sound was awful. I have been to a dozen shows at Radio Radio and I don’t remember anything like this. It sounded like the band was underwater.” Says Rob.
Speaking to louisville.com the next day, Earle confirmed that assault and battery charges were filed against him by Radio Radio, and that a physical altercation broke out after the venue decided to dock his pay. They also reported that Justin’s bass player Bryn Davies was AWOL from the band for the Louisville show.
Earle was docked $200 for trashing the dressing room, breaking a mirror, and some tables and chairs.
According to My Old Kentucky Blog, Justin hit the owner’s daughter with a closed fist, and that he resisted arrest until the police were able to pin him down and arrest him. The owner’s daughter had been reportedly working the merchandise table for Earle that night.
IndyStar.com obtained a copy of the police report and states: “Radio Radio owner David “Tufty” Clough said Earle smashed a table, a lamp and a mirror in the venue’s basement dressing room. Clough’s daughter, Cheyenne Caperton, said she was hit by Earle’s closed fist when she attempted to stop the musician from assaulting her father.”
On Tuesday Earle released a statement through his label, Bloodshot Records:
“Unfortunately, reports surfacing online about the incident in Indianapolis are not accurate. I have been advised by counsel that I should not comment on a pending criminal matter, but suffice to say that I am looking forward to having my day in court. I would also like to say that I oppose violence against women in any form.”
Justin has been charged with two counts of ‘battery with injury’, one count of ‘resisting law enforcement,’ and one count of ‘public intoxication.’
He has an initial court date of October 18th.
View Justin’s Inmate Report From The Marion County Sheriff
On Wednesday afternoon (9-22) it was announced that Justin Townes Earle was canceling his current tour, and checking himself into rehab.
Information will be added to this story when they become available and can be verified.
Thanks to Saving Country Music lieutenants Nick Lindsay and Chris Miller for information on this story.
For those of you that think I delight in this information, you are more than wrong. I am heartbroken by it. I hope that Justin can find the inner strength to regain his control, and resume blessing the earth with his gift of music; music that made me believe in him as a singular talent that had the ability to unite the disparate elements of roots music through song.
September 17, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
It really does leave me heartbroken. It’s no longer about the music, it’s about JTE’s well being.
Like I’ve said, I’m nobody to be commenting on the sobriety of others. I drink like a fish, and have done drugs like I was going to win a prize for doing the most. But it’s obvious that he does not do well under the influence. After so many years of sobriety I just hope he can get himself back on track.
September 17, 2010 @ 8:18 pm
Yeah, some people just can’t handle it. We’ve all known them.
Just figured out I made a mistake up there. Just changed it.
September 17, 2010 @ 7:59 pm
“I hope that Justin can find the inner strength to regain his control, and resume blessing the earth with his gift of music”
Amen.
September 22, 2010 @ 7:36 am
AMEN!
September 17, 2010 @ 9:18 pm
Honestly man, when I interviewed him about a year back, he had a back stage room full of beer that was not being drunk. Myself and Joe from Bloodshot ended up drinking most of it, so at that point, he was not even drinking beer. He is obviously back on the junk and booze. I love JTE, and hope he can get through this stage of his career. He has seen worse days though, so we shall see. But when you are catering to a college frat crowd wearing button up t shirts, you probably shouldn’t have moments like this.
September 17, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
Yeah, if he’d a stayed played country like he’s supposed to this would have added to his legacy. Now he just looks like an ass.
Really hate to play this card, but as much as Hank III gets credit for being a degenerate piece of trash, you never have heard about an incident like this from him.
And apparently this isn’t the first either. I’m finding other references to drunken shows and self-destructive behavior. His cut fingers a while back for example when he had to cancel some shows.
I’m afraid nobody has the balls to stand up to him, and those that do, see him as a cash cow and dont want to scare him off. Right now he needs good friends with guts.
September 18, 2010 @ 4:09 am
Man there really is multiple articles worth of content about Hank III but the one indisputable fact is that he is a professional through and through.
But back to the subject at hand. It kinda sucks that this kinda shit is our public laundry to air, but if anything, hopefully it’ll serve as a wakeup call above anything else.
September 18, 2010 @ 6:03 am
It is probably unfair for me to characterize the people around JTE as “cash cows,” as many are just like me, making less money in their lives to do what they feel passionately about. In fact I know differently, that people have been trying to help Justin through this time, and as I’ve said here MANY times before, Bloodshot Records specifically is one of the last labels out there doing it the right way.
What I was alluding to was that this fall in character has been paralleled by a dramatic rise in popularity and success. It’s so easy for me or anybody else to Dr. Phil this situation, but if he was my friend, I’d be getting up in his face about right now. Sometimes people need to be knocked back down.
I heavily criticized Lucky Tubb for being sloppy and unprofessional in a review. I heard through the grapevine the man wanted to throttle me. B when I saw him a couple months ago with Wayne Hancock, he thanked me, and he laid down one of the best sets of country I’ve seen in years.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:03 pm
Indeed, one would hope he is surrounded by good people who will not enable him in his self destruction. Hearing this makes me think of Elvis and Michael Jackson. We all know it didn’t end well for those two amazing artists who had more money than god.
January 28, 2011 @ 3:16 am
Yes that was awful but if you care just stop with the bathos. The guy has been a wreck and and has been able to pick himself up, and his music is beautiful- those two reasons are why I have a lot of love for Justin. I know we all have similar stances on thirst and conduct, but just let him figure it out. He’s a recovering young man who seriously fucks up sometimes. I don’t know, just support the guy because he’s one of the best musicians we have, and because sometimes he scrapes against greatness.
September 20, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
I believe that someone in his camp did confront him, and that’s why he and his (great) manager parted company about three weeks ago. Maybe if some OTHER people in his life would do the same, he could be encouraged to stop his steep downhill trajectory. And I guess his bass player has left now too.
September 20, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
If he scared away Traci Thomas, that truly is unfortunate. She is the best manager/publicist in the business. One of those behind-the-scenes people who does yoman’s work supporting independent artists.
September 21, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
No college frats in Indianapolis, where I lived for 12 years. I live in a college town now and didn’t see any buttoned-up frat boys. Just a sold-out crowd paying homage to the man and band keeping an art form alive. No issues whatsoever.
Let’s look at the facts. The club owner/staff do not have a good reputation. Only what has been seen in the venue should be considered. Backstage antics and supposed punches are just part of the PR war at this point.
September 21, 2010 @ 5:59 pm
I don’t know where you get that the club has a bad rep, I have lots of friends who have played there and they are treated great, the owner has been a musician all his life and taking care of the bands is high on his priorities list
September 21, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
I have been to literally hundreds of Radio Radio shows and have never seen anything but happy people having a good time. The staff and owner are always friendly and run a nice venue. I do not understand how anyone who views live music on a regular basis can think otherwise. As for trashing the place and hitting an innocent merch girl, there is no excuse. I can’t comment on this performer’s reputation as I had never heard of him before this unfortunate behavior, but I do know that the club has a great rep and the owner has much professional experience himself in bands I have heard of.
September 22, 2010 @ 7:17 am
I was at the show in Indianapolis-as a person in the crowd right in front of the stage I would say that the crowd ruined the show for me- I came to hear Justin and his band sing and instead many if not all of the people standing in front of the stage were singing so loudly the band could hardly be heard. The crowd was downright rude, the sound horrible and as for the reputation of the owner of the club, that goes without saying. I’ll never go to Radio Radio again- I will go see JTE again. Unfortunate that JTE responded poorly, but from my standpoint I don’t blame him.
September 17, 2010 @ 10:28 pm
I am sitting here reading this with tears in my eyes. Like you Triggerman, I am heartbroken to hear his disease is winning right now. All I can say is I hope he is surrounded by some good whanau (friends & family) right now who can provide him with a soft place to fall and hopefully help him get back on his road to recovery. Godspeed JTE.
September 18, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
Sorry Carla.
September 21, 2010 @ 9:00 am
gosh I hate it when it’s mentioned that people like him have a “disease”. let’s face it…he’s a drunk and/or addict.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:18 pm
Believe what you will Sally but there is alot of supporting evidence that alcoholism is a ‘disease’ and this is supported by the following highly credible institutions:
“The American Medical Association endorsed the concept in 1957. The American Psychiatric Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the World Health Organization and the American College of Physicians have also classified alcoholism as a disease”
http://www.physiciansnews.com/commentary/298wp.html
Just as nobody chooses to get cancer, no alcoholic chooses their disease either. They can however, choose to get help.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:46 pm
PS Triggerman, please don’t think for a second I am excusing or justifying JTE’s behaviour in the above comment I posted. I have very strong feelings around addiction and recovery and felt the need to correct some very commonly held misconceptions around the subject. They have a saying in AA that if you don’t get sober you WILL end up dead or in prison. It’s a deadly serious disease. You’ve met me so I don’t think I need to tell you that I have no tolerance of violence at all, ever, in any circumstance. The fact he’s allegedly assaulted a woman is incomprehensible to me. Damn, I’ve met him, you’ve met him. He was nothing but a friendly, modest, intelligent and charming southern gentleman. You summed my feelings up perfectly when you said you are so angry and heartbroken right now. I’m right there beside you Triggerman. I am looking most forward to him releasing a statement with his version of events. Has anyone actually spoken directly to the club owner or his daughter?
September 22, 2010 @ 7:45 am
Ignorance is bliss, but life on life’s terms will provide enlightenment! Let us hope that one of your family members does not fall victim to the disease of addictions!
It is an awakening!
September 17, 2010 @ 10:29 pm
I was at that show and fortunate missed the finale. This was my first time seeing JTE, but the buddy I was with had seen him a number of times and had even promoted two or three of this previous Indy shows. I wasn’t impressed. The music was really sloppy and I kept getting the feeling that JTE was pissed at me personally for coming to the show because he didn’t feel like playing. He was even arguing with audience members in back of the venue before the show. I knew that my feelings on the quality, or lack thereof, were confirmed when my buddy asked me half way through the show if I wanted to get something to eat.
On a much, much brighter note, I thought his opening act, Jessica Lea Mayfield, was worth the price of admission. I bought her latest cd and have been joyfully listening to it all day.
September 18, 2010 @ 1:33 pm
Jessica Lee is a good one. Her music is not for every one or every mood, but its great stuff.
September 18, 2010 @ 1:06 am
My band played Radio Radio in Indianapolis this month and I must say out of a 65+ date tour there is not one venue on the tour that treated us with more friendship and respect. I am a fan of Justin Townes Earle. I think he is a great talent and a very fine songwriter. We all have bad days… from what I can tell this was not the fault of the club but the fault of drugs, alcohol and the struggles of addiction. Good luck with your future endeavors. All the best.
September 18, 2010 @ 12:15 pm
There were a few reasons I felt like I had no other choice but to post this story, but the main one was Justin was using his celebrity to trash a venue that has been a big supporter of good music, and specifically of Justin Townes Earle in the past. I have no idea what happened between him an the venue that night. They may have made some mistakes that led to Justin’s behavior, but nothing justifies taking it to the level that he did.
September 18, 2010 @ 7:50 am
All I can do is hang my head on the desk. Not only as a music lover and a fan of JTE, but as one that have fought my demons for the past 8 and a half years to stay sober. As I have lost many friends to drug an booze abuse, I have also had to sit and watch many people close to me as they continued to lose their private battles with substance abuse. All I can do for JTE is pray that he finds his way back to the road of recovery. What many people and “artist” think is that they can “do a little pot” or have a drink here and there but ultimately that way of thinking will only lead back to more pain and the battle which he/she will ultimately lose. But back to this on a music level. It seems that so many of our favorite, most influential singer song writers live a path of destruction. We could write a list 100 people long. Personally I think it’s because they have a God given talent to be able to touch their inner most thoughts that we are humanly unable to deal with that ability and look for alternative ways to forget what we think and feel. Whether JTE’s new CD is a big let down and disappointment or not, and whether its because of his substance abuse that caused such a poor album, I still think that JTE is one of the most talent singer/songwriters of this day and age. Unfortunately like so many before him, his judgment is clouded at this point and time. He still is an amazing talent and when I interviewed him about a year and a half ago I saw a guy who was humble. He took extra measures to get me time to do the interview. He was honest (and would have been even more if I was any good at interviewing) and an all around good guy. I hope the best for him and pray for his recovery.
September 18, 2010 @ 12:22 pm
I agree Blake, I think JTE is a wonderful talent, and when I interviewed him (probably a month or two after you did) I though he came across as a great guy as well. And yes, many other artists have had problems. This is really a classic example that has happened dozens of times, which is why it frustrates me that it is happening yet again. And just as many times as it has happened to artists, there are artists that are sober now. Bob Wayne, Joe Buck, Wayne Hancock. I used to have a list of them somewhere, and I added JTE to it after I interviewed him and he told me as much.
September 21, 2010 @ 12:36 pm
How is the new album a poor album?! That’s not what I hear.
September 18, 2010 @ 8:31 am
Wow this makes me sad, not because JTE fell off the wagon or not, but for the fact that this report is wholly erroneous. Come on Indianapolis, we are not sensationalist. I was at that show and yeah, while not JTE’s most tightest show I have ever seen, not the sloopy mess these liars are whinning about. Yes, the opening act was jacked on something, but here”™s something no one has said, JTE took care of that mess. He put her on stage and helped her off and was basically her roadie, why didn”™t anyone see that. The fact is while on stage he took one sip of whiskey after some fan, who was clearly drunk, rudely put it on stage. Then, that same fan threw a t-shirt at his face in the middle of a song. If I was working and someone threw something at me, yeah I”™d be pissed. Otherwise, he mostly drank”¦water. The fact is the audience was rude. They were more interested in having their conversations about the fucking government center than listening to the show they paid for. If you are going to whine about your hard earned money, maybe you could learn to spend it better. Here”™s a tip, go spend your $15 at retarded Friday”™s and have your little tête-à -tête with an effing mudslide. Education, you pay for concert to listen to music not for the artist to play your background music. And, I gotta mention one more thing, the drunken frat boy behavior of screaming free bird, really Indy? Man, I have lived in this town for 20+ years and I am really proud to say I live here. But come on, we can do better than this. Reality check, if you want to scream free bird, go to Verizon and stay out of Radio Radio, or if you want to see a free bird, look at my middle finger, that bird is always free.
September 18, 2010 @ 10:40 am
This is “Wholly Erroneous”?
What is erroneous about it, that JTE got arrested, which he said himself on his Twitter feed and can be confirmed to the Sheriff’s website?
Or is it the eyewitness accounts, which you might disagree with, but are the interpretations of what happened by other people who were there.
“Wholly” means “all”, and “erroneous” means “wrong”, so what is wrong here, everything?
If you want to share your perspective of what happened then please, I would love to hear some different, sympathetic perspectives. But roasting other people’s perspectives just because they are admittedly not you favorite style of human is not helping.
September 20, 2010 @ 8:49 am
This is a pretty accurate interpretation of what went on at that show. It appeared as though a bus full of the most obnoxious “we’re going to party and screw everyone else, we paid our money” idiots unloaded and took over that place. I seriously can’t remember seeing a crowd this bad. This doesn’t excuse physical assault etc, but to exonerate the audience is unfair. Maybe a little diplomacy should go hand in hand with accusations of “falling off the wagon”. Just sayin’.
September 20, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
i was at the show…..near the front. the crowd was full of chattering assholes. free bird was yelled, clothing was thrown and someone even yelled something questioning his sobriety after taking a swig off of a flask. he replied,” i don’t shoot heroin anymore, there’s a big difference”. he might have had too much to drink that night but i think the primary reason he acted out was because of how disrespectful the crowd was. jte doesn’t deserve all of this judgment.
September 20, 2010 @ 3:33 pm
I was at the show, and heard about this the day after from a text message a friend sent me — a friend who knows the owner. I’ve been waiting to hear how it all went down, because the details were pretty sketchy around the Indy gossip mill.
Bottom line is some of these commenters’ characterizations have been pretty unfair to everyone involved. JTE was wasted — that was clear from the very start. Anecdotally, I heard stories at Radio Radio, before anything went down, about the drug-hunting at the 6 pm in-store from people who were there. I don’t know why this should surprise or particularly offend anyone who’s ever put a country or rock (or jazz, or blues, etc.) record on the turntable.
Whether or not drugs and drinking are the best thing in JTE’s life is another question. Not my place to pass judgment, but I hope he gets his shit straightened out. Punching a girl is not ok under any circumstances.
It’s fair to say JTE was pretty salty. Commenters here have whined about the “frat boys” yelling “free bird.” Who gives a shit? Yeah, it’s stupid and unoriginal. We’ve heard it before. But I felt bad for the dude who yelled it after JTE dressed him down in front of the entire audience. Whether the “I payed 15 bucks” argument holds any water generally speaking, I think that guy would’ve had a legitimate gripe. Dumb asses are dumb asses. Performers need to be a little bigger sometimes than to totally destroy some ultimately harmless guy in a crowd.
The crowd was, indeed, loud. I was in the crowd and talked sometimes to my friends, so who am I to point fingers? But anyone who says “It’s only about the music” needs to come off his pedestal. Get over yourself. People go to shows and talk to their friends and drink. That’s how it goes.
The sound was bad the first three or four songs. But it got better — at least on the audience side (JTE had to make several requests to the sound guy during the first few songs).
The T-shirt throwing was way out of line.
To anyone who’s asked me about the show, I’ve told them this: JTE was salty as hell by the end. Nine times out of 10, I’d write a performer off for being a dick to the crowd. With JTE, it didn’t matter. He has a huge amount of talent. Could finger pick and sing like a motherfucker even when he could barely stand. And there was something glorious about it all. It was rowdy as hell. JTE was rowdy. The audience was rowdy. It wasn’t fratty — honestly, it was mostly old. And JTE put on a good, energetic show. Too bad he trashed the place and punched that girl. I have this feeling if someone woulda punched him back, he’d have woken up the next day figuring he deserved it, and we’d all say (except for the girl-punching) that it was a hell of a country show — the way we all privately wish real country shows were but don’t have the balls to publicly embrace.
As someone who’s had ample drug and booze issues, I hope JTE cleans up, for his sake.
And I hope people — JTE included — will stop trashing Indianapolis. Lotta good music fans and JTE fans here who just wanted to come see a good show. Making blanket statements about a city of one million people — or even an audience with a few bad apples — is no better than racism, sexism, any “ism” that unfairly lumps a group of people together. Just isn’t cool.
September 20, 2010 @ 9:41 pm
I haven’t seen a lot of anti-Indy sentiment from really anybody, and I hope that does not become a side-effect of the situation. Even JTE’s comments seem to be more aimed at Radio Radio.
September 18, 2010 @ 1:34 pm
Oh, and thanks for dragging Jessica Lee Mayfield’s name into all this and throwing her under the bus. It’s all her fault, huh. I knew Jessica had something to do with this!
September 18, 2010 @ 3:39 pm
The dude said he was at the show
September 21, 2010 @ 12:40 pm
Couldn’t have said it better! I lived in and went to shows for 12 years in Indy. People talked to each other the whole time! The city I live in now, where JTE came TWICE this year already, no one talked over him. Indy is not a city for music lovers and now that I am in one, one that had its own “music industry buzz” about 10-15 years ago, I really see and hear the difference.
People aren”™t taking up JTE”™s back so I need to throw my support here to him!
Indy, you lost your chance. The drunkards will get to stay behind and talk over whatever shows come through (you’ll all be saying “remember when” as JTE outgrows your little market) and the diehards will have travel to Chicago for JTE in the future!
September 21, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
Been reading these blogs for an hour.
Your last sentence = best sentence of the day!
September 18, 2010 @ 9:18 am
Yikes! Hope JTE gets it together. Stuff like this happens to the best of us from time to time.. Look at Wayne the train.. He has had his share of mess ups on stage through the years..Thankfully He has good fans that understand and forgive. (but not a few venues.. thats ok) and Wayne has found the stregnth to say sober for the sake of everyone. I’m sure JTE will pull through and come out better than before. From what I know.. Hes got ton of forgiving support, and fans. an incredible record label, that goes beyond than just making records. I have no doubt in my mind, Justin will come back.
as well as Lucky Tubb.. He knows he can not drink and mess up a show. especially a show I book. *my fists are in the air* Lucky has been nothing but professional. I am proud of him and Wayne for kickin’ the bottle on stage.
While I am here…
this seems like the perfect place to post this..
A lot of musicians we love out there today have addiction problems. To the fans that eagerly buy shots for the band and put them on stage.. or hand them a little envelope folded with pills in it. Be sure you know who you are giving these too.
and think first of how it could affect the families and band mates.
COUNTLESS times I have wanted to bring a baseball bat to Waynes show and knock every drink I see off stage. When they hand me some pills to “give to Wayne” after the show. Guess where they go? in the garbage. I dont know if they give to him Knowing they have a addiction problem? or if they dont care and just want Wayne ( or whoever) to like them… But seriously.. The fans.. CAN be the #1 enabler for an addict. I have seen it. It is proof.
Of course I know. that people can get what they want no matter if fans hand out or not.. But I have seen too many times the struggles Wayne goes through. Most the time he does well.
Anyways. Goodluck! JTE! Keep strong.
September 18, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
Thanks for reminding us Gina that we’re all flawed humans and make mistakes. Some will probably think that I am passing judgment simply from posting this story, but I’m not. I make mistakes, and will make them in the future. My one concern right now though is that JTE is not taking responsibility for them. Also I agree he’s got an amazing support structure around him, but he is still the one ultimately that is going to have to take the initiative. Something tells me that support structure has already been battling this for some time.
September 18, 2010 @ 1:10 pm
an honor to see you on here Ms. Hancock. Love as always! I look forward to getting that Bob show booked!
September 18, 2010 @ 9:22 am
I worry about idiots on his twitter/facebook/myspace etc. either getting mad, and telling him he needs to go overdose. I’ve already seen one example of this, and that is no way to deal with a person suffering from a relapse.
September 18, 2010 @ 12:38 pm
Yeah, those people can fuck right the hell off.
September 20, 2010 @ 2:04 pm
I agree. No matter how out of line he was at a show, there’s never a reason to say something so cold-hearted and just out and out wrong.
September 21, 2010 @ 12:43 pm
Let’s reply to her tweet with some choice messages.
Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues (Album and Concert Review) « Raging Against the Dying Light aka Cultural Observations of the Lost Generation
September 18, 2010 @ 9:45 am
[…] According to JTE, it was a misunderstanding and emerged from “trumped” charges; the report here has quite a different spin on it. If it’s correct, I hope for the health and talent of this […]
September 18, 2010 @ 10:28 am
JTE has moved very fast in what might ultimately be too soon. I’m a fan and saw him several times, the first opening for Jason Isbell in NYC where JTE worked his own merch booth afterward. Maybe leaving people in his wake is eating at him (remember Cory Younts?), maybe it’s the road or his brush with fame, only he can answer, and deal, with those demons. I hope his dad is more involved during all of this then when he was MIA when JTE was growing up.
September 18, 2010 @ 11:46 am
What is his dad going to do? Justin is an adult, and you can’t force somebody to get sober. He can’t do much unless he reaches out and asks for help.
September 21, 2010 @ 3:41 am
Cory is now in Old Crow Medicine Show
and certainly nobody’s wake. A lateral move maybe………
September 18, 2010 @ 10:43 am
Does anyone know what spurred the break with Cory Younts?
September 18, 2010 @ 7:32 pm
Cory left on good terms to play with Old Crow
September 18, 2010 @ 10:58 am
your first sentence has the wrong date: (10-16-10)
September 18, 2010 @ 12:38 pm
Thanks! changed.
September 18, 2010 @ 3:34 pm
Sounds l;ike relapse & road burnout I hope he can pull it back together because when he’s sober he’s one of the best it happens to alot of artist though including the beloved waylon & Hank Sr the most notorius good write up but hope he has some good friends to help him
September 18, 2010 @ 3:39 pm
I was at the Indy show and can honestly say the crowd was the main problem. It was simply the worst crowd I’ve ever seen at a concert. The majority there just seemed to have no interest in hearing the bands at all. Jessica lea mayfield had to ask for her vocals to be turned up twice because of the ridiculously loud talking going on and it didn’t get much better when JTE took the stage. I can also say that JTE was standing right next to me during part of Jessica’s set and was friendly when myself and a couple other people said hello. He then went back into the hallway and signed a shirt for another fan. Now i didn’t see him towards the end of his set because I left midway through. The crowd was talking so loudly and being so rude, there was no way to enjoy the music. I’m not condoning his actions, but to put this mess solely on him is completely wrong. It just makes for a “better” story to paint him as the out of control musician wrecking indianapolis. Also I found the bar staff and the person working the door that night to be very unfriendly, so it doesn’t surprise me that he had problems with the venue.
September 18, 2010 @ 4:31 pm
So the crowd is to blame for him getting drunk, and getting arrested? Give me a fucking break.
September 18, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
I appreciate this Craig, I’ve been hoping that some would come and tell the other side of the story. It’s not that I left the other side out of this article to be sensational, it’s that it didn’t exist until you posted this, and still the vast majority paints a different picture. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some issues with either the crowd or the venue that night, but that is when professional musicians who you have to pay $15 to see command the crowd or power through the problems and go home. You learn how to do that when you’re a $5 cover musician that nobody knows, fighting to get your name out there and for attention from strangers.
Also it sounds like the vast majority of the problems happened near the end and after the set. If you had stuck around, you might have a different perspective.
September 21, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
JTE and the band drank bottled water here in my town. Why did some dumbass buy give him liquor? Because Indy doesn’t know any better.
There is no way I would have people yell at me or throw things at me when I’m on the job. I don’t expect JTE to have to put up with it either. He’s trying to give a performance of music from a time before the haters-jumping-on-the-bandwagon era. The audience should be respectful or go home.
But I’ve seen Daddy Earle be heckeled in Indy (over politics!) so its no surprise here.
September 20, 2010 @ 8:51 am
Agreed – the crowd was probably the biggest variable in making this happen. It was absolutely impossible to hear over the noise level. If you paid your money, at least make an effort to hear the music.
September 20, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
Still, crowd problems or not, NOBODY has a right to destroy private property and put their hands on any other human in anger. The crowd issues, of which there are mixed accounts of, are only interesting because they give the situation context, they do not offer justification to JTE’s actions. Nothing does, and all these “crowd” people need to appreciate this.
Everybody defending JTE is possibly enabling further behavior like this.
Another thing that nobody is pointing out is the complete lack of remorse for his actions. We all make mistakes. What separates us is who takes responsibility for them. JTE took it to another level by roasting Radio Radio the next day, instead of saying “There were problems. The sound sucked, there were bad apples in the crowd, but I shouldn’t have blown up like I did.”
September 18, 2010 @ 4:10 pm
I’m really glad that other folks are speaking up with another side of the story. I’ve met JTE this spring, he was drinking at that point, but had it under control. And was absolutely one of the nicest cats you could ever hope to meet, was like talking with an old friend.
I’ve also been on stages in unfriendly rooms, both fucked up, and sober. And you can’t blame him for blowing up on a disrespectful crowd. He’s at a point in his career where that’s something he shouldn’t have to deal with.
September 18, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
I’m really glad too, but Craig admitting leaving the show half way through, and when all the problems happened were at the end and after the show.
I’m not saying that the crowd wasn’t rude. I have no idea, I wasn’t there. But I find it really hard to believe that you would get a full venue of people who paid $15 to get in and then they’d all talk over the music, unless the music was drunkenly sub-par. If there’s lots of crowd chatter at a concert professional musicians either 1. Command their audience if their talking by engaging them or getting them to shut up with a great performance. 2. Fight through it and don’t end up arrested for drunken disorderly after the show.
Since I wasn’t there but for the sake of argument, even if the crowd was rude and the venue workers were rude, that still doesn’t give ANY excuse for his behavior. Hank III has called out MANY venues on stage for many reasons, and never ended up in the slammer because of it. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things.
September 18, 2010 @ 4:10 pm
yeah triggerman i looked this up after commenting and it sounds like the crowd was bad and he stayed and played a good set some guy threw a t shirt in his face if somebody dig that to me i would have split his wig put regardless of what you say it sounds like your trying to find reasons to pick at JTE man & there is nothing else from any of his other show except that they were great so i don’t know about this one
September 18, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
HE WENT TO JAIL…The crowd is not to blame for that.
September 18, 2010 @ 4:48 pm
You “looked it up” Roscoe? You mean that complete bullshit comment up above that makes absolutely no sense? Ha! Maybe somebody threw a shirt in his face because he was being a belligerent asshole.
This isn’t the first complaints about JTE being too drunk to perform well and doing other stupid drunken things.
September 18, 2010 @ 5:45 pm
I was there…..and I would like to share my perspective………At the record shop I saw a staff person give him a beer and he passed it off to someone else. At the show I was in the very front and I couldn’t believe how insanely rude the crowd was. Ms. Mayfield commented on it and asked for her vocals to be adjusted due to the crowd’s chatter. JTE came out and put on a great show…..He was interacting with the crowd and responding with his awesome wit as he does at most shows. He sang his new song “Slippin and Slidin” and before he sang it he talked about living on the edge and how living in the center might cause you to miss out on great opportunities…so while he’s singing the song, some dude lays a flask of whiskey on stage and JTE smiled and nodded. After the song he took ONE drink out of the flask and laid it down and I never saw him drink it again. Later on someone yells out how sexy Josh is. JTE and Brynn just laugh and JTE says, “I love it!” At one point another fan yells out “Freebird” and JTE, with his normal wit and unique humor says “Fuck Freebird, I fuckin hate Lynard Skynard!” Then someone yells “Take off your shirt” his response was “you fuckin take off your shirt!” He starts singing Can’t Hardly Wait and all of a sudden some dude throws his shirt on stage and It lands on JTE’s guitar. JTE throws it down, looks at the dude very irritated and pissed off and says “FUCK YOU!” He very angrily finished the song……trying to keep his composure and dropping his capo between songs, they finish with Walk Out. They then “walk out” with no encore…..that crowd did not deserve an encore from him. I almost forgot that the owner of the ran the sound and was an absolute failure!!!!!! He couldn’t get anything right and you could sense the frustration of Josh, JTE, and Brynn because of this. This is what I personally saw happen…..
September 19, 2010 @ 12:15 am
Thanks 3 Little Birds for finally giving us a legible perspective of what set JTE off. Unfortunately it still doesn’t give us a very good picture of what happened after the set, when he was apparently outside yelling at people, and what eventually led to his arrest, nor in my eyes does it give Justin justification for the accused behavior.
I also don’t like this talk about the “crowd” being bad, when it sounds like it was only a few people causing the problems. The quotes for the original story were from people who were there, and from their perspective, Justin was the problem. Expletives were being thrown out pretty liberally from your account. I understand what you mean by Justin’s sense of humor, but others might not, esp. if they are intoxicated.
In the end, everyone must be responsible for their own actions.
September 18, 2010 @ 10:11 pm
yeah i heard your take where did you get your info I looked on some facebook pages which i’m guessing is the only research you were able to do yeah he was arrested but you don’t know the charges but hell hes a human you insult my Intelligence by saying i just read the comment above mine thats bullshit but i’ve read on here about these rumors that you keep alleging and these other drunk performances tell me where you got this info cause i have heard none of it and i can’t help but believe it’s bullshit but the other comments are from people who claim to have been there well you had two statements in your write up so what makes their comments any more or less valuable because they support you theory but your sheep can take what you say as the gospel but i did some research of my own and all the reviews say hes a nice guy and his shows are awesome including the night before this Incident but you keep talking about these rumors and other stories of him being too drunk to play and i can’t find these anywhere but you made it sound like he did’nt play his set but he did it was afterwards so maybe he had an altercation with the heckler or the guy that threw the shirt in his face or maybe it was the guy that asked him did he write his own songs or did the producers write all of them for him or did you not hear that story because you did’nt dig deep enough and you don’t know his personal his life but you assume he’s off the wagon but you say you know because of his twitter feed was it the picture of him with a bud light or the picture of the mixed drink that convinced you his past addictions was heroin so i do my research but i’ve read lots of reviews and not one of them says anything about him being too drunk too play but they do say his performance was amazing and these are professional reviewers that i read so it sounds like you’ve made your assumption and your gonna stick to them come hell or highwater but dont insult my intelligence triggerman
September 19, 2010 @ 12:37 am
Alright, first off I’ll give you the shirt. My apologies. But the first comment I saw about the shirt was bullshit, as the person said everything in this article was wrong, meaning that JTE never got arrested, and the two eyewitnesses I quoted never saw what they saw. And no, at this point I have gotten NO information off of Facebook whatsoever. Where I got the two quotes from the article was from Justin Townes own website. Check the comments section:
http://www.justintownesearle.com/justin-makes-the-cover-of-pollstar/
Also one of these commenters emailed me and I verified them as a source. So no, I did not make these up. And why would I? They are the perspectives of two eyewitnesses.
And yes, JTE had a shirt thrown in his face, but according to a third eyewitness who left the comment just above yours and I have also identified said that Justin said ““Fuck Freebird, I fuckin hate Lynard Skynard!” and then said to the individual ““you fuckin take off your shirt!” It may have been a misunderstanding of wit, but if someone was yelling obscenities at me, I might throw a shirt, or more at them as well. You take that into consideration of other people saying that his whole set was drunk and belligerent, and you start to see the whole picture.
People will spin it for whatever side they are sympathetic to. Believe it or not, all I am trying to do is get the facts straight. And as additional facts and statements that I can verify have come to light, I have updated the story, always making sure to state facts and try to leave opinions out.
As far as JTE being off the wagon, again, read above comment saying he took a shot of whisky on stage, and then yet again, check his Twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/JustinTEarle
You will see numerous references to drinking alcohol. And again, why would I lie? Trust me, I want to be wrong. I would love to be wrong, and have to make a correction.
Opinions are opinions. Facts are facts. It is my opinions that JTE’s new music is hollow. It is a fact that he got arrested in Indianapolis. It is a fact that eyewitnesses say he was drunk and belligerent. It is a fact he took a shot of whiskey on stage.
September 19, 2010 @ 4:42 pm
Congratulations, Triggerman, for being able to decipher that last comment. I’m no English teacher but I do know how to use puncuation at the end of my sentences (and sometimes, even in the MIDDLE of them)!
Sincerely,
one of your “sheep”
😉
September 20, 2010 @ 9:23 am
Hey Triggerman I was reading the new info and I Reread My comment man and I’m sorry I was an asshole and Disrespectful and had to say I’m sorry again Because I love the site and I did’nt want you to get the wrong impression
September 19, 2010 @ 8:05 am
My husband and I went to the JTE. We originally sat in the back of the venue. We have been involved in the Indy music scene for more than 10 years, my husband also is a musician. We have seen many shows at Radio, Radio which we love, but during Jessica’s set we could not even hear here over the many voices and when she started singing they talked even louder. I was very surprised and commented to my husband how rude the crowd was. We finally left our table to go stand for the rest of Jessica show just so we could hear her. When JTE came on it was the same thing we stood through his show so we could hear. I have no idea why half or more of the people where at the show. I do not excuse bad behavior, but I was upset at the outward rudeness of most of the audience. Frankly, l was ashamed of the crowd in Indy. It was also rude to throw a shirt of JTE. I do not know what jackass thought that was a good idea. After the show there was a man, who I did not know, who apologized for the crowd to Josh (and by the way he is rather sexy). By the way I did talk to Josh after the show and he was very respectful and kind. My husband and I talked to Jessica during the first part of JTE’s show and if she was drunk then I could not tell and I did not drink. She also was signing autographs for other audience members in the hallway and was nice. Peace and love to everyone.
September 19, 2010 @ 9:00 am
exactly people will spin on whatever side their sympathetic i’m not saying he was right but i don’t know what he was arrested for and neither do you i’m just saying their are two sides to every story yes he should have been more professional but knowing some artist when your out on the road every night it can wear on you man and it sounds like he was tired and decided to push back a little but their are people saying he was drunk and their are people saying he was not so you can’t take one side over the other one constant in all of this is that crowd was really rude even during jessicas set but we were’nt there and if we had been we might both have different stories but i respect you and i’m sorry if i said anything out of line but what i was saying is this is the first account of him being drunk on stage when most of the time you hear people say he’s amazing live i’ve never seen him but i have lot’s of bootlegs legal of course and he’s always professional
September 19, 2010 @ 9:19 am
Roscoe, there’s no hard feelings here. You saw the shirt info before I sw it from a source that I could verify was credible. I’m glad you bowed up to me, and I’m glad JTE fans and other eyewitnesses are willing to come here and help set the facts straight. I know a lot of people will think I have a hidden agenda or that I’m trying to be sensational, but that is just the price you pay when you write a story like this.
September 19, 2010 @ 9:25 am
Wow. That was a very long sentence.
September 19, 2010 @ 9:14 am
I was at the show and stayed to the end of the set but I did not see what happened after the concert. I saw and heard the same things that 3 Little Birds described.
I also saw JTE at Radio Radio earlier this year and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. I only knew his music from the studio records and I can’t even say I was a fan. After that concert I understood what he his music was about. Since that winter concert, JTE is about 50 percent of my listening.
The concert a few nights ago was a different story. The crowd was larger and very noisy. I met many people who were very excited to see him. Many folks were commenting on his musicianship and I assumed the talking and noise that was going on for the opener would quiet down for him. If it did it was only minimal.
The sound was awful. I have been to a dozen shows at Radio Radio and I don’t remember anything like this. It sounded like the band was underwater. I could not even understand a lot of JTE’s dialogue. (The cursing was pretty clear). I stood at the bar for part of the show and the band sounded like they were in another room. I moved to the center and all I heard was bass. The vocals were obscured and the fiddle only came out in the higher registers.
If this were the first time I saw JTE I am not sure what I would think of him. I am not sure what I would think of Radio Radio as a place to hear music either. I really tried to listen and my sense was the band’s playing was fine. When he played solo his guitar playing seemed clean and his voice was strong. I brought a friend who has a degree in music performance, not string playing, but has a great ear. He could not understand how JTE got all those sounds out of the guitar. He thought Earle was playing along with a recorded track. This is to say this event was not caused simply by a drunk stumbling through a show.
I am sure it was a frustrating night for all involved. It certainly was for his fans who came to hear a great concert.
September 19, 2010 @ 10:35 am
This is more great info, but it is all soup and salad. After the show is when JTE allegedly got belligerent and was yelling at people outside and engaging in other behavior that eventually led to his arrest. I would love to see some other accounts of that situation.
September 19, 2010 @ 10:58 am
Thats what I’m saying I want an account of what happend after the show what went could have been some type of altercation with a heckler i read somebody said they talk to Josh Hedley After the show I wanna find out what his charges were.
September 19, 2010 @ 1:11 pm
this is absolutely just hearsay and is not by any way proven fact but…….I heard the altercation was with the staff of Radio Radio over a money issue. They wanted to doc his pay for some reason………The Felice Brothers, who also won’t be back to Indy because of Radio Radio, had issues with the owner for some reason as well…..
September 19, 2010 @ 9:37 am
This absolutely breaks my heart. I saw him on the 11th in Atlanta and it was one of the best shows I have ever been to. I met him before the show and he was super nice. he even seemed a little shocked that I wanted him to sign an issue of GQ that had him in it. As far as I could see he wasn’t drinking on stage and he wasn’t being an asshole to the crowd. There was some banter back and forth but the worst things being said were coming from someone in the back of Smith’s. They played a good set and came back for an encore. At the end of his last song it was getting pretty tense in there(not in a negative way, more in the sense of “Oh my God! He’s gotta do something big to end this”). He cut his hand up ripping out his guitar strings, but it wasn’t anything major. He turned around and walked off stage sucking on his fingers.
I have a hard time accepting that he acted like he did in Indy, I just hope he can pull himself together. He’s an amazing artist and the first one I’ve found in a long time that I can listen to an album and love every song. Despite all of this, I’ll still go see him next time he played in Atlanta.
September 19, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
These are all 100% fact, no opinion until the bottom and I point out what is opinion.
I was at the show
I have performed at Radio Radio so I know the situation on both sides of the stage.
I have been to every show JTE has played in Indy (both at Spencers & Radio Radio) except the first at Spencers & the one before this one at Radio Radio so I have some frame of reference.
I have been closely involved in three of these shows.
This was his fourth play at Radio Radio and the owner ran sound for him every single time, nothing was new or changed here except Justin’s in-ear monitors & his state of mind.
Justin was not getting along with the staff before the show began. This is the only time I’ve seen Justin perform that I was not blown away by him. I was embarrassed for him and left about half way through. His tempos were all over the place, his musical & vocal phrasing was off, his mic technique was not normal, he was all over the place and most of the issues with vocals looked like they were coming from his erratic mic technique & poor delivery. I’ve never seen him perform like that. Normally he hunches over the mic and has this intense stare, you know what I mean if you’ve been to any of this other shows.
The arrest came at the very end after all fans left. Justin did do damage to the dressing area of the club, destroyed tables, chairs, a mirror, etc… He did hit at least one owner and one staffer and was then belligerent with the police. Whether it’s right wrong or in between you generally go to jail if you get into it with the cops.
From here on down this is OPINION…
I loved Justin’s previous shows I want nothing but the best for him.
I also love the folks at Radio Radio and from someone who knows and has worked in every club in Indy it’s my personal opinion that Radio Radio and it’s owners are some of the most respectable and hard working club owners in Indy. They pay 100% of of the door to the act (no percents, no $$ for light & sound, etc..) & they treat artists like family but they also stand their ground and have integrity.
This thing is all a real shame but in my opinion the club and audience can not be blamed for this. I’m not aware of any other artists being arrested at Radio Radio and crowds talk over artists when they aren’t earning their attention.
JTE has ALWAYS had a rowdy & loud crowd in Indy but normally he can tame them. You don’t blame an audience at a rock club like this. Maybe in a theater show but not in a bar show. Crowds in bars talk over bands if the bands are weak. This is the way of the music business. If you don’t know this you don’t go to enough small clubs. Verizon & the Vogue do not count people.
This was a bad night for everyone, no one came out happy. Not JTE, not the audience and not the club for sure. I get that some of us get worked up about our favorite performers and want to defend them but supporting bad behavior is not really supporting at all. I come from a family with drug and alcohol addictions and supporting their mistakes was something I learned to stop a long time ago.
So as someone who’s a little more involved I have to say I hope the best for Justin and I greatly respect the venue and am sorry they had to deal with this night.
September 20, 2010 @ 1:48 pm
I was at this show and stayed from start to finish. Everything The Guy says is absolutely true and I agree with his assessment and opinion. While I was walking home with a small group of friends, we ran into Justin and Jessica on a street near the rear of the venue. They had apparently come out the back door. He was in a rage! He was going on and on about Skynard. Every other word was fuck!. He was visibly agitated and swinging his arms in a very agressive manner. I live in the neighborhood and have talked to numerous people who witnessed the arrest. One of those people was a staff member at a bar around the corner from Radio Radio. He said that Justin had been in their place earlier and he had asked him where he could “find some blow”. Nothing that happened with the audience in Radio Radio can justify any of his behavior. He destroyed property and punched a 23 year old girl! He will now have to pay the price for his actions. The saddest part about this whole thing is the fact that he is showing absolutely no remorse.
September 19, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
i can’t make comments about justin, but people gotta remember; artists are unbalanced by nature. that’s what makes them great. so give him a break.
besides, half the time you think someone’s drunk or on drugs or whatever,..you’re wrong. they’re just weird or depressed or whatever. anyhow, i wasn’t there so i can’t say shit about what happened, but i do have a good story for ya, it’s why justin said the felice brothers would agree. they would.
first of all, fuck radio radio. that place can go fetch. the guy that runs that place nearly got his whole ass rocked by all the Felice Brothers about a year ago. after telling the band how “punk” he was and how awesome and real his band was and how many records he sold and how good he is as a musician and bla bla bla,.. he gave the impression that he was a jaded bitch who was crying about having to run sound instead of being on stage.
all night long, the band tore the fucking house down. the place was packed and the crowd got rowdy and clearly loved the show. however, trouble was brewing. the sound on stage sucked and the owner guy was upset by how loud the band was in addition to having some weird axe to grind about the level of musicianship of the band and the current state of the music industry etc… people in the audience later commented that the sound could have been better in the house as well. meanwhile, in the club’s courtyard out back where people go to smoke, 3 assholes broke onto the Felice tour bus looking for heroin. yes smack. given the band’s appearance, these junkies thought that there “had to be stuff on there”. the tour manager found them on the bus, and promptly took care of the situation and when the club staff was informed, the band was told the club was not responsible for anything that happened within the fenced in area where the club has bands park and load in. furthermore, the club would do nothing to enforce the security of the band’s bus. so now the tour manager had to play babysitter and not sell merch. bummer.
during the final encore, the felice brothers pulled audience members up on stage to join in the fun like they usually do. in the melee some bottled water was poured on various people on and off the stage. sounds like rock and roll right? punk rock right?
well mr owner/punk rock guy didn’t think so. he fucking freaked. he was super pissed because some water and maybe beer ended up on his precious velvet curtains and carpet. wow so punk. just like CBGB’s. after the band apologized, he made it personal by telling certain people in the band that they sucked and had no business being there. i can’t imagine a more unprofessional thing to say. the band just laughed and told him to chill the fuck out before he got stomped.
so in short, artists can be unpredictable, crowds should have fun regardless, and radio radio should get bought by someone cool.
September 19, 2010 @ 4:07 pm
If Radio Radio is such a horrible place to play, why was this the fourth time JTE played it?
I also don’t appreciate you characterizing all artists as “unbalanced.” I’m not saying that there aren’t some that are, but most do not tear up dressing rooms, get in physical altercations with the staff, and end up being arrested.
September 19, 2010 @ 4:52 pm
once again thats one persons story some girl on facebook said he did’nt have a dressing room he had to change in his van can’t choose one over the other because it seems to me their are equal amounts of people either side of this debate and this guy above could even be on radio radios payroll just sayin i can’t choose a side unless the police release their report
September 20, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
I was at the Felice Brothers show and you are completely full of shit! Your story is so full of lies and bullshit, it’s not worth the time to run through them all. Your recollection of that show is purely fiction!
September 22, 2010 @ 8:21 pm
it’s true, i have nothing to gain by lying. i was working that night, saw it all first hand.
the junkies in the courtyard, the water/beer on the curtains/carpet, and the personal insults from the owner.
doesn’t matter though, we all see things differently.
September 19, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
oh, one more thing. any stupid fucking jackass who screams out “freebird” at a show should be told by the entire audience to SHUT THE FUCK UP!! that is your DUTY as an audience member. screaming freebird is the most cliche, lame, disrespectful, stupid, douche bag, mutherfucking asshole, loser thing to do and it instantly brings the vibe down for the performer. instantly. i’ve seen mutherfuckers killed for that shit.
if you can’t resist saying it cuz you need the attention or you’ve never been to a live music show before and it seems like a funny thing to do, then stay home or go to a fucking skynard tribute show.
September 20, 2010 @ 5:36 am
That’s is exactly right!! It’s like being at a Felice Show and someone yelling “Frankies Gun” three songs into it or an OCMS show and someone yelling “Wagon Wheel”…..That shit pisses me off! JTE and every other performer is an artist….not our fuckin puppets…….Music is art……sit back and enjoy the ride!
September 21, 2010 @ 9:18 am
When someone asks for Free Bird… Give them the finger! Thats a Free Bird! hyuck hyuck.
September 19, 2010 @ 5:41 pm
For those of you still not convinced that JTE was arrested, here is his inmate profile:
https://www3.indygov.org/custodyinformation/Profile.do?bookingnum=1044653
Also it appears that his bass player Bryn Davis went “AWOL” after the incident, according to the following story, and that the charges are assault and battery:
http://www.louisville.com/content/justin-townes-earle-review-night-jail-cant-keep-him-down-music
“there was a misunderstanding at the venue wherein the proprietor decided to dock the band some of their money, and when Earle went to discuss the matter with him, he didn’t take it too kindly. A fracas broke out between the venue folks and the band, leading to assault and battery charges being filed, and Earle’s unscheduled stay in the holding tank.
I have NOT confirmed this yet, but POSSIBLY the dock in pay had to do with JTE trashing the dressing room.
September 19, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
“RadioRadio had shitty sound, they expected the band to change in their van without a green room”
This is from somebodys facebook post I don’t know if its true She claimed to have been there but like everything else you have to take it with a grain of salt
September 19, 2010 @ 9:54 pm
Just confirmed. The physical altercation that led to JTE being arrested was because Radio Radio docked him $200 for allegedly trashing the dressing room. We finally have the whole picture.
September 19, 2010 @ 9:58 pm
artists play venues that suck for a reason. you. the fans.
in my opinion, all interesting artists are eccentric. i.e…..unbalanced.
interesting artists are those who have a view on society that is different from those who work normal jobs, and do “normal” shit like go home at 5, watch sitcoms on TV, and drive subarus. there’s nothing wrong with that by any means. it’s just boring to hear about in art.
no icon/artist who has something interesting to say about society does that. from da vinci to lady ga ga, memorable icons/artists have to be focused on their work and therefore not focused on other things. in other words,..unbalanced.
but yes you’re right, some artists do not tear up dressing rooms or get arrested.
September 19, 2010 @ 10:10 pm
a brief list of those who do tear up dressing rooms and get arrested would be;
justin townes earle, steve earle, townes van zandt, leonard skynard, neil young, david crosby, Jay Z, chuck berry, led zeppelin, frank sinatra, willie nelson, james taylor, beach boys, nirvana, miles davis, serge gainsbourg, john lennon, paul and linda mccartney, bob marley, oliver stone, the doors, mariah carey, lou reed, lee scratch perry, little richard, elton john, lil wayne, johnny cash, dion warwick, jack nicholson, john coltrane, ozzy, public enemy, AC-DC, count basie, merle haggard, george jones, , joe cocker, p. diddy, michael jackson, motley crue, the cure, aerosmith, duke ellington, buddy rich,, sinaid o connor, NWA, green day, carlos santana, eminem, basquiat
james brown, the who, amy winehouse, the rolling stones, 50 cent, van halen
sublime, louis armstrong, patsy cline, sarah vaughn, kid rock
jerry garcia, deep purple, skip spece\, queen latifa, iron butterfly, outkast, iggy pop
small faces, sly and the family stone, P funk/funkadelic/george clinton
ella fitzgerrald, elvis presley, whitney houston, DMX, neil diamond, hank williams
hoyt axton, guns and roses, D’angelo, bob dylan
WU TANG CLAN, captain beefheart
Donovan, leonard cohen, jay z, the eagles, sun ra, liza minelli, R kelly, allman brothers, art garfunkle, jerry lee lewis, Tupak, vincent van gogh, lil kim, Madonna, adam clayton, phish, Jimmi hendrix, bobby brown, Snoop Dogg, red hot chillie peppers, grand funk railroad, the band, ray charles, janis joplin, Notorious BIG, David Bowie, boy george, george harrison
coolio, faith evans, rick james…………
September 20, 2010 @ 6:07 am
JTE did not get arrested for tearing up a dressing room. He got arrested for physically attacking the owner of Radio Radio and another staff member.
And to sound like a 5th grader. Two wrongs don’t make a right. That fact that all these artists in the past made this mistake is all the more reason JTE should understand this is childish and he needs to find other ways to vent his anger.
September 19, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
JTE is completely overrated. If he had to compete on the level of an unknown he wouldn’t have made it to most open mikes. He’s butt ugly to, undoubtedly helped by his various addictions. Love how famous people get a pass and can call it “a disease” yeah it’s a disease called born into the limelight and totally screwing it up. Just 6 years ago they were still scraping him off the ground in the local Nashville parks. Lets add that on a recent radio interview he discussed how “many of his best friends are prostitutes” well what a surprise. Sure makes a normal gal feel welcome and special. NOT. The guy reeks of self entitled asshole. Anyone could have told him living in NYC is probably the worst place he could be if he wanted to sustain sobriety. Screw him, he follows a long line of second and third generation self entitled music business hacks. Bring on the hungry unknowns, this dude is a complete waste of time. Screw him. Stop signing these idiots let them find their own way and get off your lazy A&R asses and find the real talents. If I never hear about this guy again it will be to soon. He’s already gotten more publicity for being a second rate junkie loser than his Dad did, who is also BTW, overrated and boring.
Enough with these people, can we focus on someone who deserves it? And who might that be?
September 20, 2010 @ 6:11 am
I might agree with some of what you’re saying now, but JTE was not always like this. I do believe he has talent, and obviously somebody believes he’s good looking because they put his mug on GQ.
And I agree, we should be focusing on the positive. The only reason I didn’t in this instance is nobody was reporting this story (an obviously there is interest) and it was part of a broader conversation I had already started about changes in JTE.
September 20, 2010 @ 8:55 am
your talking out of your ass he said he had friends who were prostitutes because they took him in when he was homeless and on dope but what people are forgetting is he’s human he may have had a bad night did he over react yes.
but they say it was assault and battery he was charged with but where I come from that gets you more than a $150 bail but who kows but another thing is this is the first time something like this has happend with JTE if it happends again then will really have something to talk about but attacking his looks grow up asshole and he is really talented and when bullshit is’nt in his way hes one of the best.
September 20, 2010 @ 9:08 am
The above comment was intended for Notville not You Triggerman
September 20, 2010 @ 5:01 am
A cooler head would have prevailed. Some real nice-like people go to shows just for this kind of entertainment and know just what buttons to push. Stay strong JTE.
Hello Weeds.
September 20, 2010 @ 9:13 am
Triggerman, great blog, but I have to say this report is sorta biased. Hear me out – check the headline even – it doesn’t say “Belligerent crowd throws shit at Justin Townes Earle” (even though your own investigation has turned that up), it doesn’t even say “JTE: What happened in Indy?” with a meticulous admission that conflicting reports might suggest he was drinking, but other reports do not, with an admission to let the reader decide… it doesn’t show that there are multiple eyewitness reports suggesting the club and crowd were as much a variable as his attitude was. It automatically assumes the absolute worst about this guy and implies that he’s “just another drunk rockstar” which seems to fit nicely with not only your recent review of his album, but also your commentary above which suggests you think he’s somehow wasting his talent or “sold out” or something. Truth is, I can’t make out what your beef about this guy actually is, but the stone-cold reality is you editorialized the hell out of a news story, and irresponsibly so. There is not one eyewitness report elaborating what happened outside the club after (we didn’t see it either) but you are apparently using hearsay about what went down outside the club to justify your declining opinion of the guy and his music. If the guy punched, kicked, or whatever, I don’t see enough evidence from the totality of the story suggesting it was entirely his fault, let alone any reason to suggest that he is “childish” and for you to agree with a poster who calls him a “self entitled asshole”. I’m a fan of your blog and I read it quite often, but you dropped the ball on this one.
September 20, 2010 @ 11:05 am
That’s a very good point Harold and I’m glad you brought it up. For 48 hours, all I heard from were people who witnessed the event, and they all had the same story, that JTE was drunk and belligerent, screaming curse words on stage, then started breaking things and assaulting people until he ended up being arrested.
Now all of a sudden dozens of people are coming and saying its a crowd issue. To be fair I have added the accounts that I believe are fair and helpful to painting the full picture.
However I am a firm believer, that once you write something, it is unethical to go back and change it, just because you can. I can add and clarify, but I feel editing either the title or the original body of the article could look even worse, like I am trying to cover my tracks.
I honestly do not believe I have made any mistakes writing this article. I have presented the facts and the accounts as they have become available and the sources have been verified. Believe it or not, there was a time when I reported on news stories for a living, and I follow the same ethics codes here as I did when working for newspapers and magazines. Because of the nature of this story I have gone even a step further. Emailing individuals to verify and document identities before I add their accounts or the information they provided to the story.
I think belligerent accurately represents JTE from that night, regardless of the provocation. Also drunk means drunk. Belligerent can mean drunk, or it can just mean angry and acting out of order.
From Webster:
“inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness.”
Sounds pretty accurate to me.
Justin Townes Earle Arrested; Matthew McConaughey to Direct Jamey Johnson Video; Video Tribute to Bob Wills | The 9513
September 20, 2010 @ 9:23 am
[…] Townes Earle took a little detour after last week’s show in Indianapolis: (via Saving Country Music) […] there was a misunderstanding at the venue wherein the proprietor decided to dock the band […]
Peter Cooper & Eric Brace Release New Albums; Justin Townes Earle Has a Meltdown; Gary LeVox Described in Newspaper as “Brilliant.” | American Twang
September 20, 2010 @ 9:31 am
[…] verbally sparring with fans at his Radio Radio show and reportedly trashing his dressing room. Saving Country Music has compiled some of the reactions on Twitter from fans who witnessed the performance and ensuing drama. ”¦someone yells out how […]
September 20, 2010 @ 12:54 pm
According to My Kentucky Blog, JTE hit the owner’s daughter with a closed fist, and had to be wrestled to the ground by police.
http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com/?p=9685
Alright JTE Facebook friends, justify THIS!
I hope this is not true. God I hope this is not true.
September 20, 2010 @ 1:47 pm
I would like to put one thing out there his bail was $150 I’m no expert but i think assault and battery on a woman And resisting arrest would carry a higher bail but we won’t know unless the police department release more info.
September 20, 2010 @ 1:51 pm
Jesus! I just read your facebook update with this new info. I’m with you Triggerman in hoping it’s not true 🙁
September 20, 2010 @ 2:07 pm
The info is true. The owners daughter came to the club at the last minute to help JTE sell merch. When all the crap went down outside the club, she was standing with her dad and got punched by Justin.
September 20, 2010 @ 1:23 pm
I wasn’t at the show but my son was. I think this was a very unfortunate incident but in JTE’s defense, who the hell wants to hear Freebird, anytime, anywhere, by any band? Now don’t get me wrong, I love music of all kinds, particularly country and classic rock but seriously………..Freebird died when the band died in 1977 and what man would want some stinking concert drunk to throw his shirt on stage? From what I’ve heard, the audience provoked JTE and he snapped. I’m just sorry I missed it all and hopefully the next time I get an opportunity to see JTE, I will be there.
September 20, 2010 @ 5:06 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?!?!?!?!
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE PUNCHED A 23-YEAR OLD GIRL!!!!
AND HAS SHOWED NO REMORSE!!!
In 25 years of seeing shows, probably 25% of them someone has yelled out “Freebird”. It happens.
September 20, 2010 @ 6:59 pm
Um, you’re not quite getting it. The person yelling out “Freebird!” isn’t expecting the artist to play it. They think they’re being clever by yelling out an old concert chestnut that became a cliche about 5 years after it was released. Unfortunately, the “cleverness” of the joke wore out about 25 years ago. And no, I’m no exaggerating.
September 20, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
savingcountrymusic.com underground country musics TMZ
September 20, 2010 @ 5:07 pm
As soon as artists are featured on the cover of GQ magazine, they cease to be part of the country music underground.
September 20, 2010 @ 3:30 pm
Bryn Davies will not be playing w/ JTE next weekend according to her FB page.
September 20, 2010 @ 6:17 pm
I think Bryn Davie’s departure from the band is very telling.
September 20, 2010 @ 5:04 pm
maybe its just me, (and i was there, front row, and didn’t leave till the owners made us leave) but i thought it was an awesome show.
there was something oddly alluring about the whole experience, really. I was standing there, watching a self-destructive country star at the peak of his career, doing his thing. sure, his thing may have been a slightly over-drunk thing, but that’s beside the point. it would be like seeing Ryan Adams when he was drunk all the time, which would have been great! People loved Kurt Cobain when he was on heroin, and Kurt Cobain sucks. I mean, FUCK, Johnny Fucking Cash was taking pills. And he’s Johnny Cash. Give me a break.
And I’ve seen concerts at Radio Radio before. And the sound people take forever to get things set, and usually still don’t get it right.
sure, ‘ol Townes Earle may have taken it a bit too far, but oh well. again, he’s a country star, right? not a fuckin’ pope.
all i’m sayin’ is i enjoyed the show, i don’t feel ripped off, and will probably see him again if i get the chance.
rock on, justin townes earle.
September 20, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE LEAVES A COMMENT, I WANT THEM TO SAY THEMSELVES FIRST “JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE PUNCHED A 23-YEAR-OLD GIRL.” AND SEE IF THAT DOESN’T TRIVIALIZE YOUR STUPID WHINING ABOUT LOUD CROWDS OR PEOPLE YELLING “FREEBIRD.”
STOP ENABLING THIS MAN, WHO PUNCHED A 23-YEAR-OLD GIRL, AND NOT ONLY HAS YET TO OFFER AN APOLOGY, BUT HAS ADDED INSULT TO INJURY!
I am personally banning myself from commenting or editing this story for a while until I cool down. I am so angry and heartbroken right now, I can barely see straight, and am a gnats eyelash from saying some very stupid, but very true things.
September 21, 2010 @ 4:05 pm
While reading these comments, I’ve held my tongue up to this point. But you’re missing something crucially important in your reporting on this story: criminal charges are not facts. As far as I know, we’re all still innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law – if not in the eyes of the blogosphere – so I’d humbly suggest you keep the potentially libelous comments to a minimum. (I’m not a lawyer, but you seem to be walking a fine line in terms of defamation/libel.)
I’m not asking for sympathy, nor am I trying to defend or pass judgement on anyone’s actions to which I bore no personal witness. I’m asking for fairness in reporting.
This site has obviously become something of a trusted source for news on this matter. I suggest you stop the speculation, chill out with the caps, and try to regain some objectivity.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
What is potentially libelous?
I hope somebody sues me, I could use the publicity. How much they want? $100,000? $200,000? Hell, lets make it a million. You can’t get what doesn’t exist. They can have the keys to my 12-year-old Subaru with 180,000 miles. That’s about all I got.
Charges are facts. It is a fact that JTE was charged with 2 counts of battery, a count of resisting arrest, and a count of public intoxication. It is also a fact that these are only charges. And you’re right, it is innocent until proven guilty, though I have absolutely no faith in the justice system getting this or any case right.
The point that a lot of people are missing in these comments, and the reason the caps made an appearance is because arguing that the ALLEGED behavior is justified because somebody yelled at JTE to play Freebird is absurd. Until the news came out that JTE ALLEGEDLY hit a woman, most people defending JTE were making him out as the victim, including himself. Now its all about facts. Huh.
And yes, I had an outburst when I heard the alleged news about JTE hitting the woman. There is nothing that gets me more angry than violence toward women. I could have erased those comments, and I could now. But I believe that is censorship, and unfair to other commenters who may have said things that they either regret or wish they could change. And I don’t regret them. That is how I felt at the time. I don’t get paid to run this site, so I do whatever I want. I used to get paid to be a journalist and so I take that professional attitude to my reporting. I think it is disingenuous for anybody to act like they don’t have an opinion. In my reporting, I try to hold back my opinions, but I voice them in comments, which is my God given right. I understand why this puts some people off, but I would hope that people would appreciate me for my sincerity. I say what I feel deeply in my heart, and put it out there with no fear of the judgment. That is the whole reason this site exists, for me to gets the words inside of me out. And if people think I’m an idiot for doing it, that is irrelevant.
Waiting to be served papers,
–The Triggerman.
September 20, 2010 @ 5:46 pm
You really should stop posting. You come off as a tab bit obsessed with this whole thing and a serious grudge against JTE. Did he call you a douchebag or something? Let the real facts come out and stop trying to stir the pot.
September 20, 2010 @ 6:20 pm
It’s his site man, I think he can post pretty much whatever he wants.
September 20, 2010 @ 6:26 pm
I don’t have a grudge against Justin Townes Earle. He has not called me any names that I know of. When I interviewed him about a year ago, I found him to be a polite, intelligent, and intriguing person. My only obsession with JTE is with his music, which I held in higher regard than anyone elses in 2009.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-of-the-year-midnight-at-the-movies
“There is nothing I take more serious then putting my name behind an album as being the best of any calendar year. Unlike some organizations who hand out such things to whoever can sell the most albums or show the most teen spirit, I understand that Albums of the Year set a precedent, and will act like guideposts for future generations to come back and discover the music that came before. That is why after careful consideration, I believe that Justin Townes Earle”™s 2009 album Midnight at the Movies is the best album in regards to creativity, quality, and significance. “
If you want to read or listen to me and JTE talking:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/interview-justin-townes-earle
where I introduced the interview saying:
“If I had to pick one stand out performer out of the dozen plus acts I saw at Pickathon outside of Portland last weekend, it would be Justin Townes Earle.
I am not obsessed, I am heartbroken. Unless its from the perspective of wanting to get all the information for this story in one place and to get it right, then yes, I am obsessed.
September 20, 2010 @ 7:18 pm
he hit a girl?
News: Details of Justin Townes Earle's Arrest in Indy | Awaiting the Flood
September 20, 2010 @ 8:14 pm
[…] more at Louisville.com, SavingCountryMusic.com and My Old Kentucky […]
September 20, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
A 23-year-old girl that was the owner’s daughter and had been working the merch table for JTE.
http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com/?p=9685
I think you can appreciate as a fellow Texan, there is not much that’s more appalling than hitting a woman.
September 20, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
“BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE LEAVES A COMMENT, I WANT THEM TO SAY THEMSELVES FIRST “JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE PUNCHED A 23-YEAR-OLD GIRL.” AND SEE IF THAT DOESN”™T TRIVIALIZE YOUR STUPID WHINING ABOUT LOUD CROWDS OR PEOPLE YELLING “FREEBIRD.”
STOP ENABLING THIS MAN, WHO PUNCHED A 23-YEAR-OLD GIRL, AND NOT ONLY HAS YET TO OFFER AN APOLOGY, BUT HAS ADDED INSULT TO INJURY!”
First of all, you don’t get out on 150 dollars bail for assault(assuming the report of 150 dollars in bail is correct).
Where is concrete proof that he hit this woman? I’m not buying it until the dust has all settled, and everything is set in stone.
I’ve seen many, drunken, bar time altercations. And the bullshit, stupidity, and lies that take place when the cops show up is always staggering. So for now, I’m not getting my nuts in a bunch over that extremely unverified report.
I’m not saying JTE didn’t punch her in the face, or that he didn’t do some dumb things in Indy, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what happened, much like yourself, Triggerman. So to accuse a man of such a heinous offense when it has yet to be proven, is kind of a dick move on anyone’s part. But especially when you’ve got as big of an audience of show going, record buying, folks who seem to be swayed by your opinions on things reading you.
Sadly, I think the only people who will ever know the facts on this mess are the ones that were directly involved. But at the end of the day, if it comes out that JTE did hit her, I would probably never drop another dime on his records, or a live show, I’d probably deem him an absolute piece of shit. But until then, I’m going to remain objective.
And I want to point out, I normally enjoy reading a lot of what you have to say on here. But reading your comments on this, “Alright JTE Facebook friends, justify THIS!”, to, “I think Bryn Davie”™s departure from the band is very telling.”. That’s leaving kind of a bad taste in my mouth. I think you’re a good writer, who usually has something interesting to say. And it’s really sad that you’re tossing out such ill informed, knee jerk reactions, that are doing nothing to help this colossal cluster fuck. Maybe you really should step back and calm down on this for a bit.
Bryn hasn’t said anything on there about leaving the band, all she has said is, ” Headed down to Georgia for a musical 180. Playing with Gibb Droll for a couple to warm up the stage for Kevn Kinney. Tues at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, then Wed. at Caledonia in Athens. Gotta love some Gibb Droll y’all!”.
As far as your caps locked statement I quoted at the beginning of this goes. The people trying to justify self destructive behavior in the name of coolness are indeed pretty fucking far from the target. But I can’t help but feel the same way about your insistence on JTE’s guilt in this entire mess.
I don’t mean any offense in what I said above, Triggerman. I’m just saying, you really seem to be letting your opinions and emotions turn this from a news story to a possibly inadvertent smear campaign on JTE.
September 20, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
“extremely unverified report?”
“it”™s really sad that you”™re tossing out such ill informed, knee jerk reactions,”
I stand behind everything in my report 100%. All of my sources are VERIFIED, in the manner any professional journalist would verify sources. In the case of JTE allegedly hitting a 23-year-old girl, I have multiple sources that I have confirmed who have supplied me with this information.
Of course nothing has been proven yet. There is nothing either unusual or unethical with reporting eyewitness reports from verified sources before a trial. I am sorry that the eyewitness reports do not look good for JTE, but I have nothing to do with that.
If I have a grudge, what is my motive? And why would I include information about the crowd being rowdy, the sound being bad, JTE having a shirt thrown in his face, a conflicting point to the people who said he was drunk? Why would I approve numerous comments from people who are defending Justin Townes Earle?
What I have been unable to confirm is that JTE’s bail was $150, and that is why I have not added it to the main story.
Comment sections are for opinions, and I give mine just like any other reader give theres. I have always done this, and this story is no different. This is MY website. I paid for it. I’ve written over 500 articles on it and not received a dime for any of them. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want. If someone is paying me, then I’ll follow their rules.
I am not disputing anything and JTE supporters are saying. In fact I’ve helped to disseminate that information. My only point is that no matter what the crowd did, no man has a right to lay their hands on another for anything but self defense.
As of 1 Am Monday night, I have yet to see 1, not even 1 person, an eyewitness, anybody, dispute the assault and battery charges. Including Justin Townes Earle, who admitted himself to a physical altercation to louisville.com.
All the facts will come out. And I feel confident they will parallel my reporting.
September 21, 2010 @ 8:59 am
Keep it up Triggerman, authenticity.
September 21, 2010 @ 12:49 pm
The $150 dollar bail info is on the same website as the inmate profile just click where it says case
September 21, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
If you click again it shows the specific charges. Two counts of battery with injury, one count of resisting arrest, and one count of public intoxication. $150 seems ridiculously low for these charges. I’m guessing there’s some 0’s missing. I’d like to get that confirmed by a human, but at this point been unable to do so.
September 20, 2010 @ 11:41 pm
I’m guessing anyone who would have been witness to the alleged altercation after the show ended and the crowd was sent home would have some sort of affiliation with the venue. With JTE being the odd man out.
And yeah, you’re reporting both sides, and yes, it’s your website, you’re entitled to your comments, but when you have a long list of folks who read what you have to say, and take it to heart, it’s kind of foul to throw JTE under the bus in the comment section, and claim you’re not being biased, because of the main article itself being unbiased.
As I said above, if it comes out that JTE hit a woman, I’ll be soured on him. So I’m not justifying what they say he did. I’m just not willing to shit on him without solid evidence.
But, unfortunately, I think the only way anyone will ever know the real story is if the whole thing was caught on a security camera. Which, regardless of the outcome, I hope it was. As I’d hate to see a guy who would hit a woman get away with it, just the same as I’d hate to see an innocent man get locked up.
Whatever, man. As you said, it’s your website, and you can say whatever you want.
September 21, 2010 @ 7:04 am
Are you serious Owen? Are you saying the only way you will believe he hit a girl is if it was caught on a security camera??? What about the people who witnessed the altercation. It happened on the street. There is another bar across the street and people were on the sidewalk watching. What about the girl? Don’t you think the police interviewed her? Don’t you think they interviewed everyone involved and drew their conclusion on what to charge him with?
I want to out something that I have not seen anyone talk about yet; the club owners. They have not said one word publicly about JTE or the incident. They did not post any bullshit about him on Twitter or anywhere else for that matter. I wouldn’t dream of speaking for them, but I am sure they are disgusted by what happened and wish it would go away. I have seen tons of shows at that venue over the last ten years they have been in business. I have never been treated poorly and I have never seen them treat anyone bad.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
Are you serious Owen? Are you saying the only way you will believe he hit a girl is if it was caught on a security camera??? What about the people who witnessed the altercation. It happened on the street. There is another bar across the street and people were on the sidewalk watching. What about the girl? Don”™t you think the police interviewed her? Don”™t you think they interviewed everyone involved and drew their conclusion on what to charge him with?
Once again. I’ve seen a lot of stupid bar time drama. I’ve watched a lot of people sling a long line of bullshit to the police when they show up. Not saying any of the people in question did so. And as I said, JTE was the odd man out. I’m sure everyone directly involved was affiliated with the club.
Hypothetical situation. JTE gets pissed about getting docked 200 bucks. Runs his mouth, shoving match starts, turns into your typical drunken mess of a bar fight. Cops get called, and you have the family who owns the club, and probably a few of their employees pointing the finger at Justin. Again, not saying that’s what happened. But I’ve never seen a bar fight where anyone came out feeling they were at fault, and no one having the same story of how things went down.
That’s why I don’t think anyone will ever know exactly what happened, unless it’s on film. Perfect example. Did you see JTE’s statement that just came out? Maybe that’s true, maybe the story everyone seems to be clinging to is true. Unless you were standing there watching, or it’s on film, no one will know, as I’m sure both sides will be sticking to their guns.
And if you trust law enforcement’s decisions on anything. That’s your problem, not mine.
September 22, 2010 @ 6:14 am
Owen, The altercation happened on the street. There were 20-30 people from across the street that witnessed everything! They had no affiliation with the club or it’s owners. The bar across the street is a no smoking venue. There are always people on the street. This conspiracy crap is getting old Owen.
September 21, 2010 @ 2:55 am
Ok, ok. Enough, people. I admit I was shocked when I read about this incident, but I was more affected by the ensuing comments regarding it. I wasn’t there, so I’m not going to put my two cents in on the questions of who was right, who was wrong, what should and shouldn’t have been done at the venue. My reaction to the incident was less “Wow, Justin’s really an ass,” but rather “Justin needs help.” I’ve seen him perform five times over the last few years and I can honestly say I’ve never witnessed him acting remotely like this any of those times. Something seems to be going wrong with him now, something none of us can ever fully understand. What happened that night can, and probably will, be debated for a long time to come. But there’s no way there will ever be any definitive answers explaining it. Therefore, there’s really no point in arguing about any of it. What we know for sure is that Justin performed at Radio Radio, chaos happened there, and he got arrested. I don’t doubt he regrets it. It’s a shame it happened. But it cannot be erased. Whether Justin’s actually a good guy or whether he’s a real son of a bitch, I couldn’t care less. I still love his music. Like I said before, Justin was never belligerent or disrespectful all the times I saw him, so there’s obviously something not right with him now. I hope things get better for him again very soon.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:49 am
ya’know we as fans have this tendency to put our favorite performers,up on some pedestal,or pretend there they are super human,or something,they’re human just like the people in the audience.haven’t any of you ever done things you later regretted or had one of those days when things just didn’t go right?maybe jte screwed up i’m not one to say,but ya know what unless you were there and witnessed the whole thing with your own two eyes,you don’t have the right to judge him either.after all he is just a human.you try travilin form town to town playing the same songs night after night in a small van,ya know some people think oh,it must be awesome tobe able to that for a livin,and i’m sure some parts of it is,but like any other job,sometimes it wares on you.so all i can say to all the fareweathered fans out there cut jte some slack,nobody but him,knows what he is dealing with or has to deal with on a day to day basis.as ofr the ones who want crucify him over this crap,think about some of the greats of the past,elvis,george jones,merle haggard,johnny cash,even jte’s dad,the great steve earle,they all screwed up at sometime or another,but fans seemed to over look that.it seems that drink and drugs always go hand in hand with every part of the entertainment business,some can cope with others can not,but no one should judge another person for their short comings especially when you call yourself a fan.
September 21, 2010 @ 7:10 am
Someone yelling “Freebird” didn’t cause JTE to punch anyone, or end up in jail. There is no linear relationship and I don’t think anyone is implying that “it’s okay to punch a woman in the face if someone yells “Freebird” ” and if they do imply it then they are morons.
Here’s what I saw:
JTE being his typical self onstage, bantering with the audience
Bantering got out of hand because the audience saw they were provoking him and it was working
Audience being INSANELY rude throughout the entire night
JTE in my opinion was sober
When the show ended people were being pissed saying “I paid my money” but they felt like that gave them permission to act like total assholes
What I didn’t see:
Shit that went down at Luna
Shit that went down backstage or at soundcheck
Shit that went down months ago with other bands at RR
JTE trashing something
RR witholding money from him
JTE getting into a fight with ___ people
JTE punching anyone
The cops arresting JTE (the presence of the cops is enough to send this situation way into the red zone for alot of people and I understand)
So…
That’s a shitload of variables people. A mega-shitload, actually. No one thing is to blame. Maybe things got to the point where he hit a woman, who knows why, it’s not right. But he’ll have a day in court and lots of time to think about it.
September 21, 2010 @ 7:33 am
Triggerman,
It also might help if you explain to your readers the dynamics of stage monitors. When someone on stage asks for more vocals or guitar etc.. They are asking for it on stage, not the house. At one point early in the show, JTE said he was using new “in ear” monitors that night. He was clearly having trouble balancing what he was hearing. This is an issue that is very difficult for any sound man to deal with.
September 21, 2010 @ 9:48 am
Statement from Justin Townes Earle:
“Unfortunately, reports surfacing online about the incident in Indianapolis are not accurate. I have been advised by counsel that I should not comment on a pending criminal matter, but suffice to say that I am looking forward to having my day in court. I would also like to say that I oppose violence against women in any form.”
Justin Townes Earle in Chicago
September 21, 2010 @ 9:52 am
[…] websites My Old Kentucky Blog and Saving Country Music also described the concert and its aftermath. Audience members and Earle reportedly got into a […]
September 21, 2010 @ 11:36 am
Sorry everyone, we might have overloaded the comment section here. We’re working on the problem. Important updates will be added to the body of the article.
September 21, 2010 @ 1:44 pm
OK fixed.
September 21, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
A bit curious with the way everything is worded around the charges… always mentioned seperately from the accounts from the daughter… and mentioned in conjunction with the resisting arrest.
“Earle was arrested on charges of battery, public intoxication and resisting law enforcement by force after a performance Thursday at Fountain Square nightclub Radio Radio.”
I am no lawyer but my google law degree is seeing that Resisting Law Enforcement by Force and Battery go hand in hand when resisting arrest.
I am not trying to play sides, but I am not seeing anything where the punching accusation and the police charges are linked.
September 21, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
JLE,
If you go to this link:
https://www3.indygov.org/custodyinformation/Profile.do?bookingnum=1044653
Click on “Case” with the yellow triangle beside it.
Then click on “Case 1”
It will show all the charges.
There are two assault with injury charges (one for Radio Radio owner, one for his daughter)
One Resisting Law Enforcement (When they had to wrestle him to the ground)
One Public Intoxication (For being drunk in public)
September 21, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
Ya know what I think is really incredible about this whole situation is that despite all the controversy, the earth has continued rotating. Weird.
September 21, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
I attended the show and I thought JTE was excellent. I will definitely go to his next Indy show (but, after this, unfortunately he may never come back). He may have drank a little but I by no means thought he was drunk during the show. The sound was awful for the first few songs but got better. From my perspective if you pay $80 to see a show at Verizon with a crowd of 40k you can yell whatever the hell you want to. If you pay $14 to see a show with a crowd of 200 you should show a little respect and discretion – it’s not like the artists are making that much doing such shows.
September 22, 2010 @ 12:43 am
Wow, what a lot of moralistic, pansy comments! Sorry, but I prefer my Country singers to be rough and flawed and sometimes even A holes. All this ‘head in arms’ crap on here is nauseating. Get a grip. You think all the Nashville outlaws havent pulled stunts like this every now and then? I’d expect nothing less from an artistic genius like Earle. If you want a smooth and professional show, go see the fu&*in Eagles.
September 22, 2010 @ 7:55 am
If getting loaded and smacking women is okay with you Daniel, maybe you and me need have have a little chat out by the wood pile.
September 22, 2010 @ 9:26 am
JTE is not a country singer. He is a folk singer. I heard it on NPR.
Maybe you expect this from David Allan Coe, but not from Paul Simon.
September 22, 2010 @ 10:28 am
From Indystar.com
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100921/ENTERTAINMENT/9210334/Justin-Townes-Earle-disputes-events-that-led-to-arrest-after-show
“Radio Radio owner David “Tufty” Clough said Earle smashed a table, a lamp and a mirror in the venue’s basement dressing room. Clough’s daughter, Cheyenne Caperton, said she was hit by Earle’s closed fist when she attempted to stop the musician from assaulting her father.”
JTE has an initial court date set on Oct. 18th
September 22, 2010 @ 11:25 am
FYI – I have tickets to see JTE this Friday (9-24-10). I just recieved an email stating that he has canceled his tour and that only Jessica Lea Mayfield will be continuing on.
Very bummed, I’ve been looking forward to seeing him again…
September 22, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
I just called Bloodshot and they said it’s true. The tour is cancelled. I hope it’s followed by an announcement about JTE going into rehab to get his issues under control.
September 22, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
Thanks for the info JLE & Doug!
September 22, 2010 @ 1:11 pm
Justin and I have some mutual friends, I’ve heard he’s checking himself into rehab. Good for him.
September 22, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
Good call Jeff. This just came down from his publicist:
“Earle is strongly committed to confronting his on-going struggle with addiction, and thanks his family, friends and fans for their continued support through this difficult time.”
https://savingcountrymusic.com/justin-townes-earle-cancels-tour-checks-into-rehab
Justin Townes Earle Cancels Tour, Checks Into Rehab « Saving Country Music
September 22, 2010 @ 3:53 pm
[…] READ ALL THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT […]
September 23, 2010 @ 8:27 am
I was at the show, standing directly behind the guy who threw the shirt actually, and JTE wasn’t acting off color during the performance at all. He was joking around with the crowd even though you could tell the sound issues were bugging him. The person that yelled Josh is sexy is the same that put the flask out and threw the shirt. If anything really, he instigated most of the night.
I don’t blame JTE for being upset by being hit with the shirt. JTE himself said it best after that song ended “You wouldn’t throw a shirt at a banker while he is counting money.” As for the rest of the night, I cannot attest to it, but I have no doubt that the shirt throwing/yelling crowd member infront of me was a prime instigator for how JTE later acted.
September 23, 2010 @ 11:05 am
Drugs and alcohol are what caused his behavior. Blaming the crowd is pure nonsense.
September 23, 2010 @ 3:48 pm
Cover of Magazine = Attractive. NOT! Sounds like people buying into the big sell!
Madonna has been on thousands of magazine covers and she’s ugly to! I know women older than Madonna who are drop dead gorgeous, can sing, play and write “REAL” music and will never be on the cover of some mainstream rag. To much cock sucking!
Once again, letting the mainstream define thoughts and opinions.
Lets not even get into the non credibly it adds to his already non talent he moved to NYC and stared courting the mainstream as an “Indie/Alt/REAL” Musician!
Only Roseanne Cash is more overrated and glorified. Another privileged hack.
BS all around!
September 24, 2010 @ 6:24 am
the name of your website is a clue. sure, blame it on the booze, but people who spend their entire life’s energy on making country music feel quite strongly, and when things down sound right, and a room full of strangers seems to turn against you…well… it’s hard to handle. and some dude’s sweaty shirt…yuck. altho admittedly, he could have brushed it off as one of those rowdy “party moments.” let’s just move on… hope they settle out of court and shake hands.
Twang Nation » Blog Archive » News Round Up: Justin Townes Earle Arrested, Postones Tour to Enter Rehab
September 24, 2010 @ 10:32 am
[…] and resisting law enforcement. The sordid details are covered in more details at fellow music blogs Saving Country Music (where I first discovered the story) and My Old Kentucky […]
September 28, 2010 @ 6:55 pm
Gee let’s see how many times we can write “JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE PUNCHED A 23 YEAR OLD GIRL”. Because if we capitalize things and repeat them over and over again, it completely supercedes due process. You know, the whole “innocent until proven…..”….well you know the rest. Maybe you don’t. Or maybe you don’t care.
Either way, you are a pathetic hack of a journalist, blogger, self indulgant masturbator….whatever you want to call yourself.
September 28, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
No, it’s if we capitalize things and repeat them over and over to try to make the point that the ACCUSED behavior of the crowd in no way justifies the ACCUSED behavior of JTE, hopefully people won’t say stupid things like “The crowd was loud and they yelled Freebird so yeah he has every right to do what he did.” But you just proved here Jeff that caps and repetitiveness doesn’t work on the weak of mind.
Where and/or when did I say it is not innocent until proven guilty?
Off to masturbate . . .
October 30, 2010 @ 1:24 pm
So what happened at the court hearing? Guilty or not Guilty?
The Descent of Justin Townes Earle « Saving Country Music
September 29, 2010 @ 10:28 am
[…] that we’re all able to take a deep breath after the Justin Townes Earle breakdown in Indianapolis and his subsequent tour cancellation and rehab stint, there’s a few things that need to be […]
Justin Townes Earle, Harlem River Blues, a canceled tour, and rehab. [Album Review] — HearYa - Indie Music Blog
September 29, 2010 @ 7:29 pm
[…] has shown some “colorful” rants, including a picture of his bleeding ass. He was arrested in Indianapolis after reported issues with fans and the venue. I’ve seen him perform many times over the past […]
Justin Townes Earle Leaves Rehab / Adds Tour Dates « Saving Country Music
October 26, 2010 @ 11:15 am
[…] entered rehab and canceled his tour on September 22nd after an incident at Radio Radio in Indianapolis that ended with Earle spending the night in jail and being charged with assault against the venue […]
Justin Townes Earle’s Redemption in Austin, TX « Saving Country Music
December 6, 2010 @ 1:43 pm
[…] has characterized me as a madman on a mission to destroy him. From NPR stuff, to more NPR stuff, to breaking the story on his arrest, it has branded me a Justin Townes Earle adversary in a way that has adversely effected my standing […]
Review: Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues (2010) « Mezzic
December 13, 2010 @ 8:02 am
[…] His well documented troubles at Indianapolis’s Radio Radio that resulted in his arrest and subsequent entry into rehab. That’s a total bummer because it ends up that Earle released an album that was nothing short […]
Justin Townes Earle Going to Memphis via London « Saving Country Music
February 16, 2011 @ 9:52 am
[…] was arrested in Indianapolis in September, and shortly thereafter entered rehab. In a story from the Wall Street Journal […]
Number Ones: Justin Townes Earle | the KBUT Music Department
May 3, 2012 @ 3:42 pm
[…] is no stranger to trouble nor addiction, facts that he’s not afraid to confront on the album. From the very first […]
November 14, 2020 @ 8:08 pm
Don’t do sin, kids.
It is the road to oblivion.