James McMurtry

Texas Americana veteran prefers to do things his own way

Texas native James McMurtry has been playing Americana rock-'n'-roll music since he was a kid. So far, he has a European tour under his belt, a couple of popular attention-getting political songs and enough skill to remain popular over 20 years.

"I started playing out in bars when I was in college," McMurtry said. "It was always what I wanted to do, I guess. I started getting a few gigs, and it took over eventually."

He sings and plays guitar, and his first album, released in 1989, was co-produced by John Mellancamp.

"My first couple (of) records were for Columbia Records, a major label, and we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars making records, hiring producers, hiring bands," McMurtry said.

After three albums, he switched to a smaller label, Sugar Hill, which taught him how to make records for less money, and how to do more.

He likens his songwriting to Kris Kristofferson. "He writes a very structured verse, which is what I do." A lot of his songs are written from a character's point of view.

In the past few years, McMurtry's songs have raised a bit more attention. With 2005's "We Can't Make It Here," McMurtry wasn't shy about attaching his political opinions to his music.

"It really turned the corner for us because a lot of people identified with it," McMurtry said.

The song criticizes the Bush administration. "I broke into it then because I kind of felt powerless," McMurtry said. "The only power I had was with the record."

That song and its album, "Childish Things," won Album and Song of the Year at the Americana Music Awards.

McMurtry last played in Charleston in 1992. His show will last two hours, and he is backed by a band that has played with him for more than a decade. For the first hour, McMurtry is part of a trio with bassist Ronnie Johnson and drummer Daren Hess. Tim Holt joins in on guitar for the second hour.

"I kind of wish I could stay longer," he said. "I used to go to Pawleys with my grandparents. And the downtown area is an old, interesting city, and I like such places," McMurtry said.

At the show, he said, "If you want to hear the lyrics, don't sit front and center -- back away. If you want to hear the music and the words, get back next to the console. Find where the sound is being mixed. Front and center is for dancing and stomping around and not worrying too much.

"If you can get two or three people moving, it gets it going and helps the vibe," McMurtry said. "If you see someone moving, you know they're having a good time, but if they're just staring at you, you don't know."

Earlier this year, McMurtry went on his first European tour. An album of recordings from that tour, "Live in Europe," will be released in October. This month, McMurtry is touring a bit on the East Coast, and in October, he and his band are going back to Europe to play more dates.

McMurtry plays The Pour House at 8 p.m. Sunday.

"I'm pretty shy off stage and adequately outward on stage," McMurtry said. "I don't really have that star quality that other people have, but once in a while, it kicks in."

Freelance writer Samantha Test contributed to this story