James McMurtry at Fine Line 04-15-2025

Tour Dates

• 16 Apr 2025 Wildwood Smokehouse Iowa City, IA
• 17 Apr 2025 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE
• 18 Apr 2025 Knuckleheads Kansas City, MO
• 19 Apr 2025 Beer City Music Hall Oklahoma City, OK
• 03 May 2025 Rockbox Theater Fredericksburg, TX
• 23 May 2025 Main Street Crossing Tomball, TX
• 24 May 2025 St. Joseph’s Chapel Galveston, TX

After taking the stage, Betty Soo asked what was on my mind as I walked to the Fine Line: “Everyone ok even though it’s freezing?”

Spring is taking its time, but that did not stop two singers/songwriters from Austin, TX from entertaining a pretty fervent fan base.

Soo opened up the evening with a generous set wearing a navy blue Cub Scout uniform with its yellow bandanna around her neck. She started off with “Henry and Me”, a song about a family fishing trip where nothing was caught, and followed it with “Down to Goodbye”, a song that highlighted her voice with a nice touch on the acoustic guitar.

Soo expressed a love of the Twin Cities, giving a shout-out to MPR and KFAI. She even talked about a stint at the Minnesota State fair where the state of Texas paid her to be an ambassador by playing on a fold-out stage on the back of a semi. A bonus for working all ten days: free cookies and bingo cards.

After singing “Memento” from an upcoming new album, Soo was joined on stage by James McMurtry to sing one of his songs “Gulf Road.”

It was apparent why McMurtry chose to bring Soo on the road with him. Even though their physical presence couldn’t be anymore different, their voices blend so nicely you can feel the musical kinship.

McMurtry is one of those musicians that can entertain a crowd with just an acoustic guitar, but he was joined on stage with a few of his friends: Cornbread on bass, Daren Hess on drums and Tim Holt on guitar and accordion. And right out of the gate they charged ahead with “Fuller Brush Man”, a big rock and roll song sounding like an eight-cylinder Cadillac barreling through the Texas plains.

Unlike Soo, McMurtry was more laconic when it came to audience interaction. He introduced “Black Dog and Wandering Boy” from his latest same-named album as a song about modern medicine.

It’s apparent that the self-effacing wit that appeared in our interview also showed on the stage as he introduced his blistering funny “Choctaw Bingo” as… “a medley of our hit.”

The lyrics, that’s what draws in the listener, like “Choctaw Bingo” a seedy counter to “Route 66” about a family making their way to a family reunion with a cast of colorful characters. And “Copper Canteen”, which McMurtry introduced as a song about marital bliss:

After playing fan favorites like “Canola Fields” and “No More Buffalo”, McMurtry cut loose with “Too Long in the Wasteland” which gave Holt ample time to lean into his guitar solos. Then the encore, which had McMurtry stepping on the stage alone with his acoustic guitar and no mic to sing a personal favorite “Blackberry Winter”.

I hope its lyrics are not an omen for the rest of our spring.