Joe Ely ~ Boxcars

Joe Ely and band performing Butch Hancock's "Boxcars" on the steps of the Texas State Capitol as a featured presentation of the Texas Book Festival. He shared a set with Johnny Bush (videos coming soon) and Lavelle White (who i missed). Joe also spoke at the festival about his new book "Bonfire of Roadmaps".

One of the most enduring memories i have of my own days on the road is sitting with Lyle watching Joe perform at the Kerrville Folk Festival as a huge thunderstorm rolled in from behind the stage. Joe just kept on wailing, seeming to gain power as the lightning crashed all around us. Impossible to describe the electricity of the moment (every pun intended), the whole scenario is seared in my being. Joe will always be that most charismatic of performers, but that night for me makes him legendary.

Check out his site at http://www.ely.com/

and the Texas Book Festival here: www.texasbookfestival.org

and someone has posted some excellent photos of the event here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angrysong/sets/72157602948900900/

The Band
Joe Ely ~ Vocals/Acoustic Guitar
Joel Guzman ~ Accordion
David Holt ~ Lead Guitar
Jimmy Pettit ~ Bass
Davis McLarty ~ Drums

Filmed and edited by tony gallucci, milk river film
Holly Riedel, executive producer

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joe
• Ely
• Butch
• Hancock
• Boxcars
• music
• Texas
• Book
• Festival
• Austin
• tony
• gallucci
• milkriverfilm
• milk
• river
• film

[03HEMI2500SLT]

joe ely best male cover rosie flores best female cover of this great song

[TheCruzking2000]

@whitefeet1 -- those were the days! I used to see him all the time in Austin, TX. Back then, NOBODY could match his intensity on stage! Ok, only Bruce Springsteen, but that's it!

[ronbo11]

Love this song but it sounds even better when Lloyd Maines adds his pedal steel to it (and I miss Jesse Taylor's solos as well - RIP).

[MhyphenL1]

Never has the first line fo this song seemed so appropriate as now!

[whitefeet1]

I used to see them in the early 80's, Friday evenings in the bar of the old Alamo Hotel before they tore it down. Longnecks, SRV, the first Whole Foods, Paradise - hiding out in the Reagan years....

[dunlap31]

I caught The Flatlanders last night (January 4, 2008) at the River City Bluegrass Festival in Portland, Oregon. It was an amazing night.

[tikijane]

Man, the memories come flooding back. Butch, Joe, Townes VZ, the Armadillo, Emma Joe's.  So long ago. Great video