This morning I stumbled over an article talking about a number of music festivals having to make cancellations due to lower than expected ticket sales. A lot of the comments on the article basically said, well yeah, there are too many and they’re all too expensive.
And generally speaking, I agree. It’s hard to find concert tickets for a major act that sell for less than $75 at the low end. And we all know that for the really big names, $75 would be an absolute steal.
I’ve had to cut back on the number of shows I buy tickets for. It’s a sad thing to have to do, but life is pretty expensive these days anyway, and with Ticketmaster/Live Nation at the helm of the ticketing business, it’s just too cost prohibitive.
I’m not going to stop seeing live music, though. That’s not an option. But it got me thinking that maybe it’s time to prioritize more fun, independent venue small shows at bars where you might pay a $10 cover to see bands and solo artists who not only need new audiences and appreciate playing to new people, but more often than not, are out there leaving a pint of blood on the floor with material straight from their heart and soul. Yeah I’ve seen a lot of just ok shows at little venues, but then again I’ve had some of the most fun one could ever have at a concert experience when it’s just 40 or so people in a little bar and the artist is up there on a tiny stage putting on a show just as good, if not better, than artists ten times as well known as them.
When I listen to Jason and the Scorchers and Jason Ringenberg, it makes me think of these great bar band experiences. It reminds me of Carol’s Pub and Montrose Saloon here in Chicago. It reminds me of The Continental Club and The White Horse in Austin. These are places that absolutely feed off of the energy of great acts. And in converse, the energy of these places feed into the raucous energy of acts willing to push themselves to the limits of their art.
Let’s talk Jason and the Scorchers for a moment. And before I do, special thanks to the song guide who provided the suggestion of Jason Ringenberg, subscriber and father to me, John Pulliam. My dad has been a fan of Jason and the Scorchers for a long time and I certainly would have come to them much later if it wasn’t for him. So thanks for that, dad!
The band was formed in Nashville in the early 80s by Sheffield, IL native Jason Ringenberg, who was described in a 2008 article on the website loudersound.com that has been frustratingly slow to load on my phone, as a “cowboy-hatted singer, guitarist and lunatic showman.”
The band got a bunch of hype for their cowpunk cover of Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie” and started to get a huge European following and a bit of buzz here in the States.
Their 1985 album Lost and Found is so ridiculously good. And you’ve got to remember, this was at a time where there was no such thing as alt-country. They were one of a handful of acts who started to stretch the boundaries of country and punk. The Kinman brothers formed Rank and File out of the ashes of their first wave West Coast punk band The Dils, with former Nuns member, Alejandro Escovedo, to do a bit of the countrified punk music. The Mekons out of England, were also early to the party in blending the genre. So too was Texan Joe Ely, who garnered the attention of one Joe Strummer, who became a fan and proponent of Ely’s musical stew that mixed country, rockabilly, punk, and Buddy Holly-style rock and roll to form something that would rattle the walls of Austin and beyond.
In the same glitchy article, Ringenberg says the band peaked too soon. They believed their own hype, got sucked into the world of drugs and boozing and imploded before they ever truly got off the ground. Cocaine’s a hell of a drug, kids. There’s never a story that ends with it being a good thing to have around bands.
Yet though Jason was known for his wild man stage persona, he largely stayed away from the drugs and booze. He just wanted to be Jerry Lee Lewis…mixed with a dash of Hank, and a sprig of Ramones, so he left the antics for the stage and stayed pretty serious off stage. The same cannot be said for every member of the band, though, and by the late ‘80 the original lineup was done for. There have been other incarnations during the ‘90s and 2010s as well as one off reunion fundraiser shows and the like. The band never hit it big, but their legend and cult status continues to endure.
Most recently, Jason Ringenberg has made a handful of really good solo albums. Before I get to some of my favorite tracks off of these albums, I just want to pause and give props to my home state of Illinois for being an unsung hero of country music.
Sure, Tennessee and Texas are the heavy hitters. Kentucky produced bluegrass and plenty of legends, current and former, have come from the Carolinas, Louisiana, Alabama, and from all over the South, in fact.
But let’s not forget that ‘80s country icon Suzy Bogguss came from Illinois. And from the same little Western town of Aledo, came Margo Price. And then there’s John Prine, from suburban Maywood. And yes, there’s Jason Ringenberg, representing Central Illinois. And I’d be remiss not to mention the wonderful book by Mark Guarino called, Country and Midwestern, which shines a light on the surprising contributions that the City of Chicago had made to the genre of country music.
Poets, lunatics, hit makers, psychedelic searchers, farm-fed philosophers, country kids with punk rock hearts—I’d use some, but not all of these superlatives for the names on the list—although Jason Ringenberg can probably lay claim to more of those labels than any of the others.
How did country music find its way to Illinois? In part, if you’ve spent any time outside of the Chicago metro area, you’ll notice how rural it is. Farms, trucks, trains, taverns…country music tropes one and all…are found all over the sprawling state. And it was Illinois native Steve Goodman, along with his buddy, the aforementioned Mr. Prine, who put all of those tropes into one fabulous effort to make the greatest country and western song of all time. And you damn well believe it that “You Never Even Call Me By My Name” comes awfully close!
And as for Chicago, when the mines of Appalachia started shutting down around the mid to late 20th century, many came to Chicago to work in the factories and brought their music with them. Carol’s is one of the last relics of a time where honky tonks could be found all over the city.
But I don’t know. Maybe a guy like Jason Ringenberg is going to be who he is no matter where he comes from. Maybe it’s not that extraordinary to have a handful of great performers from any given genre come from anywhere in the country.
Maybe. But I will say, I saw Jason post (see below) a picture from a bike ride he took near Annawan, IL, not too far from where he grew up, noting the beauty of a place that is commonly thought to be dull in terms of its scenery. I feel like it’s people like this who refuse to buy into the popular line, who can find beauty simply by looking for it, who are meant to be artists. In its own way, it’s a very punk thing to do. “Oh you think my home is drab? Check this shit out!” It’s the country, and it’s pretty and meaningful, but you can maybe see how punks could come out of here too. Small towns and small town people are often painted with a very broad stroke. Some people happen to have a chip on their shoulder about these things and instead of retreating inward, head out into the world with wild, defiant artistic ambitions. Listen to Margo Price’s music and you get the same punk, country energy.
Jason Ringenberg’s solo albums are filled with the same defiant energy that made Jason and the Scorchers into legends. But there are also thoughtful ballads like, “The Freedom Rides Weren’t Free”, off of his superbly titled 2021 album, Rhinestoned. There are Mojo Nixon-esque songs about aliens like, “Honky Tonk Maniac from Mars” off of 2002’s All Over Creation. Off the same album is a haunting duet with Steve Earle called “Bible and a Gun”. There’s the tribute to the authenticity and spirit of punk rock originals called “God Bless The Ramones” off of 2019’s Stand Tall.
His most recent release is a duets album with Victoria Liedtke called More Than Words Can Tell. I love track one, “Life Rides the Train”, and especially the line, “Life rides the train, but time always flies.” If I know one thing it’s that those of us from Central Illinois know a thing or two about trains. Victoria is from Oklahoma, so I can’t speak to how many trains she heard growing up, but I’m guessing more than a few. Overall it’s a fantastic album and I love a good duets album. At times it’s Tammy and George. At times, John and Iris. Maybe even a little Lee and Nancy. But to be fair, Victoria and Jason make something uniquely theirs. It’s a little more folk country than country punk, but who needs labels. It’s just a good album.
In total though, Jason has released seven solo albums, so between those, and the Jason and the Scorchers albums, there’s a wealth of music to explore. Oh and by the way he’s an Emmy winner for his PBS children’s program Farmer Jason.
I missed my chance to see him play at the aforementioned Montrose Saloon. I’m hoping he comes back around soon, because as I understand it, it was quite a show. And if the shows are anything like they are promised in this quote from his website, you better believe I won’t miss the next one:
So don’t go to his concerts expecting to see a sensitive singer-songwriter sitting on a stool. With his acoustic guitar and high-energy charisma, he WILL rock the house!
A small town guy playing in a small venue may not be the type of thing that’s exciting on paper to the masses who pay hundreds for big arena shows, but I’m guessing if they had a chance to witness the roof getting blown off the joint by Jason they just might change their tune.
Jason Ringenberg should be a bigger name. In some niche circles he is a pretty big deal. But he also represents all that independent, small venue music is and hopes to be. Not only are these shows affordable, but they are held in places with character, often run by characters, who hire performers who are characters to fill the programming. Part of the reason I started this Substack is because of how impactful independent music and musicians have been on my musical journey. Like who you’re going to like, but don’t forget to stretch your wings a bit and find an independent musician that intrigues you or a little venue you might want to take a chance on some Saturday night. Who knows, you might find your next favorite band!
I’m looking forward to whenever my next raucous night of honky tonk music might be. I can’t wait to hear the next punk/country spirit to come along to keep the spirit of the Scorchers alive. I can’t wait to see Jason Ringenberg live one day.
Thanks again to my dad for the subscriber suggestion for the first in the Song Guides series. I’ve got another one coming very soon with the band Daisy the Great, courtesy of subscriber, Barbara Morrison. If you’d like to be a Song Guide who gets to help steer the conversation of the Song Seekers, become a paid subscriber! And if you buy into the whole “support indie stuff” credo that I espouse here, by subscribing, you’d be supporting this independent music essayist. And if you’re already a paid subscriber, I want to hear your Song Guide suggestions for a lesser known artist I should spotlight here!
Thanks for being here and thanks for reading!