Thursday, Sept. 23; Ned's Downtown (21 and over, 9:30 p.m.): Of the more than 100 original songs in his repertoire, Reed Easterwood, who performs under the moniker Junky Southern, sent me three to listen to. And that's all it took. Could there really be a better, more interesting combination than Roky Erickson's crazed, psychedelic irony and Flaming Lips-style pop irony? Add to that a roots rock twist, and you've got yourself a Junky Southern.
Aside from being a prolific songwriter with seemingly infinite capacity for ironic wit, the former Texas resident—he's lived in Albuquerque for the past three years—has recorded and released several acclaimed CDs over the past decade, most of which he's simply given away to people he deems genuinely into his music. And it's hard not to be, once you've given Easterwood half a chance. Tonight, you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Note to local singer-songwriters: look out.
