Vid Exclusive: Tim Easton World Premiere

Clip for Porcupine's "7^th Wheel" only at your friendly neighborhood BLURT.

By Blurt Staff

It's another BLURT video exclusive: Tim Easton's new video for "7th Wheel" - it comes from his latest album Porcupine released last week by New West Records, and directed by Alex Gorosh.

Check out Easton as he re-creates the album cover painting on the side of a building in Joshua Tree, Calif. - get your first look at the clip in our video kiosk, or you can go straight in HERE.

In our recent review of the album, we noted how "it's a versatile artist who feels he's no longer confined to any one particular style and subsequently allows himself to infuse more disparate elements into his sound.  So give credit to Tim Easton with breaking the Americana mold on this, his fifth album, and expanding his parameters into realms of Blues, R&B and other traditional templates."

For Porcupine, Tim went back to Alex The Great and Club Roar studios in Nashville to work with Brad Jones and Robin Eaton who produced his debut album, Special 20.   He wanted to "make some noise and get that jagged, midwestern rock and roll sound again" so he hand-picked the Ohio-based rhythm section - Sam Brown on drums (Gaunt, New Bomb Turks, RJD2) and Matt Surgeson on bass and backing vocals (Matt also played on Special 20). Renowned guitarist Kenny Vaughn, who Tim met playing in Lucinda Williams' band for her Car Wheels tour, played second guitar.

Porcupine visits the rough edged and electric side of Tim's recordings, although it's an acoustic track that provides the record's shiniest moment in the pop-folk jangle of "Seventh Wheel."  Tim wrote the song in as much time as it takes to sing it while staying at friend's house in Dublin, and the band demanded that he record it for the album after hearing the demo he made in Ireland.   As for the title Porcupine, Tim explains "I thought the physical animal called the porcupine was a perfect symbol for the sound of this record in that it appears to be a gentle and harmless creature from a distance but up close it is in fact sharp and potentially dangerous." 

Easton is currently on the road with his touring band - Brown on drums, Alex Livingstone on bass - and will be joined by Aaron Lee Tasjan of The New York Dolls in New York City (5/6 @ Mercury Lounge) and Philadelphia (5/7 @ Johnny Brendas).

Tour Dates:

Tuesday 5/5/09 Arlington, VA IOTA Club and Café  
Wednesday 5/6/09 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge 8pm 
Thursday 5/7/09 Philadelphia, PA  Johnny Brendas 
Saturday 5/9/09 New London, CT The Oasis  Pub 
Monday 5/11/09 Winston-Salem, NC The Garage  
Tuesday 5/12/09 Raleigh, NC Berkeley Café 
Wednesday 5/13/09 Atlanta, GA The Earl  
Wednesday, 5/14/09 Athens, GA The 40 Watt
Friday 5/15/09 Auburn, AL The Strutting Duck
Saturday 5/16/09 Orlando, FL Orange You Glad Fest at Will's Pub
Sunday 5/17/09 Tampa, FL New World Brewery
Thursday 5/21/09 Jacksonville, FL European St Café
Friday 5/29/09 Denver, CO Walnut Room  
Saturday 5/30/09 Salt Lake City, UT Benefit for UtahFM.org @ The State Room
Wednesday 6/3/09 Boise, ID Alive After Five
Thursday 6/4/09 Reno, NV Tim Wainer House Concert
Friday 6/5/09 Los Angeles, CA The Mint

[Photo Credit: Paul Moore]