ROBERT EARL KEEN
9 p.m., Revolution. $25.
A few years
back, Robert Earl Keen put out a greatest hits compilation with a title
that says it all: “The Party Never Ends: Songs You Know from the Times
You Can’t Remember.” For a quarter century, the Houston native’s been
cranking out country ditties that stay with you. A master of the double
entendre and pun — the bedrock of country songwriting — but always with
a little bit of edge, Keen’s a little to the left of the establishment.
His finest narrative songs usually end in death or despair. His love
songs forego grand gestures for the simple pleasures — a cold beer in
the shade, a glimpse of a grin across the room. Hell, even his
Christmas song starts out, “Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk at our
Christmas party.” In sum, Keen makes music for the happy misanthrope
inside all of us, built around lyrics that are really fun to holler
along to drunkenly. In addition to the ultra-familiar (it’s the 20th
anniversary of “The Road Goes on Forever”), look out for a few you
won’t know. Keen’s first studio album since 2005 is due out Sept. 29 on
Lost Highway. It’s got a guest appearance by Billy Bob Thornton and a
tribute song to Levon Helm. Bet we’ll hear about it. LM.