In Class With Steve Earle

Jon Calderas recounts a class he had with Steve Earle at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

Last summer I started taking guitar classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. The school is open to the general public and you can learn pretty much any type of musical instrument, dance or vocal technique you could imagine. As part of the celebration of the first year at the new location, there was a folk and roots festival where Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett of Wilco and Steve Earle (as well as many other great acts) played. It cost $5. During Steve Earle's set, he mentioned he would be teaching a class at Old Town in 2000. When the notice came out, I emailed my name in for the lottery and I was one of the 90 that got picked. Dumb luck.

On New Year's Eve, 1999, I saw Steve give a ferociously hard rocking concert here in Chicago and kick the old year good bye. Eleven days later, I'm sitting in his class at Old Town not quite knowing what to expect.

I get to class early and I'm sitting there with my guitar on the floor, reading. Steve walks by and says, "How ya doin' tonight?" I jump a little and say, "I'm doing fine." It's weird seeing the guy offstage. He's about my height (5'10" - 5'11"), but he seems to occupy more space than normal folks - force of personality, presence, what have you. He's talking to a tall, skinny kid who we later find out is his son, Justin Townes Earle. He ducks back out of the room and gets prepared. More students file in. We all kind of look at each other, not knowing what to expect.

It's start time and Steve enters carrying a big maroon box that I instantly recognize as Harry Smith's American Anthology of Folk Music and a book that will later be revealed as Robert Cantwell's "When We Were Good." He takes a stand at the front of the class, water bottle in hand, wearing half glasses (reading) that he twirls from time to time and starts us on the journey...