"Stop that," he spoke in a stanza break.
Clap....Clap.......Clap..Clap...clap...
"Please. Stop it." He broke out in a grin.
The crowd laughs and is still. I don't think they know whether or not to take the man seriously. One moment he's singing about the doggone trash. And with the next verse, his words cause a heart-racing silence through the club. That's when you realize that Fritz has much more to him than meets the eye.
The EARL was his final show on a stint with Langhorne Slim, supporting his fantastically dark Dad Country. That perpetual grin is only partially covered by a half-grown beard. His slogan could be "Smart-Ass Lyrics with a Smile". He's wearing a magnificently embroidered cardigan, hiding, I would later find out, an even more magnificently embroidered denim shirt baring the likeness of his right-hand fiddleman, Josh Hedley. If his guitar didn't have "Jonny Corndawg" written in pearl down the fretboard, I'd think he stole it. His father actually made it.
But that's Jonny. Rough n' tumble, every-tattoo-tells-a-story-and-I-got-some-good-stories kinda country. These aren't tall tales, though. They weren't bought. Dad Country deals with some shit. Real shit. Stinky shit. The songs are frank. They're a glimpse into Fritz's life, both on the road and at home. Women come and go and some are missed more than others. God and hope are found and lost.
The album is great, don't get me wrong. I have the glow-in-the-dark vinyl on my turntable to prove my love. But when you strip away the production, layered harmonies, drums, bass and pedal steel, you get to see uniquely crafted duo bang out some one of a kind performances. The lit snob in me wants to call it poetry. And it's not just the lyrics. The words are powerful, but the delivery is the followthrough. It can knock you out if you let it.
Offstage, Fritz is probably one of the nicest dudes you'll ever care to meet. My girlfriend...let's call her "Holly"...tried to buy one of his guitar straps for my last birthday. He had just signed to ATO and was a bout to start the tour. He couldn't do it then, but he wrote her a friendly email apologetically declining. He remembered her when we approached him after his set. I was drunk and wanted to tell him how much I appreciated him carrying the torch of Waylon, Merle and Billy Joe. I ended up telling him how much I liked his sweater. He showed us the stitching of Josh's face on his back.
"Idn't that cool?"
He bought us a drink. We talked for a good minute. I bought a copy of the vinyl.
"Make sure they get the gift bag," he said to the lady behind the merch table. Turning to Holly, "We got these great gift bags made up for the tour.
"And make sure they get the glow-in-the dark one. And the oatmeal pie. Do you guys want a poster?"
Of course we do.
No, no, Jonny. Thank You a lot.
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