Louisville based singer/songwriter Drew Crawley calls his music "Dirt Emo" referring to its sad country vibe. But it's not all downbeat sad songs by any means. There's plenty of upbeat moments on his new album Hard to Hold even when the songs may still have a sad tinge to them. It's good Americana music with subject matter from love to loss to Cowboys and horse analogies. Drew spent his formative years in Oklahoma where he fell in love with country music and the songs of John Prine. He even starts the album with Prine's "Angel From Montgomery". The rest of the songs are originals by Drew. One standout track is "Cosmic Joke" which fits the times we are in beyond his original intention for the song. I asked Drew about the writing of it:
"Cosmic Joke was written at a time in my life where I came to a realization that I wasn’t better than anyone else. I had held myself to a high standard of morality until my early 20’s, went through a period of general dirt-baggery, and came out on the other side thinking I had some kind of moral superiority over others because I had “conquered my demons.” Only to find out that I could not outrun or fight off my past poor choices regardless of how much distance I put between them. This song may come across a little on the sad side, but it was written out of a place of true desperation and wondering if my life was ever going to reflect the efforts I was putting in. If you see yourself in this song, my hope is that you feel less alone in those desperate moments in life."
You can catch Drew Crawley live at The Monarch on Nov. 26th and O'Shea's Irish Pub on Dec. 13th at the Highlands' location. Check out "Cosmic Joke" below.
