just us kids

James McMurtry found his groove with the gritty political barbs and countrified boogie of this seething underground blues protest.  After finding success with the topical songwriting of 'Childish Things', McMurtry was ready to run with it:    "Suddenly I’m a political songwriter; that’s what I’m supposed to be. I put out 'Just Us Kids', and the single was “Cheney’s Toy,” which was kind of a cool song, but it didn’t have a chance like “We Can’t Make It Here Anymore” because it’s more of a rant. It’s not written from the point of view of a character the listener can identify with...Country songs are generally selling fantasy, and so am I. I’m just selling a different fantasy...I sell the fantasy of the disgruntled third son that sees through the myth. I can’t blame country for wanting to sell the myth, but they’re still selling what they have done with the old home place. They’re rewriting that constantly. The last big one was that Montgomery Gentry song, “Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm.” “He’ll live and die in the eye of the urban storm / Daddy won’t sell the farm.” I try to do it the other way and write it from somebody that knows what they did to the old home place. Your evil aunt Francis got power of attorney and sold it out from under everybody, and they developed it. That’s what happens in real life...It’s still fiction. It’s not reality. It’s just a more twisted fiction...In mainstream country, it goes back to the question of hearing yourself in the song, but it’s not so much hearing the self you know as the self you want to be. You want to be the guy that will stand in the way of the urban storm, but you’re probably not. But that’s how you want to see yourself, so that works. I can’t tell one country song from another anymore. Since the eighties, it seems like pretty much every hit was written by the same five guys, or different teams of five guys, and then all the records are recorded by another team of five guys. And then they find the pretty artist that can sell it. There are exceptions." 

The sessions for 'Just Us Kids' took place at Wire Recording in Austin, TX with James McMurtry on production, lead vocal, guitars, mandoguitar, banjo, mandolin, and dulcimer; Ronnie Johnson on 4 string and 8 string bass guitars, and vocals; Daren Hess on drums, percussion, tympany, and whistle; Ian McLagan on organ and piano; Harmoni Kelly and Lee Scott on vocals; Brian Standefer on cello; Chris Maresh on bass viol; Jon Dee Graham on lap steel; Pat Macdonald on harmonicas and vocals; Ephraim Owens on trumpet; Charlie Richards on guitar, and lap steel; John Nelson on percussion; Curtis McMurtryon baritone saxophone; and C.C. Adcock on guitar. 

'Just Us Kids' made it to number one hundred and thirty-six on the US Billboard 200 album chart, eighteen on the US independant chart, and number two on the US heatseekers chart.   It garnished nominations for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year ('Cheney's Toy') from the Americana Music Association.  The controversial lyrics were highly critical of the foreign policy of the Bush Administration; however, McMurtry considers:  “I don’t think anything’s changed.  I really don’t know who’s pulling the strings. But most of the horrible things that were going on under Bush as far as outsourcing started under Clinton anyway...Without Bush, there’s no one to focus on. And I can’t really get a handle on what Obama’s about.” 






https://myspace.com/jamesmcmurtry






"Bayou Tortous" – 4:52
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkKi3xKFix4




"Just Us Kids" – 5:10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH5hTwWgHp0



"God Bless America (Pat Macdonald Must Die)" – 5:03
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAOvOblDiqk



"Cheney's Toy" – 5:51
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKUE0RTuw24



"Freeway View" – 3:40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpw4o5bYMJ8



"Hurricane Party" – 5:58
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNtpAeiEY4A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOYMpBuImj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wKnl_KJmXo




"Ruby and Carlos" – 6:38
“That all started ‘cause we were driving South. You know how some Waffle Houses work pretty well and others are totally dysfunctional? We hit one of the dysfunctional ones and Tim, the sound man, comin’ out the door, he said, ‘I guess we must have crossed the Mason-Dumbass Line.’ So I had to figure out a song to put that in.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdAWFQApAfI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUXodZEeLpo



"Brief Intermission" (McMurtry, Daren Hess, Ronnie Johnson) – 2:53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrcejSdx9Os



"Fire Line Road" (McMurtry, Tim Holt) – 5:32

"The Governor" – 5:53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wiwlqNH1u0




"Ruins of the Realm" - 4:27
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRBOePMCppc




"You'd A' Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)" – 5:17
 "Actually, there were a couple of 'Must Dies' that I recorded that didn't get on the record. And one of them [Stephen Bruton] did die. "'Leonard Cohen Must Die' happened because the lyrics kind of reminded me of Cohen's stuff. I was writing it while the band was in the studio waiting for me to show up with the lyrics. So I came in and said, 'Well, if it wasn't for Leonard Cohen, you wouldn't have been waiting all day. Leonard Cohen must die.' And then that became kind of the buzzword joke for the whole session."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM71FrmfsN4







'Just Us Kids' 
full album:



All songs written by James McMurtry unless otherwise noted.

"Bayou Tortous" – 4:52
"Just Us Kids" – 5:10
"God Bless America (Pat MacDonald Must Die)" – 5:03
"Cheney's Toy" – 5:51
"Freeway View" – 3:40
"Hurricane Party" – 5:58
"Ruby and Carlos" – 6:38
"Brief Intermission" (McMurtry, Daren Hess, Ronnie Johnson) – 2:53
"Fire Line Road" (McMurtry, Tim Holt) – 5:32
"The Governor" – 5:53
"Ruins of the Realm" - 4:27
"You'd A' Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)" – 5:17