Vincent Neil Emerson @ Railyard Live at Butterfield Stage
Vincent Neil Emerson
Photo by Melissa Payne Photography
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About the Artist
Vincent Neil Emerson is a torchbearer of the Texas songwriter tradition. He channels the
straightforward truth-telling and resonance of his songwriting heroes in Townes Van Zandt, Guy
Clark, and Steve Earle into something fresh and distinctly his own. Where his 2019 debut Fried
Chicken and Evil Women proved that he is one of the most reverent students of country and
Western musical traditions, his follow-up LP, the masterful Rodney Crowell-produced Vincent
Neil Emerson, which is out June 25 via La Honda Records/Thirty Tigers, is a brave step forward
that solidifies his place as one of music's most compelling and emotionally clarifying storytellers.
His songs are cathartic and bluntly honest, never mincing words or dancing around uncomfortable truths.
Raised in Van Zandt County in East Texas by a single mother of Choctaw-Apache descent,
Emerson's world changed when he first heard Townes Van Zandt's music. "To hear a guy from
Fort Worth say those kinds of things and make those songs was pretty eye opening," the now
29-year-old songwriter says. "I had never heard songwriting like that before." He's spent the
better part of the past decade honing his songwriting and performance chops playing bars,
honky-tonks, and BBQ joints across the Fort Worth area.
Like every working musician, 2020 pulled the rug out from under Emerson. With the pandemic
shuttering live music venues and cancelling promising tours, he processed the upheaval the
only way he knew how: by writing his ass off. His intense and productive writing sessions
produced ten finished songs over the course of just a couple of months, a body of work so
personal that he knew he would have to name the final product Vincent Neil Emerson. These
demos caught the attention of Texas country and folk icon Rodney Crowell, who signed on to
produce and record the LP. "Rodney is a hero of mine," says Emerson. "He wanted to make
something that serves the songs, as opposed to making a record trying to put focus on
production or the playing. It was an honor to work with him." Crowell had similar high praise for
Emerson: "if he grows on the public the way he’s grown on me, it’s possible young Vincent will
plant the flag of his [songwriting] forebears firmly in the consciousness of a whole new
generation." At the studio, Emerson tracked the songs with a crack team of session players put
together by Crowell. "Because of them, we were able to get those songs in one take," he says.
"I think I've always gravitated towards artists that are honest about what they're doing." says
Emerson. "It's the most important thing because people have a chance to connect to a little
more if you're telling the truth."
For bookings, publicity, and all things Vincent, visit https://vincentneilemerson.com/
For official Vincent Neil Emerson Merch, visit https://vincent-neil-emerson.myshopify.com/