It’s a cliché sentiment, but one that’s been said many times: The era of songwriters as talented as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Tom T. Hall is coming to an end.
It’s gotten to the point that in the current world of music, where everything is perfect and auto-tuned in a studio, genuine artists struggle to find their voices and fight for an honest sound.
Joe Purdy considers himself one of the few who is committed to that struggle.
“With the risk of sounding like an old man,” said the 34-year-old singer-songwriter, “every time I turn on the Top 40 channel on the radio, I hear these songs that are so far from being genuine. I believe that if there is no imperfection in music, I turn it off.”
Purdy, who will bring his Eagle Rock Fire nationwide tour to The Grey Eagle in Asheville, N.C., for an 8 p.m. concert Tuesday, stays true to his philosophy with most of his music.
“I’ve heard great records made on a computer, but I’ve never made a great record with the typical studios today,” he said. “For our most recent album (‘Eagle Rock Fire’), we put together a studio which was all analog and wrote and recorded an album in five days.
“It was a much purer sound; if there were mistakes, we let them happen.”
And, for the most part, Purdy can rock that sound. His chords are simplistically pure, and his lyrics are usually ballad-like.
Purdy’s voice has a raspy texture similar to Bob Dylan yet carries a softness more akin to Simon and Garfunkel. What’s created is a modern sound that is combined with the classic folk voices, which only a handful of contemporary musicians, such as Joshua James and Purdy, have mastered.
A native of Arkansas, Purdy mostly attributes his lyrical and musical inspiration to his travels.
“My inspiration comes from life, where I am, where I want to go,” he said. “A lot of my records have been inspired by where I’ve traveled and recorded, like New Mexico, Arkansas, Paris, Scotland, etc. It’s something about new/fresh landscapes and cultures that kicks my neurons around and gets me motivated.

“It also helps being Southern, ‘cause you can get away with a lot more words.” He continued, “I like songs that are timeless, that don’t pertain to a certain era. I stay away from terms that describe the modern age. In my most recent album, the song ‘Bah Girl’ is the first time I’ve had more a modern theme in my song. I found a way to do it that worked with the music and didn’t sound forced.”
Purdy ascribes that sound to watching and listening to some of his favorite singer-song writers.
“I had the opportunity to meet and play with Kris Kristofferson and Steve Earle,” he said. “I got a lesson from a few old-school cats who I consider do music right.
“Steve taught me how to capture an audience, how to hold yourself, your guitar, voice, etc., without all the lights and glamor. Kris taught me that not all songs have to be sad. I’m a bit of a sad song guy. Kris can write a sad song with a bit of levity, which also has a good story.
“They were such monumental unspoken lessons. And a little bit of it seeps into you, and it finds its way into your music and that’s where I found my sound.”
And like his musical inspirations, Purdy reaches out to the poor and oppressed to bring relief. Most recently, he played an impromptu concert with English folk-pop artist Billy Bragg, in St. Louis to help the Ferguson food pantry and to help unite the community.
“Billy was the one who set this up,” Purdy said. “We were on a photography tour together, and we weren’t supposed to play shows. But as soon as I showed up he excitedly said he got us a small gig set up at a local business. The show was intimate and it was great playing with Billy.
“The second day of that photography tour we were around St. Louis, and we felt like the Ferguson issue was not something we could ignore “In many impoverished areas around the country, school is one of the only ways children can eat. Well, school had been suspended so none of these kids could eat. We were able to hold a benefit concert where we asked people to bring canned food so these families could eat.
“We also did it to lift their spirits and let people know we stood with them. It was very powerful.”
Purdy’s passion is obvious in his music. For him, music is a way to speak and realize truth.
“For me, (music) keeps me sane,” Purdy said. “It’s my own form of therapy and when you can make things rhyme, you can say anything and it’s all forgiven.
“When you write, the truth eventually comes out. It can capture memories, feelings and images in just a few chords. But I’m going to stop there before I enter cheesyland. I have no idea why I love music so much, maybe it’s just in my blood.”