“The End of the Trail” – Remembering Michael Hurley
The news was unexpected, made more bizarre by the fact that I had looked him up a mere week ago, since one of his songs was on rotation earlier that day. “Snock 'N Roll: Adventures With Michael Hurley,” a short documentary published over a decade ago introduced me to his music. I was gonna close the tab and move on, but out of curiosity and nostalgia caused by the VHS tracking errors on screen I stayed a little longer.
Looking through his discography leads a novel listener to an unusual but undeniably joyful and evocative listening experience. Of course, there was nothing to recall for me, given both the temporal and physical distance separating our experiences. Yet there was an discernable sincerity and palpable emotion in the tone of his voice and occasional fiddle-playing that kept my eyes and ears following his few recorded performances.
Over the next few days there will certainly be a deluge of words written on both the man and his music, more eloquent and knowledgeable than what I jotted down here. “Outsider Folk” as it was described by some outlets might be the closest descriptor to what Michael Hurley embodied. For me, his music remains an encapsulation of a rich and storied spirit, and very much a reflection of the man himself: someone who squinted at the idea of the limelight, preferring to jam with his pals in dimly lit venues and make friends along the way.