For about 10 years now, Arkansas native Joe Purdy has steadily released album after album of solid -- and at times, spectacular -- folk music.
Most recently, though, with his two 2010 releases, 4th of July and This American, Purdy has adopted inventive ways to get his music heard.
Case in point: This American. The sprawling album that channels the modern spirit of Woody Guthrie was made available as a free album download for the entire month of December last year. The ploy worked. Once word spread via the trusty blogosphere, it was hard to pull up a country folk or Americana site without reading of not only what Purdy was offering, but of how great a release the album was. A couple of clicks later, and it was easy to see that This American was indeed worth the price, and then some.
But digital giveaways aren't the only high-profile method that Purdy has employed in order to build his career and create awareness of his sound. Many highly-rated television shows, including House, have featured especially emotive cuts from Purdy's catalog.
WIth Purdy will be bringing his acoustic guitar and harmonica to the Loft in Dallas on Saturday night, we caught up with the singer-songwriter to see what he thinks of folk as a current and relative art-form, and if a younger version of himself would be mad that his music is often featured on commercials.
Read our Q&A with Purdy after the jump. There, you'll also find a free download of our favotie track off of This American, "Highways," courtesy of Mr. Purdy, himself.
Bonus MP3: