James McMurtry writes songs the way a carpenter builds a house — with precision, without waste, and with the understanding that the thing has to stand up to weather. For more than three decades, the Austin-based songwriter has been crafting some of the most vivid, unflinching portraits of American life in any medium.
On June 24, 2026, McMurtry brings his unsparing live show to The Hangar on the Hudson in Troy, NY — a venue whose industrial riverfront bones feel like they were built to house exactly this kind of music.
If you know McMurtry’s work — his songs hit like short stories, lean and loaded, with an electric guitar tone that growls like something waking up under the floorboards. McMurtry is often mentioned alongside his father, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Larry McMurtry, and the comparison is earned. Both men share a gift for finding the extraordinary in ordinary places.
The Hangar on the Hudson, perched on the banks of the river in downtown Troy, is one of the Capital Region’s most atmospheric small venues — a space where the music feels close and the crowd pays attention.
This is a show for people who believe that a well-turned lyric can tell you more about this country than a thousand news cycles.
Tickets are on sale now through The Hangar on the Hudson.