Steve Earle channels ghosts of his past

At 54, folk musician and “hardcore troubadour” Steve Earle is just two years older than his mentor, teacher and 70s counterculture icon, Townes Van Zandt was when he died. To a sold-out audience in Sheridan, Wyo., on Saturday, Earle recalled tales of his past, conjuring up the image of Van Zandt through tales of their experiences, which began in the 1970s.