Jonny Burke is at it again. Just over a year after the release of his debut solo album “Distance And Fortune”, Burke put out “Cup Runneth Over” on March 13 2012.
A veritable narrative of a musician’s life, “Cup Runneth Over” projects the insight of a young artist who has seen it all; ranging from rootsy, rollicking numbers (Wake Up, Back On Top) to tuned-down soulful tracks (El Paso, God In Them (You)) peppered with a good dose of humor (Sociopath, 32.50).
As sonically adventurous as it is lyrically ripe, the album seamlessly exhibits a combination of bluesy riffs, synthesized bass and crashing drums, plus songs featuring just Jonny and his guitar and a couple interludes of minute-long sketches acted out by a Montana whitewater guide, a former Penthouse pet, hometown neighbors and a German oompah band (all friends of Jonny’s, of course).
Though his bread and butter influences such as Townes Van Zandt and The Rolling Stones still shine throughout the album, “Cup Runneth Over” is a clear departure from the classic sounds of last year’s “Distance And Fortune”. As producer of the bulk of the project –which will be released on his own Dreamcar Records—Burke puts forth an album that is as raw and honest as it gets.
In “Cup Runneth Over”, Burke injects his stories with the sharpest of wit, and an attention to detail that leaves little to the listeners’ imagination. And however far he takes his story, Burke maintains a connection to his subject matter. On Sociopath, a tale of a murderous girlfriend, Burke says “I’ve been chased in a car a few times. Sure, I’ve been threatened with a knife by a girlfriend. But the more I sing this song live the more I find lots of people have been in a relationship like this at some point.”
Burke admits that he has enjoyed being on stage and performing from an early age. He grew up in New Braunfels, a small Texas town between San Antonio and Austin. His dad taught him his first chords and played him Chuck Berry’s ‘Jonny B. Goode’ when he was a little boy and Burke would listen to albums like Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” and Townes Van Zandt’s “Flying Shoes” over and over again. By the time Burke was 15, he was already performing in bars. He formed his first band, the Dedringers, with his friend Sean Faires, and it became a popular regional band while they were still in their teens. “I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to come home after playing a bar and making a little cash,” he recalls. “Nobody in high school could compete with that!”
When it comes to celebrating the release of “Cup Runneth Over”, it turns out Jonny Burke is one hell of an event planner. On March 15, Burke and friends threw the first annual Heartbreaker Banquet on Willie Nelson’s ranch outside of Austin, where Jonny toasted his latest project alongside an explosive lineup of performers including Gary Clark Jr., Blitzen Trapper, James McMurtry, Phosphorescent, Billy Joe Shaver, Joe Pug, Shovels and Rope, Jonny Corndawg, Father John Misty, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Rhett Miller.
