event Jonathan Burks
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Sun Feb 17
8 pm
Jonathan Burks at Tonic Tavern
In 2010, Milwaukee singer-songwriter Jonathan Burks released two records: Loudmouth Soup, one of the best local records of that year, and Red Pulpy Mess, a less consistent but still strong collection of tear-in-your-beer, honky-tonk ballads and ballsy barroom rockers. He continued his prolific ways in 2011 with How To Dance, an album of stripped-down acoustic tracks recorded back in 2008, and the God Talk EP. Burks embodies everything that makes you gush and/or cringe about our city: He’s aggressively blue collar, painfully wary of pretension, and he drinks way, way too much. His lyrical pose is that of the self-styled loser with the shit-eating grin, and he sings in a gloriously deadpan drawl that’s reminiscent of a slurring, honky-tonk Jonathan Richman. For Burks, “I’m Drunk” isn’t just a song title—it’s a mission statement.
Tonic Tavern 2335 S. Kinnikinnic Ave., Milwaukee, WI
In 2010, Milwaukee singer-songwriter Jonathan Burks released two records: Loudmouth Soup, one of the best local records of that year, and Red Pulpy Mess, a less consistent but still strong collection of tear-in-your-beer, honky-tonk ballads and ballsy barroom rockers. He continued his prolific ways in 2011 with How To Dance, an album of stripped-down acoustic tracks recorded back in 2008, and the God Talk EP. Burks embodies everything that makes you gush and/or cringe about our city: He’s aggressively blue collar, painfully wary of pretension, and he drinks way, way too much. His lyrical pose is that of the self-styled loser with the shit-eating grin, and he sings in a gloriously deadpan drawl that’s reminiscent of a slurring, honky-tonk Jonathan Richman. For Burks, “I’m Drunk” isn’t just a song title—it’s a mission statement.
Updated 02/10/2013
