Distance and Fortune

by Jonny Burke

Distance and Fortune Cover Art
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about

What people are saying about Distance and Fortune so far…

“lyrical skills that easily evoke Elvis Costello on a magnanimous day; and wiry Keith Richards riffs which simply reek with the sonic simplicity of Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’…If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this is the sound of someone who’s completely confident in the knowledge that he can do just about anything he wants to in the studio—but I do and he can..”
-Jeffrey Morgan, official biographer for the Stooges and Alice Cooper

“…backed by revved-up Chuck Berry licks that would make the New York Dolls proud…and poetic resignation worthy of John Prine…Distance and Fortune has a literate pulse but beats with a rock & roll heart.”
-Austinist

“To listen to Jonny Burke in more wistful, introspective moments on his debut album, Distance And Fortune, and then to look at this young guy in his 20s… It doesn’t seem like enough time and experience could have crossed his path to leave us with that world-weary, knowing drawl and the insights of a wise old soul.”
-Julie Stoller, Hybrid Magazine

“That keening, lilting voice is what hooks the listener… the guitar trade-off between Burke and producer Marc Ford is dynamite… an engaging, impression-making debut… 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) “ – Austin Music and Entertainment

” 3 stars (out of 4)..”- LA Daily News

“Jonny Burke’s songs provide hope that true songwriting and honest music have not been lost after all.” -Ryan Bingham

“Jonny Burke’s debut is an impressive affair as he goes from Stones-like rock ’n’ roll to…John Prine/Townes Van Zandt wisdom. Dude’s real. You can’t bottle him up in any one category. In a word: eclectic” -Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly

“The bottom line is Burke is a gifted writer…he not only knows what he’s doing, he’s doing it with literate grit.”
-Jim Beal Jr., San Antonio Express News

“..hits the pleasing sonic spot with a winning blend of wit, warmth, and rompin’ tunefulness. Jonny Burke’s cool raspy voice and refreshingly plain-spoken songwriting make for a strong and appealing double whammy...a fine and impressive full-length debut album.”
-Jersey Beat

“Jonny has that star thing. He has that way of making eye contact with all of the people in the audience at once.” -James McMurtry

“…when you push ‘play,’ Exile-era Rolling Stones influences abound. Despite the easy musical comparisons, Burke’s got a style all his own.” -Shepherd Express Milkwaukee

“4 stars (out of 5)..”
-McKeesport Daily News

“Distance and Fortune frequently haunts the Stones celebrated Exile era…a distinct tone both timely and timeless, a musical call toward the future with eyes doubling down on the past.”
-Texas Music

“…one of those rare, sure-footed debuts that comes fully formed…this is an album brimming with confidence and chutzpah.” -Alex Green, Caught in the Carousel

“Jonny Burke does it just the way you like it – simple and genuine.” -Marc Ford

“…as impressive as Burke’s writing (and rocking) is throughout this Marc Ford produced set, it’s his voice that’s the ultimate charmer.”
-Richard Skanse, Lone Star Music

credits

released 22 February 2011
Jonny Burke- electric and acoustic guitars, lead vocals, background vocals
Marc Ford- electric and acoustic guitars, dobro on track 3, background vocals
Ronnie Johnson- bass guitar
Kory Cook- drums, background vocals on track 2
Elijah Ford- piano, bass on tracks 3 and 4, background vocals on pretty much everything, acoustic guitar on track 3
John Bazz- upright bass on track 7
Mike Malone- xylophone on track 5
Anthony Arvizu- drums on track 3

Recorded at the Compound in Long Beach, CA
Produced by Marc Ford
Engineered by Anthony Arvizu
Assistant Engineer- Jeff Lewis

Mastered by Kevin Bartley at Capitol Records

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Track Name: Broke Again
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

amerie, she's always heading my way
driving in a porsche down the crooked highway
she picks me up, we head to the city
we walk around like we live on tv
splendid and spendin like there's no end
come on amerie
baby are you broke again?

amerie, she's 28 and great now
she's got her daddy's credit card and her momma's know how
she dates the rich boys, she reads the gossip column
ain't had a steady job since she' gotten outta college
trade a fortune for an arcade token
cryin on the corner tell me
baby are you broke again?

splendid's how we're livin here in my generation
spendin that money over all creation
credit, don't sweat it, we'll swipe it and go then
head to the club and we'll get us some more and
it's always gonna be this way
man you must be jokin
maybe come monday
baby are you broke again?
Track Name: Come Stand
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

the road blistered in the mid-morning summer sun
come five o'clock it'll be too hot to leave
but all the sister's gonna shake it when the evening comes
and all the boys be too gone to leave, singin'

chorus
come stand, if and when you want to
if you stand there's a chance you'll fall
and if you fall i'll be right here waitin for you
i'll be there to break your fall

we took a hard left in a straight six
we laugh it up and lap it up to get our kicks
i'm cryin fine times in the wine lines
i'll be damned if i keep goin' like this

chorus

some don't want nothin, if they can't have it all
i'm lookin for a girl not too short but not too tall
and round about the eyes, her smile says come on in
come try and win me, i know you're up to the task
and once you ask
we'll outlast them in this whole thing
plan it out like it's the last thing
that we ever do
hey it's just me and you
i'll track you with my mind and we'll make it just in time, singin'

chorus

come stand any way you want to
if you stand then you'll surely fall hard
and if you fall i'll be right here waitin for you
i'll be there to break your fall
Track Name: Into The Autumn
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

chorus
won't you follow me darlin'
into the autumn
when the leaves turn late in the day
i've got a friend in austin
his sins sure did cost him
i don't want to end up that way

i pulled into carolina
could not have been feeling finer
all i found was sleet and snow and hail
so i made a beeline straight for the stateline
i spent a night in a carolina jail

chorus

maryland, my maryland
i thought you would be better than
all i left behind
but the songs they turned to ash
and you could not pay in cash
i left that state before i lost my mind

chorus

i was going to bethlehem, pennsylvania
i thought baby jesus would be waiting on me
but my baby's fame goes by another name
and i hope she is waiting on me
here i come sweet virginia set me free
Track Name: You Wear It So Well
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

remember all those nights we threw away?
staying up til' dawn and then hitting it hard for two more days
there was powders on the table and police at the door
alice crying on the phone upstairs and jimmy passed out on the floor
i was drunk and lowdown
and a little more than broken
you told me that i need help as you took another toke and i said

you wear it so well
if anybody could pull it off as we're draggin down to hell
you wear it so well
then you'd smile at me

in a flash it's been five years and i'm out on the road
trying to keep it straight with a song and a heavy load
and i'd toss and turn in motel beds, some nights the phone would ring
i'd wonder who it could be, see your name come across the screen
i'd tell you of my travels
you'd talk about your plans
telling me to keep a smile as i travel 'cross the land cause you said

you wear it so well
if anybody could pull it off in a world of show and tell
you wear it so well
and i'd make it through another day

last time i come home i saw you on the street
wind blowin' through your hair, standing tall on your own two feet
a man walked up beside you in a strange familiar way
i saw that ring on your finger, a little smile come across your face
i said congratulations
when you told me the good news
i tried to hide my regret but i could not hide the truth when i said

you wear it so well
if anybody could pull it off i hope he does it well
you wear it so well
you wear him so well
Track Name: Little Girl Of The World
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

little girl of the world
how i've traveled since i last saw you
and now we meet
and i can see that you're in awe too
holding onto my regret
the open door i led you through to my heart
i thought i'd found some resolution

in the cold months were my words not
just a dagger that fit you perfect
you held it so well
and pricked my soul when you said i love you
i've pondered and i've reasoned
and i've healed with the changing of the seasons
i've healed with the changing of the seasons

i don't know the things you say
and i don't know the games you play
little girl
little girl of the world

now here we sit
hand in hand in the winter moonlight
and with the way you're eyes are talking
i can tell that we're not done
through april and may
what can i say
turns hot and humid
hey i'm only human
through summer to fall
i'd give it all for you i will
the months creep by and your memory lingers

i don't know the games you play
and i don't know the things you say
little girl
little girl of the world
Track Name: Cracka Jack
Jonny Burke (Depan Music, BMI)

cracka jack got stabbed in the back
he said he'd take that any day over a heart attack
he bit his lip and he clinched his fist
he said do what you have to i must insist
he never was long for this world
he had a needle for a shield and a spiel for the girls
he'd steal for the stuff then he'd share it with me
he said a friend in need come on and let it bleed

salem sally wrapped in bows
with her painted nails and dirty clothes
spends her nights staring up at the stars
laying in the backs of souped-up cars
of all those guys that act so mean
they do any little thing to get in her jeans
like she let me once back in junior school
where i went in a boy and i left a fool

now i hang down at the redrum rockin
with my hard luck story and a hand full of pockets
just let me down easy when things get heavy
put me in the ground in a two tone chevy
next to cracka' jack and salem sally
leave you sweatin in the breeze and blowin in the alley
til' all your limbs start to tremble and shake
how much can you take until you break?
how much can you take until you break?
how much can you take until you break?
Track Name: Don't Let Me Fall
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI) and Hayes Carll (Highway 87 Music, admin. by BUG Music, SESAC)

how many painter's splashed colors on a canvas
to never see it get hung on a wall
never saw in the end what could have been
the greatest painting the world never saw

how many poets felt the hate and the love
and born with desire from the heavens above
how many poets that had all the words
died in the gutter, their songs never heard

chorus
don't let me fall cause i might not get up again
just hold me tighter right now what i need's a friend
i've come too far for this to be the end
so don't let me fall cause i might not get up

i've walked the highway since i can't remember
cutting my poor family right down to the bone
from the shadows of hell to the winds of december
layed down with a stranger woke up all alone

god knows i've tried to hold onto a feeling
a song or a memory to keep in my heart
i've asked forgiveness from those i've forsaken
forgiveness don't come and it tears me apart

chorus

killing this pain outside in the rain
one hand holds a bottle, one hand holds my shame
i don't know which comes first
i don't know which is worse
riding behind or inside the hearse

chorus
Track Name: Quinceanera
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

there's a mexican family deep in my memory
in a hotel lobby, they're loading to leave
for the quinceanera of their daughter sera
whose got diamond eyes drawn to the heart on her sleeve
and i keep my distance cause i'm looking ragged
and my thoughts are scattered in back of my mind
but her halo's shining, it's all in the timing
and i've got the muse and i've nothing but time

the love that you're given you can't be refusing
take what you're living and put it to use some

sera's new powers are blooming like flowers
so her boyfriend nando get's jealous at times
but nando's a nice guy, he stops at all stop signs
and goes every sunday to mass with his madre
even sera's father, the great juan escobar
says he must fess up the next time they dress up
in a different setting might be for their wedding
cause nando's a good one and sera sure loves him
yes nando's a good one and sera sure loves him

the love that you're given you can't be refusing
take what you're living and put it to use some

i've heard of a city somewhere west of langtry
muy repropio and there on the rio
the children obey and they play in the shade
and their parents all love them
and never do wrong, they never do wrong
though so few have seen it i sill believe in it
it's what coronado was seaching for all along

the love that you're given you can't be refusing
take what you're living and put it to use some
Track Name: Human Music
written by Robyn Hitchcock (copyright 1979)
Track Name: Long Steady Decline
Jonny Burke (Dedpan Music, BMI)

pulled into atlanticsburg city last night
with a bad case of strip mall i kicked off the snow
the drywall felt good on the soles of my boots
made it that much harder to leave

chorus
in this long slow steady decline
you show me yours and i'll show you mine
we'll leave brother death and take father time
in this long steady decline

i walked through that city with a dark haired lady
who'd hips like a lampshade and eyes to the throne
she talked of her sister, no longer her sister
she talked of a boyfriend that she'd never liked
she said it's hard to respect someone that accommodating
a woman like that will make you question your faith

chorus

may you find patience enough to endure
and stay simple enough to believe
in all that is hardest to see from the bottom
but is stained all over your coattails

chorus x 2