In House #1681: Paul Burch's East to West; Drive-By Truckers in Jackson Hole Tonight

It was, as he tells it, the musical equivalent of one of those big existential moments. After several years and five albums worth of fostering a career as a singer-songwriter-- and a consistently enjoyable one at that-- Paul Burch had begun to wonder if anyone was listening to him anymore.

His answer, it seems, came shortly thereafter in the form of three successive and career-buoying events, all of which contributed directly to the creation of his sixth full-length, East to West. First was the relationship fostered with the legendary Dr. Ralph Stanley during a short UK tour he and Burch did with Laura Cantrell (both make appearances on East to West-- Cantrell as a lyric, Stanley as himself). Next was a trip on the same tour to the home of famed BBC DJ John Peel. He and Burch hit it off wonderfully, comparing musical notes and spinning their way through Peel's extensive music collection. The night, in fact, so affected Burch that he wrote a song about it: "John Peel," pays tribute to the late DJ's legacy while name-dropping the likes of Laura Cantrell, Eddie Cochran, and "I Got Stripes". Finally, a rather chance series of events led to Burch exchanging a series of letters with Mark Knopfler, whose influence rears its head every now and then in Burch's music, as in the aforementioned "John Peel." In the end Knopfler encouraged Burch to come to London and begin recording East to West at his studio, even lending his own talents to a spot or two. The series of events in and of themselves makes for good story, but the finished product-- talent-laden and multiply-influenced-- is something to behold indeed. With the talents of Stanley and Knopfler, as well as those of names like Tim O'Brien and Kelly Hogan (not to mention Burch's WPA Ballclub), Burch's throwback sound-- a little Jimmie Rodgers, a bit of Buddy Holly-- has never sounded fresher. East to West drops August 15th on Bloodshot. Note to Paul: we're all ears.

Paul Burch

In House #1681.
Airdate: 8/10/06
Focus: Upcoming release from Paul Burch, East to West, plus the Drive-By Truckers in Jackson Hole, WY tonight and new music from Kevn Kinney, Bobby Bare Jr., Will Kimbrough and more.

BONUS MP3s-
Paul Burch, from East to West: "Montreal" (MP3)

Bobby Bare Jr., fromt The Longest Meow (due 9/28): "The Heart Bionic" (MP3)


PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #154