What line of work is Jason Burke in? “I’m an insurance man,” he said—without a trace of irony, without a hint of recognition that what he’d just said sounded like a line from a grainy black and white movin’ picture.
Burke, in a vast landscape of Charlottesville insurance men, has pulled himself up (or burrowed himself down, as the case may be) by being another type of man entirely. He’s a music man who’s passionate about exposing the masses to the massive talents of unknown local musicians. The results of the singer-songwriter’s efforts will be on display at The Southern Café and Music Hall in the form of the Six Pack Songwriters Series on December 11.
“We’re such importers of our entertainers,” Burke said. “I love a traveling road show as much as anyone else, but my whole inspiration is the people I play with in this local scene. Many of them are road-ready, but most are just like me. They have families and day jobs.”
Burke arrived in Charlottesville a casual song composer back in 2010 and soon found the tight-knit group of local musicians here pushed him to improve. He regularly attended the Monday night open mic at the Belmont eatery The Local, and he marveled at the house band’s talent, their ability to back whatever troubadour might step to the stage on any given night.
The local talents also made Burke want to push back on them. He decided C’ville’s singer-songwriters needed more outlets to highlight their skills, more ways to get the area’s consumers to start devouring their music like they devour their organic, hormone-free beef: from local sources.
Burke envisioned a single night where crowds could sample a pu pu platter of local auditory delicacies. Drawing on The 9, another songwriter series that’s found success up and down the East Coast, he decided the magic number for his platter would be six songwriters. Burke took the idea to Bob Taylor, who runs Rapunzel’s Coffee and Books in Lovingston, and Taylor agreed to host the event if Burke could secure the talent.
The Six Pack ran five times over the course of a year starting in May 2013 and was a qualified success. Burke developed a relationship with local radio stations to get airtime for his songwriters, the musicians were generally well received and Rapunzel’s was drawing decent crowds. But Burke couldn’t shake the feeling that much of the audience was commuting from Charlottesville down 29 to Lovingston for the event, and he figured moving the spectacle into town would enhance its appeal.
The sample size is still low, but it appears Burke was right. After a careful venue search, he zeroed in on the Southern Café and Music Hall. It was a big step up, and the larger space was a risk for both parties, but Burke got the venue to take a chance on him. On August 29, the first Southern-hosted Six Pack drew around 180 people, at least three times more folks than had ever seen the six at Rapunzel’s.
“The turnout was insane,” Burke said. “That show was a total blast—really good vibes, and everyone turned in fantastic performances.”
Burke said he hasn’t changed his approach to putting together a bill for the bigger stage just off the Downtown Mall. The larger turnout, he said, was due to word of mouth and the same commitment to finding a mix of upcoming and veteran local singer-songwriters. To that end, the next event will feature Sam Bush solo-fying the Southern-ambient vibe of his band The Hill and Wood; Nikki Chambless baring her bluesy soul; Clarence Green stepping down from the front of his jazzy mash-up The Downbeat Project; Annabeth McNamara offering up her iTunes-charting warble; UVA doctoral candidate Mike Poznansky combining the old soul of Jim Croce and the new bent of Ray LaMontagne; and Six Pack veteran David Tewksbury returning to the stage with his brand of indie folk.
“I was part of the very first one,” Tewksbury said. “I was one of the sounding boards for the planning for the event, and I think there were some pretty remarkable players there.”
Burke thinks he has six more remarkable players lined up this time (aside from the act that will briefly open and close the show—the insurance man himself). Not only are they musically gifted, but he said they’re people who remind him of what it means to be a professional musician, even when your actual profession takes you to a desk in the morning. From the fresh-faced newbies to the guys and gals who have been grinding it out for years, these singer-songwriters comprise a perfect cross-section.
“I bumped into Clarence [Green] a couple years ago in one of my first pro gigs,” Burke said. “And he’s one of these very talented people that have this humility and quiet grace about them. It’s very much something I try to keep in my pocket when I’m conducting myself as a musician. That is a tough debt to pay.”
The least he can do, he figures, is give them 20 minutes in the spotlight.
Thursday 12/11. $7, 7:30pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. 977-5590.
Who is the most underrated local musician? Tell us in the comments.
