Biography

James Justin Burke may have created a new genre
"A son grows up on James Justin & Co.'s Dark Country"

"We released Southern Son, So Far independently because we had to," says Burke. "Now, I can't imagine doing it any other way. We're going to hit the road harder now that this new record is coming out. We can't wait."

Over the last year, Burke has enjoyed the musical and moral support of a solid three-piece backing band, featuring banjo player Bailey Horsley, upright bassist Tom Propst, and mandolinist David Vaughan.

"These guys are the core four who are able to make the road their life," he adds. "On these long, eight-week tours, it's just the quartet, and we're really excited about that," says Burke. "We all love to pop out of the van and perform, no matter whether it's on the street or at a big festival."


Musically, Dark Country pays homage to the same classic rock, Americana, and soul styles featured on Southern Son, So Far. A similar sense of backwoods nostalgia comes through as well.

"There is a theme that runs together between the albums," says Burke. "Dark Country is the next stage in my life. Whereas Southern Son, So Far was a present record about where I was at the time, which was a more melancholy stage. This new one is more of a reminder — one I'll always have to look back at. I can remember all the preparation, heart, and effort I'd put in to succeed and move on to a new phase. It's also a continuation of the sound that this band has developed. It has evolved into something more mature."

While the production quality and instrumentation between the albums are similar, there's more of a silvery, whispy, chilly sound and vibe to the songs on Dark Country. It's more atmospheric and aired out, creating an odd kind of rural romanticism.

"We spent half the amount of time in the studio this time and tried to keep things simple, but I think it came out twice as big," says Burke. "It still has that lo-fi deal, but we went into it knowing better what to do and what not to do. We hope it hits everyone hard within the light that they need."