Jeff Burkart brings guitar and performs two songs during interview on Max Ink Radio

you found Wisconsin's local music authority. This is MagSync Radio. We are local music.

Jeff Berkhardt, he is a singer and songwriter, a performer who has been featured on PBS Wisconsin.

You may have seen him around at the Marquet Waterfront Festival or the Willie Street Fair

and the next chance is coming up this week at the Harmony Bar from Indiana, North Carolina,

and landing in the Mad City from dirty shirts to echo rays. Jeff Berkhardt, welcome to MagSync Radio.

Thanks, Rocker. It's great to be here again. Oh, man. Thanks for coming back. You know,

the last time you arrived by bike, what was your transportation tonight? We took a supersonic jet

down here. Man, it's improving every time. I hope that wasn't from Qatar.

Jeff, tell us about how you got started playing music and landing here in Madison.

Yeah, I've been playing music since I was probably about 16 and just picked up a guitar and started

playing and pretty much self-taught, but I've been playing around here for 25 years now,

and with a lot of different groups, as you mentioned. So it's just something I really love.

Wow. So you started out in Indiana, North Carolina. What brought you to Madison?

Well, my wife and my then-girlfriend now-wife, she hated living in North Carolina,

had gone to law school here in Madison and found a job. So I came along.

Back to Madison in the home of her alma mater, that's pretty cool. Madison's a great city.

What was your parents' role in your musical upbringing? Do they play a part or just

have a lot of good records? Yeah, not really a lot, but I think I mentioned my grandmother was a

piano player and organ player in the church, and she had both an organ and a piano at her house.

So I'd always just go and pluck around on it. Yeah, I was when I went over there.

One of those times you had to pump with your feet. Uh-huh, yeah.

Not that old.

And now you're in the world of nonprofits still here in Madison. Tell us a little bit about what you do.

Sure, I help nonprofits with stuff they need, like strategic planning or coaching.

I'm currently serving as an interim executive director at the Goodman Community Center.

Oh wow. And yeah, and you know, just helping a lot of different organizations and it's been

really fun in the last couple of years. Well, Madison is a nonprofit city. That's for sure.

Who are the dirty shirts and what the heck are the echo rays? Should I be scared?

I don't think you should be. I think you should be comforted by the echo rays. So dirty shirts

was a group that I was in for a long time. We did lots of honky-tonk happy hours over at the

high noon saloon and and I did several other shows. But I haven't played since about 2019.

Echo Rays is a band I started with my friends Danny Hicks from Bingong and Tony Sellers and

Rob Garza. And so we've been playing now for a couple of years. Oh, we'll hear about Rob Garza

in a minute now. You brought your guitar. I did. And you brought a harmonica. I did. Are you

going to play song for us? I will. Tell us about this song. This is a song that I wrote

maybe about four months ago now. And it was kind of in response to a lot of the things that were

happening in this country. So it's a song called We Got A Fight. Yeah, We Got A Fight.

Here's some to Maxine Cradio. This is Jeff Berkhardt.

That I ripped apart even they go once. I passed on as administrative as they cannot be

remedied. We have crossed the line in a couple months where there is no wrong no more holding on.

One man's going to do what he's going to do. There was certainty and killing democracy.

Loss of camaraderie with all of the countries. Sloppy policy and demagoguery. It's not what it used to be.

Delusional actions of fascists have evidence. There's only a remnant

of honor and truth. What else can we do? We got a fight for the right to fight.

Tonight we got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow.

Yeah, we got a fight for the right to fight. Tonight we got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow.

Yeah, he's going to do what he promised to do on the campaign trail in Kalamazoo

from Oakland to Rally to Pittsburgh to Megan. As the wave starts to hollow out

what is left of a unified America. It's time we stand together as one, even back up.

Delusional actions of fascists have evidence. There's only a remnant

of honor and truth. What else can we do? We got a fight for the right to fight.

Tonight we got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow. Yeah, we got a fight for the right to fight.

Tonight we got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow.

We got a fight for the right to fight tonight. We got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow.

Yeah, we got a fight for the right to fight. Tonight we got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow.

Yeah, we got a fight for the right to fight tomorrow.

Very cool. Oh, what a great song. Oh, thank you. You know, you know, that's kind of a thing from the past,

right? Like kind of political songs. It doesn't seem like the youth these days is writing as much political stuff

as you used to hear back in the 60s and 70s. We get a lot of fodder. A whole lot of it.

New things to write about. Absolutely. Oh, wow. You know, we have a new song tonight that we're going to hear in a few

minutes, but you're recording a bunch more. Will you be releasing an album or singles as they come out?

Well, we haven't really gotten any other songs quite to the point where we can release them.

And it's it's slow going because we're just we're doing it on our own.

This is the echo raised echo raised. Yeah. And so we're, you know, we're chugging away and we'll see

what what comes out of it. You're doing this stuff at a studio or or or in your living room.

In an undisclosed location. No bunker. Stop secret. Nice. Yeah.

And what is the source of inspiration for writing music? I mean, we just heard some some political

stuff too. But, you know, how do you get your inspiration? It's it's all over the place. You know,

I was I was hanging out with a friend who said, you know, I don't at my age, I'm not sure what to

write about. And I'm thinking, you know, I my age, I actually have a lot of stuff that, you know,

I'm it's going through my head that, you know, in a way, it's it's just getting it all out there

and seeing what sticks. But, you know, I'm I I'm just influenced by memories, by, you know,

things that I, relationships that I have with people and, and of course, politics. So,

it's all over the map. Well, what comes first? Melody lyrics or concept? I don't think there's any

real, you know, straight wave that these things come up. It's sometimes I have a melody going

in my head and I'll just make a little voice memo of it and then maybe come back to it sometime

later. Other times I'm just writing stuff and that's that's where it starts. So,

well, Jeff, you have a show coming up. Yeah. A couple of upcoming shows at the Harmony Bar on

Thursday, October 17th, 16th. Yeah. I'm sorry. Thursday, October 16th. And that show is at 630 pm.

And then the Congo coffee on East Wash on Friday, December 5th at 7 pm. Are these going to be

band shows or solo? So, the show that I'm doing at the Harmony next week is with my friend Rob

Garza, who plays bass and sings harmonies. And in the echo race. Yeah. And then the show at

cargo will just be me. That'll be your solo. Is it weird to be talking about shows in December?

It is. It's so weird. I can't even believe it. Oh, Winter and Wisconsin. It's coming.

Let's see here. We are going to listen to a brand new song from Jeff Burke in a minute. I think

do we have time for one more song or should we just? Oh, we got time. We got time. Do you have

one more song? Yeah, I got some, I got some songs. Oh, boy. Let's see what we got here.

Yeah, when I try this one, I didn't bring a pick. So it's going to be a little bit challenging,

but I can do this. Okay. So let me go to a song that I just finished with my friend Owen Temple.

And it's called Golden Dreams. Let's check it out. This is Jeff Burke. Are you listening to Maxine

Radio?

Sunrise on a golden field shining in your eyes

on the morning you look back left all you knew behind in the view it from your dad

packed all your stuff and plans and headed out just to find your peace of mind

China pictures from the coast arrived at your house by post the magic and fame

You wanted to live

The sparkling stars on the sunset strip that weekly dream of solidarity

Left you burning with the magic you wanted to give

And I see from far away just swaying on your floor

Swing thinking about that long stream of time

And

Golden dreams and glossing magazines wishes once and longing in your mind

It's a big deal in a small town in the summertime

Memories are never far behind their stones you carry on your mind

The way you've been holds on to who you want to be

The cut out pictures by your bed and forces ringing in your head

Said you can live and be adored and be free

And I see you from far away just swaying on your porch swing

Thinking about that long stream of time

Golden dreams and glossing magazines wishes once and longing in your mind

It's a big deal in a small town in the summertime

Where you live and where you're from you always knew the day would come

You look up and you bit far away

You never believed you'd think it all

Those golden fields try to live the fall

I want to relive even an hour of those days

Yeah, the times you had the times you missed

Would you sit in that state of bliss

That all seemed like a dream to you now

And you couldn't have it any other way

As the sun goes down on another day

How does what you lost compare to what you found

And I see you from far away just swaying on your porch swing

Thinking about that long stream of time

Golden dreams and glossing magazines wishes once and longing in your mind

It's a big deal in a small town in the summertime

It's a big deal in the small town in the summertime

Wicked, we are right here with Jeff Brookhardt

Thanks for coming down and we're going to listen to another song

Right now and it was mixed by Rob Garza

And it's your new song with the echo raises called on my mind

Who's Rob Garza and tell us a little bit about this song before you go

Yeah, Rob is a good friend who I've known for many years

But we just started playing music together in the last few years

Very talented guy play space and he recorded and mixed this song and I hope you enjoy it

Awesome, well, let's check it out. Thanks so much

Uh, Jeff are coming in tonight. We really appreciate playing some a couple of live songs right off the cuff

Yeah, that was a surprise kind of a mini mad city going on

Nice, thanks so much for having me. Oh, you're listening to Max and Gradio

We are local music. This is on my mind by the echo raised with Jeff Brookhardt

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