Bio
Singer-songwriter, Sarah Burton has called Austin, TX home part-time since 2019, but her true home may be the road. Originally from Toronto, Burton’s career started with a broken heart, a broken down van, and a haphazard tour across Canada in a van named Lucky. This set the tone for an artist life driven by adventure, spontaneity, and a desire to connect with people from all walks of life. 3 minivans, and hundreds of songs later, Sarah has released 5 albums, toured Canada and the U.S. extensively, playing 150-200 shows a year, and been selected for festivals and conferences across North America, including Mile of Music (Wisconsin), Red Ants Pants (Montana), MerleFest (North Carolina), CMW, NXNE, CMJ, and more. She has shared the stage with the likes of international heavyweight singer/songwriters Jim Lauderdale, Susan Gibson, Gordie Johnson, and Mary Gauthier. Sarah’s songs have made their way to the big screen, earned college radio charting in the US and Canada and commercial radio play in Canada and Europe.
After 10 years in the Toronto music community, Burton decided to trade the Canadian winters for the hot Texas music scene, inspiring her 2019 release, Give Me What I Want. Give Me What I Want is a raw and real album that skirts Americana, folk, rock and country; the songs tell classic stories in a modern age from love and lust, to enchantment and disenchantment, and that constant search for fulfillment.
The album was recorded in Austin at Jim Eno’s (Spoon) Public Hi-Fi studio, produced by Elijah Ford (who also plays guitars on the record) and engineered by Brad Bell (Spoon, Arcade Fire, The War On Drugs). Tracks feature Chris Konte on bass, Jason Baczynski on drums and percussion, aes well as special guests: Tim Regan on keys/synth, Sam Kossler on pedal steel, Leigh Wallenhaupt on strings, Canadian folk trio Sweet Alibi on backing vocals, and Dave Quanbury on guitar and engineering in Canada.
Ford, Bell, Burton and Konte have since reunited at Public Hifi to record and release 2 follow-up singles: LOGAN (a bar-anthem about a West Texas bartender, released 2020), and I’m on Fire (a trainwreck love-song, released 2021).
Like many artists, during the forced hiatus that spanned much of 2020/2021, Burton wrote and recorded a lot of new music. Burton closed out 2022 with the release of I Hate Goodbyes - the first single from her new album, 64 Magic Queens. I Hate Goodbyes is an “Is this love” song, written after the decision to embark in a long-distance relationship with another touring musician. The song was written in the hopeful space of falling in love and feeling like the world will conspire to help you. The subsequent album explores the challenges that come with long-distance love. Recorded in Sudbury Ontario at Lala Pop Shop amidst the Canadian winter lockdown, the distance grew stronger - while the circumstances of the world seemed to conspire against love.
Recorded and produced by power-pop-rocker Dany Laj, the track (and subsequent album) feature the melodic bass lines of fellow Dany Laj and the Looks co-conspirateur, Jeannette Dowling and drums and percussion from Dusty Campbell. Burton’s writing style on this album ranges from classic 90s pop-rock to a more current indie rock, with a little throw-back to the 60s, laced with a touch of the bizarre. With influences that range from Rilo Kiley and Weezer, to Harry Nilsson and a touch of Concrete Blonde, 64 Magic Queens is an unfiltered trip through a brain that is hopeful even in the darkest hours. Laj’s melodic guitar lines complement the songs with grace, walking the line between glossy and gritty, much like Burton’s vocal stylings.
