POTENTIAL JOHNS, THE:
Self-titled: 7"
Here’s the secret. Jeff Burke—many of you may be familiar with him being a vocalist and guitarist in the Marked Men—is a prodigy, a shy, unassuming, and humble guy. And, over the years (these songs are from ‘96 and ‘03), he’s gone into the studio (his own, I believe) and made recordings of his music. He plays every instrument, tracks them, mixes them as an exercise, keeps the tapes, and had no desire to ever release them until Justin of the Chinese Telephones convinced him otherwise. If I didn’t tell you any of that and played the 7”, you’d say, “Todd, fuck you. It’s some Marked Men I haven’t heard yet.” And, in a way, you’d be right because this is one of the many secret backbones to one of the best bands going right now. I suggest you hunt this little guy down. Might as well get the Potential Johns / Chinese Telephones split LP when you’re at it. Just trying to be helpful. –Todd Taylor (Sandwich Man)