Jon Patrick Walker – Photo Credit: Danny O’Connor
Jon Patrick Walker is a highly respected actor who has appeared on Broadway (most recently playing King George for the national tour of Hamilton) and in television and film roles.
Walker, however, has been increasingly turning his creative energies towards songwriting and music-making. Hereleased his debut LP, The Guilty Party, in 2013, and followed that up with the *Josh Kaufman*-produced People Going Somewhere in 2016. A six-song EP, “You And I” arrived in 2018, and last October he dropped long-player Welcome to the Edge Times, a collection of solo recordings which garnered rave reviews.
Walker’s latest record, The Rented Tuxedo & Other Songs, is slated for self-release on October 8th.
The album is a masterful 9-song collection of original tunes. Imbued with humor, pathos, wit, and musical sophistication, the numbers variously recall work by Bowie, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles, Dylan, and Springsteen, even as Walker’s unique sensibility shines through.
The full length was recorded with legendary producer Roger Moutenot in Nashville (the title track was recorded in Memphis, at Sun Studio. The closer, “All-Night Diner,” was made in Bushwick from the sessions for People Going Somewhere).
Big Takeover is pleased to host the heartfelt retro-pop track “The Stars, the Moon & the Sun” from Walker’s upcoming album.
The reflective, yet vibrant song is filled with a wistful longing as a pining guitar line winds its way through brisk acoustic strum, a measured beat, downcast violin shimmer, and Walker’s bittersweet, contemplative, and expressive vocal delivery.
Walker comments, “I love this song. It’s a love song, but the deeper meaning is about staying in the moment, letting go of anxiety about the future, about what may or may not happen, and just being grateful for this ever-present moment.”
Lyrics:
I want to live, long but not forever
I want us to be sometimes apart mostly together
I want to give it all away but hold onto love
Hold onto me little darling, when push comes to shove.
The stars may not align
But the moon & the sun know that you’re mine
And I’m yours, but you’re free, let’s take a walk by the sea
By the shore there’s a door, for the rich, for the poor
For the Good, the Misbegotten, for the Children, for Johnny Rotten
You can burn out, you can fade, it’s your turn, don’t be late!
I want to live, long, long but not forever
I want us to forgive each other for breaking the weather
I want to kill my ego, kill my pain
Sometimes I’m dry like the desert, sometimes I pour down like rain
The stars may not align
But the moon and the sun know that you’re mine
The stars may not align
But I know the moon and I know the sun always will shine.
Walker lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Hope Davis, their two daughters, and their dog, Jennie.
