September 2010

Chart Topper

Musician John Butler talks about touring and the evolution of his latest album, April Uprising

Chart Topper

WORDS ADAM BAIDAWI

John Butler calls, bang on time. He sounds crystal clear, though he’s apparently somewhere in Europe.

Butler isn’t exactly sure where.

“That’s a really good question,” he says. “We drove about six hours from Paris on a bus through the night, and I’ve woken up in a very beautiful place. We’re sitting by a picturesque river bank... that’s where I am: somewhere six hours outside of Paris, by a river bank in the French countryside.”

We retrace his steps. Monday was Lisbon, then yesterday Paris, a drive through the dark, and now “the river bank”. Butler — who deftly blends bluegrass, folk and rock into a genre unmistakably his own — is deep into an international tour coinciding with album number five, April Uprising. While his overseas projects are now under the care of a major record label, Butler’s home crowd, Australia, has always been, and remains a completely independent pursuit.

He says it’s about creative freedom — Butler has complete control over the recording and publishing of his music, releasing it locally through his own label, Jarrah. Undoubtedly, the powers that be have happily come round to Butler’s thinking: April Uprising debuted at number one on the ARIA charts. In fact, it’s the third straight time for John Butler Trio, his band.

“I’m pretty flabbergasted… it feels amazing, man,” says Butler in his patent Aussie-Yank tone. “If you’ve dreamt about stuff for a long time in your life, and then experience it — it’s quite surreal.”

There’s something frustratingly affable about the guy. He’s crafted his success with good smarts and solid tunes, and yet through it all he remains as humble and relaxed as you’d expect a Fremantle man to be.

The new album is something of a reinvention for Butler. He announced, following the release of 2007’s Grand National, that long-time band mates Shannon Birchall and Michael Barker were separating from the group. Butler knew then it was time for new ideas to be exchanged.

Taking a few months off the road, he built a rehearsal space in Byron Bay and got together with Nicky Bomba, his brother-in-law (Butler and Bomba recorded that riff “Zebra” together).

“It was just a jam in my new cubby house. It was a pretty innocent thing. Next thing you know, we were deciding to make an album together, then I had a new band,” he explains. “That wasn’t my intention, y’know — Michael and Shannon were and are fantastic to play with. I love ’ em, and miss them a lot.”

As quickly as it all started, they recruited bass player Byron Luiters (formerly of Sydney trio Ray Mann Three), and the “cubby house” was transformed into a fully-fledged studio- by-the-beach, where April Uprising was born.

“There were no time limits, there were no ticking clocks or big bills to pay,” he says happily. “It was quite an elaborate experience, as far as the songs and arrangements were concerned. It was about producing a very focused, song-driven album.

“It was about — to sound very lame — being all killer, no filler. I wanted to cut all the fat off. I just wanted the songs to stand up.”

And they do. April Uprising sees the band’s sound evolving into snappier, more eclectic songs. For better or worse, it’s JBT at its most accessible — and satisfying. And despite the eagle-eyed probing of Butler’s formulaic bass drum-driven blues breakdowns, there are considerably well-produced juxtapositions in his songwriting. Early examples like “Ocean” prove that there’s a hell of a lot of musicianship running through his calloused fingers.

When off tour, Butler oversees The Seed — an arts grant fund he and wife Danielle Caruana inaugurated — though he insists that his “amazing” better half is the eyes and ears. Contributed to by the likes of Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins, it distributed over AU$100,000 in grants and funding to as many as 30 aspiring artists last year to help them their realise their dreams.

Songwriting, however, is Butler’s 24/7 job. “Yeah, I have three books in my… in my manbag… that I call on very often.

I’m constantly documenting phrases, observations and riffs. Sometimes I’m walking around, just singing into my phone,” he says.

As for the river bank? “Yeah, it’s kind of like a wonderland,” he muses. “We reversed down this dark, country road for ages. We stopped, I went to bed in my bunk, and I wake up in a Renoir painting. I guess the song would start out fantasy-like. Wonderment.”

April Uprising Tour Dates

Friday, 3 September

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, NSW. Tickets from Ticketek, tel: 132 849

Sunday, 5 September

Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart, Tas. Tickets from Ticketmaster, tel: 136 100

Tuesday, 7 September

Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, NSW. Tickets from Ticketek, tel: 132 849

Saturday, 11 September

Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park (Reggaetown Festival), Cairns, Qld. Tickets from www.reggaetown.com.au

Sunday, 12 September

Tony Ireland Stadium (Union of Soul Concert), Townsville, Qld. Tickets from Riverway Arts Centre, tel: +61 (7) 4727 9797

Friday, 17 September

Festival Hall, Melbourne, Vic. Tickets from www.ticketmaster.com.au, tel: 136 100

Sunday, 19 September

Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Vic. Tickets from venue, tel: +61 (3) 5225 1200

Tuesday, 21 September

The Mackay Entertainment Convention Centre, Mackay, Qld. Tickets from venue, tel: +61 (7) 4961 9777

Thursday, 23 September

The Riverstage, Brisbane, Qld. Tickets available from Ticketmaster, tel: 136 100






Comments

There are no comments posted yet. Be the first one!

Post a new comment

Your name
Your comment