John Butler Trio

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John Butler Trio - Live in Concert

Saturday, 18 September 2010

^{Bendigo Stadium, Bendigo}   

 Hey YO Bendigo readers,

I tried to score a live interview with John Butler Trio but their schedule was already full. Good news is their publicist sent me a Q & A about their latest album ‘April Uprising’. It’s fascinating and a must read for fans! For those of you who are early in your discovery of this vibrant, revolutionary and highly successful band, make time to source out some of their music. It’s really good stuff! I have a couple of personal song favourites from their current album; ‘Revolution’ (the video clip is incredible) and ‘Close to You’ (both received airplay dominance in National market).

If you have tickets to their concert, good luck to you. They have a notable reputation for giving inspiring live performances. For those of you still chasing tickets, you can book online at:  www.Ticketek.com.au

It is great to see the John Butler Trio including regional centres like Bendigo on their National Tour! Take five minutes to read the interview as it will give you some insight into this socially conscious man.

-Media Report by Jarvis Holt, 25-08-10

 
JOHN BUTLER – APRIL UPRISING – Q and A – jones PR - March 2010

April seems to be of great significance for you, you were born in April, and you announced a change of line up in the month of April. The title of your new album is ‘April Uprising’. Could you elaborate on that for us?
JB: Yeah I guess it's something of a birth or re-birthing point for me. The fact of starting a new trio, starting an album and basically releasing all in the month of April definitely played a big part in using April Uprising as a title of the album. That along with what I learnt in the last year about my great grandfather taking part in the actual 1875 uprising in Koprivstitsa, Bulgaria and a lot of the revolutionary sentiment of the album, both musically and lyrically made the title an obvious choice. I guess the best way to convey it is that I've been going through a bit of a personal, spiritual, and musical revolution of late.

What impact did the experience of filming your episode for SBS TV genealogy program ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ have on you?
JB: Where do I start? Yes it had a huge impact on me. We've all heard the saying " if you don't know where you're from, you don't know where you're going" and for me it just gave a great perspective of what has come before me as far as lineage and heritage goes. It reaffirmed my beliefs and convictions, that now, I see aren't completely all my own, but have been passed down to me. As well as the hard working tenacity of other ancestors in my line I see I'm not just a product of just my generation or my parents but a culmination of everything that's come before me up to the present day. In short it gave me a more powerful sense of who I am today.

‘April Uprising’ again shows further development as a song writer and recording artist, how does it differ from ‘Grand National’ your last studio release?
JB: I really wanted to make a strong focused song driven album and unlike anytime before that was the biggest driving force of April Uprising. If the song didn't hold it's own it didn't matter how great the music was it wasn't gonna make the cut. If you don't have a good story whether lyrically based or even instrumentally, you don't got nothing. Once the song was there then we went ahead with making it musically inspiring. Also I seem to be a lot more open to collaboration than ever before with my band members. We came together as a great production team on this album and our chemistry just added to potency of what we created.

The decision to form a new line up was obviously a big one, how did the new trio come together?
JB: The decision is one that took me by surprise really, I wanted to have a jam with my brother in law Nicky Bomba who drummed on the "Sunrise Over Sea" album. Nicky and I have always had a great musical connection and during some time off I wanted to explore that a bit more. What came of it was the surprising realisation that I had to make another album with Nicky and this time tour it together. I wanted to find the right flavour that would compliment this new combination and we decided to audition bass players. Byron stood out amongst a great group of bassists and really “gelled" with and added to what Nicky and I were creating sonically. I was just being guided by my gut and looking for an "x factor" but not the TV version! By any means it wasn't an easy decision and it was one that took a lot of soul searching and listening to gut intuition. I've always followed my heart when creating my band and music and if I didn't keep doing that I wouldn't be serving "the art". I have had a realisation of late; the artist serves the art, not the other way around. I would like my band to stay the same forever but sometime members want to leave and other times it just time for us to go on separate journeys. It's hard to except but sometimes things don’t last forever and I've been extremely blessed with so many soulful brothers over the years to make this music and Nicky and Byron are no exception.

There seems to be an ease of musicianship and connection between you and the new members of the band. How has it been creating new music with Nicky Bomba (drums and percussion) and Byron Luiters (bass) your two new trio members?
JB: We've had a lot of fun making this music right from the start. We have similar influences and musical libraries so when we’re aiming for a sound or combination of styles it's quite a fluid process. There's always a heap of laughs and we've only just begun exploring the great things we can create together.

How has the sound of the band changed?
JB: hmmm. I guess it's a bit more edgy, with a more natural fluid feel. I definitely wanted to create a more aggressive and focused sound.

When did you start writing the new songs for the album ‘April Uprising’?
JB: I 'm always writing, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. So I was writing some of these songs directly after or even during the recording of ‘Grand National’. Some of the songs were actually finished in the studio. Some lyrics were written whilst tracking the lead vocal, that’s after the general bed of the song, had been recorded. Some songs were just a chord progression and a rhythmic vocal melody, and then we'd arrange it, record it and I'd write lyrics afterwards.

Where did you record the album and how and when did the process start?
JB: We started tracking in May 2009 and we recorded at my studio in Fremantle, Western Australia, it's called “The Compound" partially because it's an all in one kinda place. Nicky, Byron and Robin all stayed upstairs in the fully furnished space we have above the studio and I live just down the road. It was a great space to record in and a relaxed way to record. You could totally focus on one thing only without time ticking away in your mind like it usually does in a recording studio.

You chose to work with Robin Mai again with him on engineering duties and both of you mixing the album together at Sing Sing Studio’s in Melbourne. What elements does Robin bring to the table?
JB: Robin’s great! He had all the right attributes that were really conducive to Nicky, Byron and I making a great album. He has great ears, the loveliest mid range out there. He also has a great ear for tuning and tempo and so he was great companion to have when self producing an album. He's also quick, patient, and honest. It was a real honour to make an album with Robin again.

Any highlights from the recording process to speak of?
JB: So many! A real bonus was that we had a great friend of ours, Polly Armstrong, documenting the whole recording process. She at first came in to keep us fed and nourished during the recording process as well as to take a couple of pics. She's a great photographer. But then it soon grew into the whole filming of the recording. So now we have this great doco that is extremely intimate and inspiring, because of how well we knew Polly and how great the work was that we were creating. ‘These Are The Days...the making of April Uprising’ is out now on DVD for all to see!

‘One Way Road’ the first single from ‘April Uprising’ was well received at radio and became the number one national airplay track on the eve of your first tour with the new trio – what was the reaction to that news?
JB: We were stoked, ‘One Way Road’ has done better in its first weeks than any of our other songs at their peaks. Our past best song made it to 9 or 1O I think so that # 1 was huge achievement for us and for myself as a writer who's had songs on radio now for the last ten years. It's really nice to still feel like there's a lot of room to grow. It still feels like just the beginning which is exciting.

The second single from the album ‘Close To You’, is a serious rockin’ track with you breaking out the telecaster which is a bit of a surprise. What was the inspiration for coming up with such a rock track?
JB: I have a very eclectic style and source of influences so this song just came from my Jimmy Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz/ disco / rock section of my library. It was a different way of song writing though. When I demoed it I played the drums first then guitar and bass then just put it on loop in my studio and walked around and wrote lyrics. The melody and rhythm of the lyrics were so different to if I was writing them while playing the guitar, which is the approach I normally take. It made for a much more exciting way to write. Only problem was trying to play the guitar riff and sing the new lyrics at the same time. That was virtually impossible until I practised my ass off!

‘Ragged Mile’ holds a special connection to you and your ancestors; could you elaborate on the inspiration for that song?
JB: This song was inspired by my wife Danielle (aka Mama Kin) and her song called ‘Find Me’. She wrote from the perspective of a guardian angel/ spirit. I found that really intriguing and wanted to try that approach myself. I'd just been exploring my ancestral past and the thought of ones ancestors or some idea of ones soul always being with you through all your incarnations (if you believe in that) really resonated with me. I'm really happy how this song turned out it's one of my favourites.

It’s great to see you’re still inspired to write politically conscious songs, can you tell us about any specific tracks on ‘April Uprising’ and how they translate your concerns at the moment?
JB ‘Johnny’s Gone’ is a factual/metaphoric story about John Howard’s last term and intervention. When George Bush called John Howard his deputy sheriff it gave me an idea of him as this deranged sheriff in a small town (Australia) ripping off the people he was meant to serve. Kinda like going mad and losing all sense of humanity. When someone’s "gone" it's not just a literal description it's also used to describe when someone’s lost sense of reality. ‘One Way Road’, ‘Revolution’ and even ‘Close To You’ are all addressing certain attributes of living in this extreme day in age. Whether it is wondering how we all put up with the complete lack of common sense and respect in how our society is run by our so called leaders. Or wondering why we aren't encouraged to follow our dreams and take risks. Instead we're taught this rubbish in schools that say we need to know what job we want to do for the rest of our lives when we're only seventeen.

What would be your favourite track(s) on the album and why?
JB: ‘Ragged Mile’, it just captures an energy in its most purest. I feel like that song just came through us as a trio and is really a good example of something I can't explain from a place I can't explain, something otherworldly. ‘Take Me’ is a song that I'm really proud of, it's more spacious and at the same time more intense than I've ever gone before with a trio.

In the live arena, the new line up has been well embraced by audiences, how does the live performance differ this time around?
JB: Its early days but it feels like we've been playing together for years. There's a great sense of chemistry with Byron and Nicky and this is only the tip of the iceberg. We have a lot of fun on stage.

You seem to be mixing up the set quite a bit, introducing the new album whilst enjoying performing the live favourites with a bit of a twist, how have the live favourites developed with the new band and how do you perceive the reaction of audiences so far?
JB: The reaction has been great so far. I wasn't going to put another trio together to take a step down on our musicality and performance and I think there's a great new sense of evolution of the trio. I owe it to all the past members of the trio, who have always taken the band to next level, to honour all their hard work and talent by making sure this trio never takes a step backwards in its quality.

Like ‘Grand National’ your new album ‘April Uprising’ is set for a simultaneous global release and you continue to be very hands on in all facets of your business – how do you manage it all?
JB: I try to be across all the frontline important things like firstly the ART and then wages, employees, general ideas and think tank stuff but once I have a handle on that I leave the details and logistics up to the professionals; all the amazing people I work with. I think the most important aspect to the above is choosing the right people to work with. I need to be able to trust my colleagues on many levels, which is the most important part of running a business and having a team. Then they can use all of their skills, intuition, and passion to take this juggernaut to the next level.

As a leading independent artist you’ve inspired many Australian acts to take the same route, but as your career has progressed surely you’ve a far bigger load to manage, what’s your advice to other independent acts?
JB: Yeah the work load doesn't seem to get smaller, but neither do our dreams and aspirations. Hire great minds to work with. Minds that will push your business forward but will also use their intuition and common sense to get a great result without you holding their hand every step of the way. Trust and respect, you gotta have both of them when running a business. The people you work with want to know that their experience and opinions matter, are appreciated, and respected.

You've been working the USA market hard for many years and you’ve just completed your biggest USA tour to date playing bigger rooms and iconic gigs including your biggest headlining show ever with a sold out capacity of 8500 people at the iconic Red Rocks Colorado performance in June and you also sold out your show at the prestigious Summer Stage in New York City with a crowd of 5500!. It seems you are reaping rewards now - can you elaborate?
JB: Yeah, we’ve been touring and celebrating our music in the states for about 8-9 years now. For most of that time, until recently, it’s been at a financial loss but also a career investment in a country that I enjoy playing and I see great potential.  The reaction to my music by our American audiences is not unlike our Australian family but it’s just been a lot harder of a ball to get rolling! However, now it feels like it has a momentum of its own and I take a lot of pride in that. Myself and the great men I make this music with, both past and present, and my crew have made this movement/career with our own two hands. Playing Red Rocks Colorado, Central Park New York as well as a lot of other great venues around the states this summer has felt great, after all the years and to have played on our own terms makes it even sweeter. Really grounded and solid. BUT ...we couldn’t have done any of it without the support of our Australian fans; they have been the engine room to the JBT juggernaut. So a big shout out to all the Oz crew!!!  AND I REALLY MEAN THAT.

The album has been well embraced not only here in but also worldwide, how does that make you feel?
JB: Simply put, it’s a dream come true. Who doesn’t like all their passion and hard work appreciated? I feel absolutely blessed that out of the millions of great artists and music in this world, my art can be part of the 1% that is internationally successful. It’s sublime, surreal but it has so much to do with DOING WHAT YOU LOVE and a lot of the answer to the previous question.

‘Revolution’ the opening track to the album and the current single at radio came in at number one on the national airplay charts. It’s become a bit of a crowd favourite in the live arena, can you tell us the inspiration behind that song?
JB: Revolution is such an overused impotent word nowadays, I just wanted to explore the subject and find out what it meant to me. We live in some pretty extreme times .I think a lot of people are considering living in a drastically different way on this planet and with each other. They have to. But the old ideas of reform and revolution are not applicable nor have many "revolutions" really ever brought about meaningful change before they turn into what they were fighting. My idea of revolution is basically taking the R off the word. It's evolution. It's not gonna be some fanciful day that comes where everything is going honky dory utopia. That's bullshit and a practise in futility. You can't stop evolution. It's sometimes painfully slow and other times brutally quick but never the less it is on-going.  You can rev it up however; accelerate it from time to time by being engaged in your community, by being compassionate. I see that around me. That's what I concentrate on when I'm being bombarded by the intense images and news of these times. Stay engaged but not inundated. By knowing that the revolution is underway and not some fantasy about to come I'm able to have the energy and optimism to keep being part of this eternal, unstoppable REVOLUTION.

Australian fans will finally get to see the band on the ‘April Uprising’ tour in August /September. What has the live reception been like in the various markets thus far?
JB: Absolutely fantastic. Just like Australia, we’ve built great relationships with our fans all over the world. I MEAN BUILT! Through great music night after night, year after year, it hasn’t happened overnight but that’s how deep and rewarding relationships are made. So when we get together it just seems to be getting more and more enjoyable.  Once again big respect to all the former members of the trio that have been part of this legacy. RESPECT!