John Butler Trio
NewMusicforOldFolks says …
There may be a little overlap with your kids here, but deep down this is mature music for mature people. Or maybe that's just the kid in me talking. The John Butler Trio is an Australian group that plays "Jam" music. That just means that the songs tend to be a little longer (a lot longer when playing live) and musicianship is as important, if not more important, than lyrics. Butler is an environmentalist and a hippie (his daughter's name is Banjo). But whether you agree with his politics or not, JBT puts out great music and plays outstanding live shows. Start with the EP What You Want and go from there.
Artist's info
Website: johnbutlertrio.com
See them live: Tour dates
Record company: Jarrah Records
Genre: Jam, Alternative, Roots
If you like this, look into: Ozomatli, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Widespread Panic
Bio (From Wikipedia.com)
The John Butler Trio is an Australian roots and jam band led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. The band formed in Fremantlein 1998 with Jason McGann on drums and Gavin Shoesmith on bass. By 2009, the trio were Butler with Nicky Bomba on drums and percussion and Byron Luiters on bass. The band's second studio album, Three (2001) reached the top 30 in the Australian album charts and achieved platinum sales. The band's subsequent studio albums: Sunrise Over Sea (2004); Grand National (2007); and April Uprising (2010) all debuted at the number one position on the Australian album charts, with all three albums reaching platinum sales status. Living 2001–2002 (2003), the band's first live album, reached the top 10 and also achieved platinum status in Australia. The band's second live album, Live at St. Gallen (2005), also achieved gold record status. The band's releases since 2002 have been marketed independently by Jarrah Records, which Butler co-owns with West Australian folk band the Waifs and manager of both acts, Philip Stevens. Their sixth studio album, Flesh & Blood, was released in February 2014.
Spotify Sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
FLESH + BLOOD (2014): The sixth long player from the rootsy Australian trio (and first outing in four years) finds bandleader John Butler occupying a more introspective and nostalgic headspace than he has on previous outings. Butler has always been a cerebral gent, although one prone to crafting stadium sized activist anthems like "Earthbound Child" and "Fire in the Sky," but there's a more settled vibe to Flesh + Blood that suggests a possible sea change. Opener "Spring to Come," which begins with the lyric "Lost my love, lost my light" and concludes with the line "After a lonely long night comes the sun," sets the mood, offering up a solid foundation of fluid fingerpicking and circular, warm weather rhythms and melodies for Butler to opine over. It's a tone and sentiment that occurs frequently throughout the album's surprisingly concise (for a jam band) fifty-two minute runtime.
OTHERS
John Butler (1998)
Three (2001)
Living 2001-2002 (2003)
What You Want, EP (2004)
Sunrise Over Sea (2004)
Live at St. Gallen (2005)
Grand National (2007)
April Uprising (2010)
Live At Red Rocks (2011)
