Music
Press
Atlantic/Jarrah has announced the upcoming release of “GRAND NATIONAL,” the much-anticipated new album from the John Butler Trio. The album – which follows the genre-defying Australian combo’s 2005 breakthrough, “SUNRISE OVER SEA” – arrives in stores on March 27th.
The John Butler Trio will herald the release of “GRAND NATIONAL” with a series of special U.S. concert dates, beginning February 26th at Los Angeles’ Hotel Café (see attached itinerary). Tickets for these shows will be available only as an exclusive ticket/album pre-order bundle through the band’s website at JohnButlerTrio.com, with all buyers receiving a copy of “GRAND NATIONAL” along with an exclusive, limited edition tour poster.
Co-produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Beck, Jack Johnson, Super Furry Animals) and John Butler, “GRAND NATIONAL” sees the John Butler Trio further opening its already wide-ranging sonic playbook, offering surprising new points of entry for newcomers, as well as inviting its legion of established fans deeper into its worldly vision. Centered around Butler’s virtuoso guitar stylings and powerful, progressive lyricism, tracks such as “Funky Tonight” and the laidback lead track, “Better Than,” draw upon a remarkable variety of musical genres, spanning folk, blues, funk, classic rock ‘n’ roll, and beyond. Joining the Trio on this extraordinary journey is an array of special guests, including Butler’s partner, Danielle Caruana, Vika and Linda Bull, and on keyboards, the one-and-only Money Mark Nishita.
Having already established himself as a major artist in his native Australia, Butler and his band made their initial North American impact with 2002’s independently released “THREE.” The group soon signed with Lava/Atlantic, which released “SUNRISE OVER SEA” in March 2005. The album drew critical acclaim for its expansive artistic fervor, as did the JBT’s inspired and energetic live shows, including headline dates, tours alongside Dave Matthews Band, festival appearances at Bonnaroo and the celebrated New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and a landmark television performance on CBS-TV’s Late Show with David Letterman.
In the JBT’s home country, “SUNRISE OVER SEA” proved nothing less than a phenomenon, achieving 5x-platinum certification and earning Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards for “Best Independent Release” and “Best Blues & Roots Album,” with Butler named “Best Male Artist.” In addition, the album’s hit single, “Zebra,” was named “Song of the Year” by the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA).
The John Butler Trio is: guitarist/vocalist John Butler, bassist Shannon Birchall and percussionist Michael Barker.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 10, 2007
JOHN BUTLER TRIO ANNOUNCES U.S. TOUR;
REDUCES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WITH CLIF BAR GREENNOTES;
”GRAND NATIONAL” PROVES A WORLDWIDE SENSATION
Jarrah/Atlantic recording group the John Butler Trio has announced details of their upcoming tour. The schedule begins April 28th at the House of Blues in New Orleans, with dates continuing through July 1, where the tour ends at Solarfest in Taos, New Mexico (see attached itinerary). The trek also includes a June 17th performance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN.
Throughout the tour, the JBT is partnering with CLIF Bar, a natural food company, and their GreenNotes campaign to promote environmental awareness – blazing a trail of positive action by taking such environmentally conscious steps as using biodiesel to fuel their tour buses; offsetting the tour’s CO2 emissions through the purchase of clean, renewable wind energy credits; using recycled paper and soy-based inks for printed materials; providing organic cotton merchandise options for fans; and minimizing the idling of tour buses. Further details can be found at www.clifgreennotes.com.
Last month, the John Butler Trio released “GRAND NATIONAL,” which is quickly proving to be a worldwide sensation. The album debuted at #1 on the SoundScan New Artist Chart in the U.S., where the first single, “Better Than,” is in the Top 5 at AAA Radio. The album also debuted at #1 in the trio’s home country of Australia, and struck a Top 20 debut in France, and a Top 30 debut in Japan.
* * * * *
Co-produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Beck, Jack Johnson, Super Furry Animals) and John Butler, “GRAND NATIONAL” sees the John Butler Trio further opening its already wide-ranging sonic playbook, offering surprising new points of entry for newcomers, as well as inviting its legion of established fans deeper into its worldly vision. Centered around Butler’s virtuoso guitar stylings and powerful, progressive lyricism, tracks such as “Funky Tonight” and the laidback lead track, “Better Than,” draw upon a remarkable variety of musical genres, spanning folk, blues, funk, classic rock ‘n’ roll, and beyond. Joining the JBT on this extraordinary journey is an array of special guests, including Butler’s partne - Press Release
Discography
Albums John Butler Three Sunrise Over Sea Grand National SINGLES #Zebra #What You Want #Something's Gotta Give #Funky Tonight #Good Excuse
Photos
Bio
GRAND NATIONAL. On a simple, playful level, it might mean "excellent guitar". Nobody who's ever heard John Butler breathe life into his grandfather's vintage National dobro resophonic slide guitar would deny it. But there's also a larger connotation to the title, a wider perspective, an all-encompassing vision of human experience. "It's moving more towards a universal kind of music," says the US-born, Australia-raised singer-songwriter. "The whole thing, the way I look at the world, the way I see myself, the way I see the band, it's all becoming a bit more worldly and encompassing rather than being too specific." "After the last ten or twelve years of doing what I do, my outlook is more open, so the palette opens as well, stylistically speaking, sound-wise, songwriting-wise. That's the direction I see the band going. More open. Always." The pigeonholes that exist have long been a bad fit for John Butler anyway. Roots band, protest band, jam band, groove band . . . these labels may or may not have applied in the past, but the John Butler Trio of 2007 has come too far and seen too much to sit in anybody else's niche. GRAND NATIONAL is more about love than injustice, more about ass-shaking than finger-pointing, and more about maintaining the funk than any particular hairstyle. It's an album of sharp focus and wide variety that matches and surpasses monumental expectations. SUNRISE OVER SEA, John's last album of 2003, was nothing short of a phenomenon. It sold five times platinum to become that year's fifth highest selling album in Australia. Out of seven Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) nominations, it won Best Independent Release and Best Blues & Roots Album and John also received the Best Male Artist award, while "Zebra" was named Song of the Year by the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA). More importantly, the Trio's subsequent world travels brought John, bassist Shannon Birchall and percussionist Michael Barker to a new peak of musical fitness and understanding. "After three years of touring SUNRISE OVER SEA, it was great to come into the studio with those guys and have the synergy all ready to go," John says. "There's a kind of respect between the three of us, personally and musically. Shannon and Michael are astounding musicians to me, breathtakingly inspirational people to play with." The fourth wheel to the project was more surprising. Fortuitously seated next to Jack Johnson on a long flight in 2005, John heard about Jack's recent studio experience with the legendary Mario Caldato, Jr. (Beastie Boys, Beck, G Love). So came the glue that would secure the swing of GRAND NATIONAL. "I always really respected Mario's work from Ill Communication and Check Your Head, thats what really did it for me," John says. "I knew if he could work with Jack and G Love, he could work with a trio and get that kinda funk happening. "Mario was a real vibe guy. He was about keeping the tension down and he reminded me not to be too precious. I can get pretty intense in the studio. Man on a mission," he laughs. "He kept it mellow." The mellow shows in the laid-back amble of the lead track, "Better Than, in the pure, sweet reggae of "Groovin' Slowly, the solo acoustic prayer that is "Losing You, and in the rambling funk groove of "Used To Get High. Things get more angry and intense in "Devil Running, heartbreakingly sad between Shannon's strings arrangement for "Caroline, and sexy as hell in "Daniella, and "Funky Tonight". "More and more I'm convinced by the power of love and less and less by the power of hate," John says. "The journey of love! It's nice to be able to sing about love, get cheeky with it. " It's far from the whole story. "Good Excuse" is one of several songs that are wake-up calls to our self-obsessed consumerist society. "Nowhere Man" is his own personal song of place in the world, while "Fire in the Sky" considers the idea of peace in a post -9/11 climate. Then there's "Gov Did Nothing, a song that "really just says what everybody else was thinking" about the human disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. The JBT was on tour in America at the time, but its panorama of instrumental colours was assembled back in Melbourne, with help from jazz pianist Jex Saarelaht, soul singers Vika and Linda Bull and trad jazz band the Hoodangers in the climax. Other guests on the album include Mario's colleague Money Mark Nishita on keys, percussionists Ray Pereira and Nicky Bomba, and on backing vocals, some crucial family support from John's wife, Danielle Caruana, and his cousins Stacia and Jessie Goninon. Taken together, these 13 songs comprise
Links
