Jacob Butler

A guitar at 12, reality tv at 24; going by this Jacob Butler’s next success should be at age 36, but no! With an album out later in the year and hit track Come My Way dominating the airwaves in Germany, Jacob Butler is pathing his own way to success.

He dropped by the studio to hang out and give Andrew some songwriting lessons, and then topped it all off with an energetic, acoustic performance of the one and only Come My Way.

Tune in this weekend to see Jacob in action. - Nine MSN

Anybody who truly knows me, as a human being and as a cranky old curmudgeon, knows that I don’t have a whole lot of time for reality TV, music based reality TV especially. Most often, it’s the subject of my derision and scorn. To put it finely, I can’t stand the very notion of it.
Imagine, then, my surprise when I received the following email (to ausbuzzpost@gmail.com – just in case you were curious), just today:

Hey guys at Buzz Post,

Heres one I think you’ll like…..that I bet you’ve never heard off!

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU COMBINE:
an umbrella, a life jacket, Uno Cards,a couch, a metronome, a Polaroid camera, an inflatable pool chair, red instruments and an abandoned swimming pool?

- One awesome pool party and the Video Clip for Jacob Butlers latest single, Come My Way.

I’ve been a big fan of Jacob’s since he was on Australian Idol in 2007 and I would love to see the clip featured on your blog!. I think the clip is bright and fun and the song is really catchy, a great summer tune!

Hope to see the video on your blog soon!

- Best.

My first reaction, normally, would have been to see the words Australian Idol and laughed dismissively whilst spamming the delete button…but, in this instance, something made me stop. It could have been the pure guts of the author, suggesting that I take a look at someone from Australian Idol. It could have been the winning description of the awesome pool party (which was, oddly, lacking any form of alcoholic refreshment – essential supplies for any pool party!). It could have been the nicely framed request to feature the new video on our site.

Whatever it was, it made me stop and think for just a second. In what could be described as an ‘uncharacteristic turn’, I decided to take a look-see at the clip. You have to understand that, at this point, years of prejudice and bias have been firmly locked away in a cupboard to allow me to do this. This is a rare occurrence and ought to be appreciated for what it is – a moment of acceptance, or the closest thing to it.

You know what? It wasn’t that bad. Not that bad at all. I don’t think I’d become a life long fan, having sworn my allegiances to AC/DC, The Beatles, The White Stripes and Sigur Ros many years ago, but it was what so many things in music these days aren’t – it was inoffensive, it was fun and it was made (seemingly) by someone who takes pride in their craft rather than in the bank balance.

Jacob Butler has managed to assuage my dislike of reality TV, for just a moment. Also, the author of the above email was not wrong – I’d never heard of it, there was an umbrella, a life jacket, Uno cards, a couch, a metronome, a Polaroid camera, an inflatable pool chair, red instruments and an abandoned swimming pool. Touché, mystery email writer. It is, in fact, a great summer tune!

You can check out more about Jacob Butler on his Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/thejbproject. You can also follow the man, the mystery on Twitter – @Jacobutler. - Buzz Post

IT'S still a long way to the top if you want to rock'n' roll but impressing competition judges could get you there faster.

In the last week, three rising stars have been given a competitive boost to their future music careers with Leah Mencel taking out the second She Can DJ title, Jacob Butler beating 8000 entries to win an American songwriting prize and The X Factor's Trent Bell selected for the show's boy band.

While their peers three decades ago won fans by paying their dues on the pub circuit, most of our superstars are being unearthed via television series or contests staged by record companies, radio stations or brands keen to align themselves with music.

Mencel made the finals of the inaugural She Can DJ talent search and re-entered this year determined to win the recording contract on offer from EMI.

"I wanted to sign to one of the biggest record labels in the world, to produce my own tracks and remix others rather than purely being a DJ,'' she said yesterday.

"I have been constantly gigging, playing five to seven gigs in a week, because that's how it all starts, but you would be silly not to take these kind of opportunities and work hard at making the best of them.''

Butler, who tried for his break on the first series of The X Factor in 2005 and again on Australian Idol in 2005, beat out 7500 entries from 80 countries to take first place in the coveted Adult Album Alternative category for Unsigned Only, the world's largest independent songwriting competition.

The Melbourne rocker said he continued to work full-time to fund his music career and estimates he has invested more than $200,000 in recording and promoting his releases.

His new single Mind Waltz, which won the Unsigned Only prize, hit Australian radio this week and is set to be given releases throughout Europe as well as back home later this month.

"I've been plugging away at it since Idol and financed my own record but winning something like this is so important because it helps get you out there and now I am seeing some good results,'' he said.

"The thing is record companies aren't signing garage bands to million dollar contracts anymore and shows like Idol can help put you at the front of the queue at booking agencies so you can get gigs.''

Bell is hoping to advance into the live finals with his third crack at The X Factor, having contested each series since Seven relaunched the format. - The Daily Telegraph Sydney (News Limited)

EX-AUSTRALIAN Idol finalist Jacob Butler met his idol Noel Gallagher in bizarre circumstances.

Driving in inner-city Melbourne, the South Australian native spotted his hero in the passenger's seat of a van alongside him.

A halt in traffic gave Jacob the chance to wind down his window to say "Hi" and pass on a copy of his debut record, Reason! to the ex-Oasis star. Noel graciously accepted it.

"It's not every day you give a copy of your own work to one of your all-time favourite songwriters," Jacob says

Jacob's single, Come My Way, is out now via itunes. Meanwhile, Noel's High Flying Birds will perform at Adelaide's Big Day Out on Friday at the Showgrounds. - Adelaide Now - (News Limited)

We’re just one day away from the Australian Idol grand final, so it’s exciting to look back and see the success of past contestants. Jacob Butler’s track “Coma” has just been nominated for the prestigious International Independent Singer Songwriter Association Song Contest.
“Coma” received a nod in the Adult Contemporary category. This comes after the song debuted at number nine on the AIR Independent chart earlier this year. The most exciting thing is that there’s more where that came from. “Coma” is the first single lifted from Jacob’s debut album Reason, which is set to hit record stores in 2010.
You might remember that the music video for “Coma” featured ex-Neighbours star Pippa Black. It seems she might have put in a good word for Jacob before leaving Ramsey Street, because he’ll play “Coma” on the show. Jacob will hit Charlie’s Bar in an episode airing on January 20. It looks like he went down a treat with Dr Karl, Susan, and Toadie! - Oz Music Scene

If punctuality counts for anything, Aussie singer-songwriter Jacob Butler is already a winner in our books – belling us at least 60 seconds ahead of our scheduled interview time.
Having appeared on reality TV shows Australian Idol and X Factor (placing eighth and sixth respectively) and being subsequently ignored by the major labels for a record deal, the Melbourne-based singer-songwriter is now treading the path to success independently, recently releasing his debut single ‘Coma’.
But the singer insists it’s most certainly not a one-man-show, a philosophy reflected in the addition of the word ‘Project’ to the end of his name.
“A lot of different people have worked on the record over the last couple of years and different people have come and gone for different reasons and rather than it being the Jacob Butler band, it’s more of a Jacob Butler Project, so we thought we’d go with something a bit different,” he says.
Besides the people who have worked on his forthcoming album ‘Reason’, Jacob also isn’t short on friends and supporters to help him out where it’s most important – in garnering support from the cutthroat world of FM radio.
“It’s so tight to be on radio in Australia in general that you need a good song and you need people who are really willing to go in and bat hard for you at radio to get it across the line. Fortunately I’ve got some great people that I’m working with who really believe in the song and have been great,” he enthuses, “I think even the majors sometimes have trouble getting things across the line, so I’m pretty happy with the way things are travelling.”

And things are travelling pretty well indeed, with planned live shows, an album in the pipeline and first single ‘Coma’ already starting to garner some decent airplay. Of course, roping in a couple of high profile friends for the single’s video clip most certainly hasn’t hindered Jacob’s exposure – here or overseas.
“Paula, my fiancé, works at Channel 10 and worked on Neighbours for a couple of years. She became good friends with Pippa Black through the show and they stayed in touch. When we were thinking of concepts for the video, (it’s quite a dramatic song lyrically), we wanted to play out what goes on in most peoples’ relationships at some point or another.
“We emailed Pippa and Sweeney (Young), not sure whether we’d hear back from them or not, but both of them replied within a day and said they’d love to do it. It all came together really quickly actually. It was incredibly easy to shoot, no hassle – it was just a really good time.
“It’s not every day that you can get someone from Neighbours in your video clip and people in the UK have been going ‘Wow! This is really cool’.
People have seen it on YouTube or… it’s been featured on the Neighbours website over there. I didn’t realise that it would go as far and wide as it has,” he says.

‘Coma’ is a track about the beginnings of a relationship and the uncertainty about it’s longevity. Jacob admits that it was most certainly written from personal experience.
“Absolutely! It was! It was! I wrote it a few years ago when I first started seeing my now fiancé and you’re kind of ironing out those creases,” he says, “It’s a song about relationships under strain and when you’ve been fighting and you’re tired and you’re in that state where you don’t know whether things are going to work out or you’re going to walk away. I guess the ‘Coma’ is that metaphor for the weird state when you’re just physically and emotionally drained from the relationship. “
But through all the ups and downs the song details, there’s some very good news to come out of it all.
“We figured it out and now we’re all good – we’re getting married next year,” he says excitedly.
We wonder (out loud, naturally) if he’ll be able to resist belting out a couple of musical numbers at the reception.
“I don’t know – I might belt out a couple of golden oldies,” he laughs, adding that he might drag a few muso mates up to help him out.
Reality TV shows such as Idol, X Factor and Popstars tend to get a bad wrap, pumping out a plethora of artists who experience varying levels of success. Former reality contestants are often shunned by the mainstream media once their 15 minutes of fame come to an end.
But Jacob believes his appearances on Idol and X Factor have worked to his advantage.
“Without those shows, I’d just be another kid playing gigs in pubs around Melbourne. So that kind of exposure, money can’t buy. Unless you’re on a major label in this country, it’s very hard to get a serious push, so it’s certainly helped. And when you get around to putting out something under your own steam, it puts you ahead of a lot of people, purely because people know who you are because they’ve seen you on TV. So in that respect, it’s a good thing,” he says, “It’s a great platform to raise your profile if you’re pretty serious about your music and you want to make a career out of it, it’s a great way to cut through some red tape and get yourself out there.

Jacob is in the music business for the long haul, self-funding his debut single and the forthcoming album ‘Reason’, due in “March or April” – and he says that the album, is set to contain a little bit of everything.
“There’s a lot if indie rock on it, a lot of big guitars and me screaming my guts out,” he laughs, “But in saying that, there’s also more radio stuff as well. I love big guitars and I love big melodies. I love a good pop song.”
Not only will fans have the chance to pick up a Jacob Butler Project album very soon, but the singer and his ‘Project’ posse look set to hit the road for a series of live shows sometime later in the year.
“I’m hoping to get out and play some shows around Melbourne and maybe get up to Sydney and do some stuff there and even across to Adelaide. Who knows – I’ll play anywhere if there’s a demand for it and an audience that wants to come see me.”
It’s impossible not to be impressed by Jacob Butler’s enthusiasm – and we think that enthusiasm and his steely determination will go a long way towards taking him to where he deserves to be. - AUSPOP

Jacob Butler, 2007 Australian Idol contestant, releases "Coma" - the first single from his forthcoming album.

Jacob Butler enlisted the help of friends to shoot the video of his new single, Coma. Featuring Neighbours stars Pippa Black and Sweeney Young (as well as a “beautiful” 1953 Jaguar Mark 7), the Coma video was directed by Matt Hart. Meeting people like Matt, who Jacob befriended when Matt was working as a runner on Idol, was just another plus of being part of Australian Idol for this solo artist.

“I learnt a lot about myself as a person during that process because it’s very intense and full on,” says Jacob of his time on the 2007 season of Idol which saw him finish 8th. “I gained a lot out of it personally and had a lot of fun.”

Since appearing on Idol, Jacob’s been working on putting his band, The Project, together and Reason, his forthcoming album of which Coma is a taster. The songs of Reason were written in a three month burst after Jacob returned from living in London to set up shop in Melbourne.

The demos for Reason may have been written before Jacob hit the Idol stage but he says the exposure he received as a result of Idol was invaluable.

“Without Australian Idol, I’d just be another kid on the street,” he explains. “I walk down the street and people still stop me and go, ‘Hey, man, you were on Idol, I really like you.’ That wouldn’t happen if I was just playing around pubs in Melbourne. When you do release a single or a record there’s that awareness of your name and what you do. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done, as far as my career is concerned.”

“It’s taking me a couple of years to get to this point after the show,” says Jacob of putting the finishing touches to his album, which is set for release early next year. “It’s a lot of work but it’s also very rewarding - it’s great.”

“Some stuff’s darker and some stuff’s quite pop,” Jacob observes of his album. “I love big guitars but I also love big melodies and love a great pop song.”

So being an Idol veteran, what would Jacob’s advice be to the 2009 contestants? “Just believe in what you do, try and stay true to yourself and have fun, don’t take it too seriously, says Jacob. “Work hard and be prepared, do your homework, but also have fun because it’s going to be a crazy ride and it’ll be over soon enough.”

“There’s only going to be one winner so there’s going to be 11 or 23 other people who get to the finals and semi-finals that don’t win,” adds Jacob. “If you really want to keep going, you’ve just got to keep working hard and write songs. Write with other people if you don’t feel you’re a strong songwriter, and just play shows - if you’re a musician that’s what you do.” - Australian Idol Website