BLURT’S BEST KEPT SECRET #16: Butter
Jul 29, 2011
North Carolina trio brings together an eclecto-groove sound that's equal parts rock, funk, psych, blues, jam and, er, "Gorgan."
BY FRED MILLS
As previously announced, the latest selection in our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret" series of new or under-the-radar artists is Butter, from Durham, NC. Butter is our 16th BKS, in fact, since commencing the program back in 2008.
"Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee": it might be a purloined lyric - in this instance, overheard from the rock/funk/jazz trio's hepcat anthem "I've Got Your Back" - but it's a pretty good summary of the combo's musical prowess. Comprising Tarheel indie scene mainstay Brad Newell on guitar and vocals (raise your hand if you remember the late, great ‘80s college rock outfit The Graphic, or Newell's subsequent band 8-Eyes; he is also a producer, studio operator and film scorer of considerable note), bassist Ken Vint and drummer Ryan McKellar, Butter has earned not-undeserved comparisons to Medeski, Martin and Wood, and word has it that the sonic pulchritude of ‘70s legend Lee Michaels and jazz virtuoso John Scofield figures heavily in the group's toolbox of influences.
It is indeed an eclectic vibe the trio puts forth, based on the tunes we've heard to date (an album is in the works, reports Newell). From the heavy organ-powered bluesadelica of "Pretty" and the slinkysexycool garage-pop of "Then I Laughed" to the riotous, jammy Prog of "Going, Going Gone" and the fatback funk of the aforementioned "I've Got Your Back," there's more bounce to the ounce being put forth here than is allowed in most jurisdictions. Oh, and that cool, WTF?!? musical vibe, you ask? Newell's guitar, we are advised, "is going through several devices that mix the guitar sound with a distorted Hammond organ sound that we call ‘The Gorgan'."
Newell recently settled in for an email interview in which he outlined the band's origins, along with some details on his own musical history as a mainstay on the Tarheel indie scene. Meanwhile, check out the Butter MySpace page for additional details as well as song samples. They're one of the good ‘uns, trust us.
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BLURT: How long have you been playing music? Key influences or heroes that made you want to pick up the guitar?
BRAD NEWELL: I've been pickin' for maybe 30-40 years now. Original "pick up the guitar influencers - Dylan/Donovan/The Byrds/The Yardbirds. Later "pick up the guitar again and reinvent yourself influences - Doc Watson/Wes Montgomery/Charlie Byrd/John Martyn/Bill Frisell/Free/Tom Verlaine, and of course, many more.
What was the arc of the Graphic for you, and how do you remember North Carolina's so-called "college-rock" scene of the ‘80s? As I am an NC native myself, it seems like we referred to it as "Comboland" back in the day...
Playing with the Graphic was a 6-7 year long experience where I learned to write songs, play in front of an audience, and deal with record companies and rock star personalities for the first time. Basic musician life skills. By the time I left the band, I had played with tons of national acts (Chilton/Vega/Living Color/Durans/P-Furs/Donovan/Belew/etc.), and well as many great locals (dB's/Arrogance/X-Teens/Othermothers/etc.), worked with some great producers (Don Dixon/Brad Hodges), and I'd become a pretty prolific songwriter - 250 songs by closing, if I remember.
How about the years following the Graphic? In addition to Butter you also operate a record studio, correct?
I immediately went with another band, 8-EYES, which put out 3-4 CDs, and played locally as well as in NYC (CBGB) for about 10 years or so. I also put out a CD of an offshoot band called Orchestra 8, which reflected my love of orchestral pop (Brian Wilson/Millennium/etc.). I currently have two studios, one in Durham, one in Greensboro, in which I record other folks as well as my own stuff. I also play a lot of jazz in my group Workbook as well as teaching 30-40 people a week on guitar/banjo/mandolin and bass.
Tell us a little about your partners in Butter, Ken and Ryan.
Ken's played a lot of Prog and fusion, and Ryan's mainly a punk rock guy. He's played with people like Stephen Edgerton (All/Descendents) before. More to the point, both guys are really good technically, and can deal with both songforms as well as going out on a limb.
The unique guitar/organ sound you get which you refer to as "The Gorgan": explain.
Guitar players are usually pretty conservative as far as sound, and I just felt as far as my own thing, I wanted to do something different. I found my first guitar synth at a pawn shop really cheap (I think they thought it was a fuzzbox), and started using it in my jazz group. Because jazz players know a lot more about chords than most folks, I was able to come up with things that were a lot more keyboard oriented. When Butter started, the combination of rock/funk guitar and organ/keyboard sounds caused a new mutation we like to call "The Gorgan".
How has the band been received to date? I can imagine a welcoming audience for Butter including funk/soul fans like me and the progressive/fusion wing - John Scofield, Gov't Mule, Medeski Martin & Wood, etc. - of the jamband community, plus the occasional lapsed ‘60s psych head to boot.
You're right on about the influences. Some other ones are Lee Michaels/The Black Keys/Atomic Rooster/The Crazy World of Arthur Brown/The Big Organ Trio. Some these are sonic/musical influences, and some influence my songwriting.
My past songwriting was much more pop-rock type stuff, and now I'm sort of going in a more R&B/blues direction. Locally, we seem to be doing pretty well. We've played a lot of big rooms recently (PourHouse/Southland/Deep South), but I would really like to do more festival work and opening slots for other bands. Call us up, we're cheap!
What are your plans for releasing an album?
We're about 3/4 through our first CD, so we should have something out this winter. We've been sending out some of our tunes to various internet radio stations (Crystal Blue/BuzzD/Ruckus Radio/Etc.), and we've gotten a lot of good feedback.
Lastly, as a musical lifer, how do you view the music business today?
Independent seems to be the key word. Sometimes it seems it's up to me and my little computer. While there's a lot of good music out there, there's also a lot of dross. All I look for is that somebody is unique/good at something, be it writing, singing, playing. If you're not, why are you up there?
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