During the week America celebrated the 50th anniversary of The British Invasion, a hallowed hall saw an impressive invasion by an Australian. On February 3, 2014, The John Butler Trio delivered a raucous and satisfying guitar-driven music experience at The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York.
Some musicians are simply cooler than others. There are not many more slick and smooth than John Butler. With his rugged boy next door good looks he is often a female fan’s fantasy rocker and one cool cat. Forming the John Butler Trio in his hometown of Fremantle, Australia in 1998 the talented ensemble currently consists of John Butler (vocals/guitar), Byron Luiters (bass) and Grant Gerathy (drums) who Butler introduced as “G-Money”. A deity in Australia, with many of his five albums reaching #1 on their charts, he is still riding the wave of success from the 2009 smash, “One Way Road” that introduced him to many in the American audience. The show served as a celebration as their fifth album, Flesh and Blood which was only recorded in twenty days, and dropped earlier in the day of this Brooklyn performance
The 18 songs they slayed on this night covered varied selections from their catalog as well as a heavy dose of ditties from the new record. Butler took the stage with an arsenal of guitars rivaling the famed collection of Kimock and Mayer, including a banjo and an 11-string. The rootsy jam band is known for their effective fusing of reggae, bluegrass and folk music with a blend of Celtic and Indian influences and hooks that share a pop sensibility. The lyrics are easily decipherable and resonate with many on a personal level. They maintain a steady international tour schedule and have played numerous US festivals including Gathering of the Vibes.
There were many highlights during the frenetic set. The show commenced with a mellow and poignant, “Wings are Wide” only to delve on a dime into a raging, “Cold Wind.” The third song witnessed the band, spread out on stage, storm ahead as a cohesive unit for the politically-charged, “Revolution”, buoyed by a bass line eerily reminiscent of “Pumped Up Kicks.” The Americana strummer led us through more structured guitar-driven noodling through a platform of jammy vehicles. The amiable and cocky Butler was very vocal to his crowd, yelling, “Let me hear some noise” before unleashing “Don’t Wanna See Your Face” and the incendiary “You think I love you” refrain that further incited the audience.
He discussed his marriage to a “devil woman” for 12 years before segueing into the song of the same name. With a banjo underpinning the depth of sound, his patented fury in crowd-pleasing followed with “Better Than”, which set the table for unison sing along accompaniment. He got melancholy and philosophical sharing about down times, “when feeling in the dark shit of pit, due to crap, you don’t remember when you felt good and to remember to trust nature and when spring dies you come around.” They then busted into “Spring to Come” which was very similar in arrangement to the Rusted Root classic, “Send Me on the Way.” Despite the constant adulation, Butler hilariously mocked the audience for calling out songs before the reggae-tinged, “Going to be a Long Time.” The finger-picking maestro satiated the rabid audience with a splendid lengthy version of the fan favorite, “Ocean”, a sweeping and majestic instrumental ode to beauty that is delivered differently every time and open to interpretation.
Butler, a famed philanthropist, founded the JB Seed Grant Program which helps Australian musicians of any background to create their art. He has stated, “The fact we are here (in the US) is a big deal, You can plant a seed or plant and plant, and sometimes it doesn’t take. Sometimes it dies. But we’ve transplanted a plant – which is even harder – and it’s taken root and it’s bearing fruit and that’s a big thing to be thankful for.” Well, JBT continues to watch the seed they have planted grow. With this exemplary Australian invasion, it wouldn’t be surprising if the catch phrase segued from “put another shrimp on the barbie” to “plant another Butler seed on the stereo.”
Set List: Wings Are Wide, Cold Wind, Revolution, Used to Get High, Bullet Girl, Blame it on Me, Mystery Man, Only One, Ocean, Don’t Wanna, Devil Woman, Better Than, Spring to Come, Gonna Be, Zera, How You Sleep at Night Encore: Close to You, Livin’ in the City
live photo by Chadbyrne Dickens
