After spending three years at the kitschy Kutsher’s Country Club in the Catskills region of New York, organizers behind the highly successful All Tomorrow’s Parties have announced a change for
For a number of years now, I honestly feel the single, best kept secret in our scene has been the music of a single man: Brock Butler. Best known for his guitar playing and frontman persona of the Athens-based quartet Perpetual Groove, Butler has also thrived in an unconventional way in the solo spotlight.
[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]
Admittedly a friend since about ’03, Butler and I instantly formed a brotherhood of sorts, even joking at times that eventually we would start our own band simply titled, “BBBBBBBBBBBB…” (like the sound you make when you run your finger across your vibrating lips). Clever, I know, especially considering I can barely play a spoon. But, with Brock leading the way, I’d doubt anyone else would even notice. I’ve not only been lucky enough to call him a friend, but also stood by and been amazed by his lyrics, music and overall presence on more than a number of occasions. We’ve slept on each others couches and I have interviewed him in a number of formal settings, focusing mostly on PGroove. But today, as I said, I am going to let you in on the other half of his existence, which is simply a boy and his guitar.
Growing up in Virigina and studying in Savannah, Georgia, Butler and company finally settled down in their current home of Athens, a well-known breeding ground for artists as diverse as R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. And while Butler’s greatest notoriety is gained from his mammoth sounds with PGroove, he is simply a man who is seemingly in no rush and always tries to get lost in the “slow groove.” His solo shows won’t usually garner any huge touring notice, for he is much better known for sunrise sets on Jam Cruise, an impromptu late night hotel room session, or simply in any place where the mood strikes him. Drawing from a catalog of classic covers, heartfelt originals, delicate loops and gentle humor, I’m confident to say that Butler is a well guarded secret that once you hear, won’t be easy to get out of your head.
READ ON for more from Brian on Brock Butler…
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