If you have never heard of the amazing Butch Walker, you are really missing out. Butch Walker first got some publicity from his band The Marvelous 3. They had a great radio hit in the mid-nineties with “Freak of the Week”. Their body of work is some of the best rock and roll I’ve ever heard. Their albums were great, but nothing compared to their live shows. Butch and the rest of the band put on an amazing show. Few bands are able to get the crowd into the show like Butch and his bandmates. Even if you had never heard their music before, you would have a blast at their live shows.
Butch has now gone solo (in addition to being one of the most sought after producers in the business, producing the likes of Avril Lavigne, American Hi-Fi, Sevendust, The Donnas, SR-71…). His first solo effort Left of Self-Centered was a great rock extravaganza reminiscent of his days with The Marvelous 3. His sophmore effort Letters is a much more emotional introspective work, but it still has an edge and fantastic musicality that is awesome.
Butch is currently on the road touring for Letters. He just finished a gig opening for Avril Lavigne on her tour and is now on his own tour with American Hi-Fi. If he is coming anywhere near you, you really should check him and the Hi-Fi out. His stage presence is a must-see. He will definitely be the standard which you compare other live shows to after seeing him. I happened to be lucky enough to be in Orlando last August (speaking at Sybase’s TechWave 2004) at the same time he was playing The Social, a local club. Amazing show. I would be traveling back there to see him in a couple of weeks if I could, but unfortunately a wedding falls on the same day. So hopefully Butch will hit the road again after the first of the year.
Give him a listen if you get the chance.