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WATCH: JOHN BUTLER – ‘STILL SEARCHING’ INTERVIEW

JOHN BUTLER is one of the country’s most successful independent musicians and today he releases the brand-new instrumental album ‘Still Searching’. It’s the second of ‘Four Seasons’ in a prolific body of work and is released ahead of a national capital city tour of intimate venues that begins at The Playhouse in Canberra tomorrow night.

To celebrate the release of the ‘Still Searching’ album, we presented John Butler with a few instrument-related questions and enquired about the new record and tour, which Maton Guitars kindly filmed for us.

 

MORE ABOUT THE FOUR SEASONS PROJECT
Collectively the ‘Four Seasons’ are four albums that began after a somewhat existential crisis and have evolved into Butler delving back into his origins in instrumental music to heal during the first season (with the recently released ‘Running River’ ambient album), to begin again (with the ‘Still Searching’ album), to go solo with the third song based album in 2025 and following that to go full circle back to the recording studio with a live band. (See our Running River interview HERE)

The process is like a rebirth for Butler.
Singles Banjo Loop and Remembrance have already been released, while ‘Still Searching’ is steeped in Butler’s history of busking and open tuning.

Butler said, “In 1996 (Holy sh*t! 1996!!) I made my first ever recording. It was in response to my new-found obsession…. busking! I had just discovered open tuning and all of a sudden, almost out of nowhere, this dormant bank of “instrumentals” within me started lining up to find a life in the “outside world” through my fingers and my 11-string guitar. This approach of tuning and playing eventually made its way over the Atlantic via the horrors of the slave trade and the promise of immigration. The tuning of an American National slide guitar or banjo have their roots in Africa and India! Open tuning traverses a whole lot of ground.

Still to this day, the folk music from these regions and cultures have a huge influence over me as a guitarist.”

Butler will be joined on the tour by former John Butler Trio member Michael Barker, and percussionist Michael Boase. It’s the first time Butler has reunited with Barker on the live stage since the mid-2000’s heights of the internationally successful John Butler Trio albums ‘Sunrise Over Sea’ and ‘Grand National’.

Tickets for the tour are on sale from www.johnbutlertrio.com

Butler will perform the new ‘Still Searching’ album in full, along with fan favourites such as his epic song ‘Ocean’. These shows will be the first and only opportunities that fans will have to hear these songs live.

Jarrah Records Presents
JOHN BUTLER
With percussionists Michael Barker & Michael Boase

THE PLAYHOUSE, CANBERRA
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2

CITY RECITAL HALL, SYDNEY
MONDAY NOVEMBER 4

THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5

HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 6

ANTHENAEUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7

OCTAGON THEATRE, PERTH
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 14

Tickets are on sale now from www.johnbutlertrio.com

www.instagram.com/johnbutlertrio
www.facebook.com/JohnButlerTrio/
www.youtube.com/user/jbtdotcom

The first single from the album, ‘Banjo Loop’ is accompanied by a video filmed in various iconic Fremantle locations by Nick McKinlay and directed by Butler, in a tip of the hat to the city where Butler’s career was launched.

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