I was really late to jump on the Say Anything train. A friend of mine, maybe a couple of them, put “Alive With the Glory of Love” up on their MySpazz profiles back in the spring of ‘06, and I couldn’t get past the first 30 seconds of it. I thought, A band called “Say Anything” and a song about the glory of love, and an opening that screams of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”* 80’s pop culture reference, much? I was pretty turned off, even more so at the over the top second single “Wow, I Can Get Sexual, Too” which, I know, is supposed to be over the top, but it did nothing to change my mind. When, in fall of ‘07, Dave finally came across “Alive With the Glory of Love” and made me listen to all of it, I realized it’s a pretty good song, but left it at that for a few months.

Then, yesterday, I was walking home from work, listening to the Notwist (which, if you don’t know, is German lo-fi with little electronic bits, pretty far removed from Say Anything’s bombastic emo-pop swagger) and it struck me: I haven’t seen the music video for “Alive With the Glory of Love” yet. It’s probably pretty good, right? Maybe YouTube has some good live versions and stuff. So it’s strange that, when I did hit the YouTubes, I didn’t go straight to the official vid. Or a fan-made video, or a live performance, even. The first video I watched was Julia Nunes (pronounced ‘noons’) doing an acoustic cover of it for Valentine’s Day. That’s right, a girl with an acoustic guitar covering the song I wanted to hear. Good gracious it was good. So good, in fact, that I listened to her sing it again. And then checked out a few more of her videos before actually watching the Say Anything video. Then I went back to Julia’s for a while.

[youtube 3VS--sZ6zJM]

Her rendition of the songs was excellent because she seemed so in tune with the vibe of it. It could be read as a really depressing song, somber at best, as it’s about how a romance is affected by the holocaust (based on Max Bemis’ grandparents, who were holocaust survivors). But it’s not a downer, it’s about devotion even in the face of dire circumstances, and love actually prevails! Strange and refreshing from a genre that can be so cynical (more on Say Anything defending their genre later). Julia hits the song with an excited, positive energy that’s perfect for it.

So now I’m slightly hooked on Julia Nunes. She also writes her own songs and plays ukulele. And is capable of using editing software so as to not only keep her videos interesting, but also harmonize with herself, which makes the singing of a song like “Alive With the Glory of Love” much more effective. If you are also smitten with her, she’s got a CD available, too. It’s entirely possible I’ll post about her again.

*I know the opening of “Let’s Dance” is a reference to “Twist and Shout” but the Ferris Beuller’s Day Off reference to keep with the 80’s theme was more of a stretch.

Julia Nunes official | Julia on MySpace | Julia on YouTube

buy Left, Right, Wrong.

One of my favorite Jewel songs, from the Spirit album. 

Barcelona - Jewel

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/Jewel%20-%2010%20-%20Barcelona.mp3]

Jewel // Buy Spirit 

Jeff Lang is someone I've listened to lightly, haven't delved too much into his music. One of those things, ya see. 

But today, as I listened to this song, I realized it's one of my favorite, bluesy tracks, and deserves some show. And reminds me to get some more Lang, baby.

I discovered Jeff Lang through JBT, as Jeff Lang is someone John Butler looks up to, and decidedly worth checking out. He's quite a hit in Australia, and this track is from his album "You Have To Dig Deep to Bury Daddy (2005)". He plays a lot of slide guitar, and blues. Always tasty.

Enjoy it.

Jeff Lang - 'Til They Cut Me Down

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/Jeff_Lang-Til_They_Cut_Me_Down.mp3] 

Jeff Lang Official Website 

Buy This CD 

Grand National - John Butler Trio

Well, it's finally here.

I mean that in two ways:

• The album has finally been released.
• The album finally made its way to me, after 7 long days.

Again, John Butler Trio does not disappoint. When John Butler first started making music, he did it busking in Fremantle. Searching for Heritage was recorded onto a tape, and sold independently, by him, with a raw sound. Now he is the lead of a very talented trio, nationally reknowned in Australia and working their way up in the U.S.

Some argue this album is over-produced, but truly, I've always know the progression of an artist ends when they stop trying to make themselves better at their craft, and as I have been a follower of John Butler Trio's music for a few years now, I can definitely say there has been a progression, and a beautiful one at that.

Grand National is an album with 13 tracks, 6 of which I had the privilege to hear live, either at a show or through the taper's archives at Archive.org.

Right now I'm listening to "Caroline", a song reminiscent of "What You Want" from Sunrise Over Sea; both tracks have string arrangements and a powerful, moving message. Now I'm hearing fun(ky) beats in "Good Excuse". 

This is why I think people love and appreciate John Butler Trio. They never disappoint, they constantly change it up, and every song gives you a different message, fusion of genres of music, and a base appreciation of making music and giving it to people for love and enjoyment. A fusion of reggae, rock, hip-hop, organ effects and a harmonica elsewhere.

Its just so much fun! Groovin' Slowly is flippin' cute, and a new territory for John Butler, as his songs before this have never been this tender and sincerely lovey-dovey. It also seems like the Trio has channeled the love of Bob Marley and the Wailers, too. Caroline is exquisitely sad, and I want to tell John I'm sorry about Caroline. Better Than is a personal favorite, a song that NEVER fails to remind me of what is important, what I have, and what I have ahead. Gov Did Nothin' reminds me of Hurricane Katrina, and how terrifyingly close my family was to being part of that tragedy. Funky Tonight is extremely fun, and Fire In the Sky is a lovely reminder of my first JBT show. I've loved Nowhere Man since I heard it on the Funky Tonight EP, and now there is an introduction of backing vocals by Butler's wife, Danielle. A favorite sing-a-long. Devil Running is simply excellent, started live and nurtured into a studio version that totally rocks out.  And Gonna Take It is an incredible, cheerful, goodbye for the album, with a reminder to play again.

Instruments, vocals, production–all excellent. I expected nothing less, and I am just thrilled to have new material to play over and over from JBT. If you haven't listened yet, you're really missing out. My favorite band is worth listening to, right? 

Related Links 

Official John Butler Trio Website

John Butler Trio on MySpace

Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS ALBUM!

Related Audio

Devil Running

[audio:DevilRunning.mp3]

Used To Get High

[audio:UsedToGetHigh.mp3]

Desert Rock // Jazzy // Latin Guitar

This track, available at Calexico's website, is a good representation of their melted pot of music. The album has a desert feel, ripe with solitude and and a road trip soundtrack sound. Add a dash of jazz and you have Feast of Wire. (Like my cooking analogies?) A Calexico review is coming, stay tuned.

 >> Across the Wire

[audio:http://www.casadecalexico.com/download/acrossthewire-acou-hb.mp3]

Related Links 

Calexico Official Website

Calexico on MySpace

The John Butler Trio is my all-time favorite band. I never had a favorite band until I heard these guys. They're brilliant. The band consists of 3 members, duh, John Butler, Shannon Birchall, and Michael Barker. John Butler is the frontman, leading vocalist, and lead guitar. Shannon plays the stand-up bass and bass guitar, and Michael Barker is percussion. I use the term percussion because he doesn't just play the drums, he plays all sorts of stuff and is brilliant at it as well.

JBT and Me

I first discovered JBT through my best friend, who was referred to it through a boyfriend of one of her friends. The first tracks I heard were "Mist (MP3)" and "Peaches and Cream (MP3)". I wasn't very impressed with "Peaches and Cream", mostly because it is a slow song, and thats not usually a good introduction to a band who does mostly upbeat music. I really enjoyed "Mist' though, because of its simplicity and intricate guitar, as well as the combination of bluegrass and traditional Irish styles. So, I was curious, and obtained more of their music, the whole album, Sunrise Over Sea. After that, I was hooked. I spun that CD hundreds of times over the next year. This was in 2004.

John Butler Trio and their Music

They have several albums, two of which are Live compilations: Live at St. Gallen and Living 2001-2002. The others are:

Studio LPs:

• Searching for Heritage (1996)
• John Butler (27 December 1998)
• Three (18 April 2001)
• Sunrise Over Sea (8 March 2004)

EPs:

• Pickapart (31 July 2000)
• Zebra (1 December 2003)
• What You Want (9 August 2004)
• Somethings Gotta Give (6 December 2004)
• Funky Tonight (December 2006)

Source: Wikipedia

Sunrise Over Sea was their greatest success, particularly in Australia. They have not become as popular in the U.S., due to (I think) the mainstream music that is prevalent in the U.S. I don't think the U.S is ready for their sound.

Sound

John Butler Trio has truly created their own style of music. There are many labels for what it is, but what it is is original lyrics, ideas, and technique. They combine rock, ska, reggae, hip-hop, bluegrass, and much more to achieve their unique sound, and I believe this is why their music never sounds 'old'.

Lyrics

JBT is known for its 'activist' lyrics, which usually pertain to issues in government, policy, the environment, Australia, and general injustice. Many of John Butler's lyrics pertain to current events, such as Hurrican Katrina and global warming/climate crisis. A number of their songs feature such lyrics, like: Treat Yo Mama, Something's Gotta Give, and Good Excuse (brand new track, available for watching/listening here). One of his more famous songs, Ocean, is a long instrumental played by John Butler solo on his 11-string guitar, and refreshingly is different everytime he plays it.

Performances

I was lucky enough to attend a concert by JBT, in Mobile, Alabama. What a bloody good show. It was free, as a promotional event through a local radio station. This didn't matter however. I would have paid to see them. I was in the front row, and had Michael Barker grinning at my dancing. There are pictures from it here. They are known for their shows; they keep them intimate and always give their best, and as a result of their live show following, many of their live shows have been recorded by fans and are hosted for download at archive.org. ** As it is difficult to review an entire band, this has become more of an informative post. I think that is fair; when we come across breakthrough artists I expect posts like this. It is hard to encompass my entire John Butler/John Butler Trio experience in a few hundred words, so I'll say this: I think JBT is excellent because of their music, lyrics, and relationship with their fans. They are rootsy, down-to-earth people who produce music that is original and not made with the intent of selling records. They make music because they love to, because their fans love it, and because they have great messages. I never have been particularly fond of lyrical content as much as the music in any musicians case, but here I find myself shocked at the similarity between what I believe and think about particular topics, and how JBT communicates that to thousands of people through their music. They're not extremists, they are just a band that makes damn good music, and I think their philosophy and image are things that I wholeheartedly relate to. I have provided several easy links for you throughout this post, so you have no reason to not check 'em out.

Here's more:

John Butler Trio

JBT on Myspace

JBT Live JBT France

The JB Seed Fund (excellent for independent artists in Australia)

JBT Fans (they're awesome)

John Butler playing slide guitar in a tree in Australia.