John Butler Trio.

The Grand Homecoming - taking back Australia

Marty Philbey From his beginnings busking around the Fremantle markets to world tours, John Butler and the rest of the Trio – Shannon Birchall on bass and Michael Barker on percussion – have never shied away from addressing big issues in their songs or doing their bit for various worthy causes. We catch John Butler ahead of his Australia tour.

What have you been busy with since your last album, Sunrise Over Sea?
We released Sunrise Over Sea over a three-year period: first Australia, then the USA and lastly Europe. So we toured those songs pretty much constantly for those three years. Then it was record an album, take time off to have another child – my son – mix, master and release Grand National. We’ve been touring all over the globe ever since Grand National was released in March this year.

Tell us about the Grand National album. Do you think it’ll top your last release?
It depends what one means by “top”. Will it out-sell Sunrise Over Sea? Only time will tell. Albums are for me a document of a time in my life, like a diary entry. I feel like our sound and my songwriting are constantly changing and evolving, and I feel all I can do is do my best to present the songs in the best way I can. I’m really proud of what we created.

What’s your favourite song on the album?
I’m pretty sure it’s Used to Get High.

This is your second decade in the music business, what’s important to the John Butler Trio?
A lot of the same things: the simple things often seem the best. It’s important to me that my business is a conscious entity and everyone who’s part of it is respected and feels like they’re a part of something special. Our carbon-neutralising and offsetting tours are really a blueprint on how I intend to continue. I want my career to be engaged in the society it’s made in, so I think we’ll always be supporting the movements, campaigns and issues we believe in.

James Minchin What inspires you?
Human behaviour and the human condition are big ones for me: love, politics, justice, equality, unity. It’s also an easier way to get to the bottom of the big questions that seem to take up a lot of my headspace.

In Australia, where are your strongholds?
Brisbane and Adelaide have always been electric gigs, but lately Sydney and Melbourne have started hitting a groove that we haven’t hit before. There are a lot of people out there who haven’t heard of the John Butler Trio and I think that’s really cool.

How have you been preparing for the upcoming Aussie tour?
We’ve been warming up by playing shows all over the world; we’re ready to come back home and have some kick-ass, stonking, life-changing gigs.

Tell us about the Green Ticket initiative.
The last national tour, we offset all our emissions with wind-energy credits from New Zealand (because our Howard won’t sign the Kyoto Protocol, so Australia doesn’t have any carbon credits to trade) and that was really exciting. This time, our team thought, “Let’s offset the emissions made getting to our shows.” We wanted to let people take the initiative and make the conscious decision themselves. So far, 90 percent of the people who’ve bought tickets have chosen to buy green. It really gives me hope and reaffirms to me that when people have access to the information and the opportunity to go about things in the right way, they usually do.

With songs like Good Excuse about excessive consumerism and Fire in the Sky about post-9/11, how do you think songs can play a role in current affairs?
Art changes people and people change the world. Full stop.

What are your plans after the Australian tour?
Rest, family, music, skateboarding and to go back out on tour.

Catch the John Butler Trio on tour

9 August
Townsville Entertainment Centre, Townsville, QLD. Tel: +61 (7) 4771 4000
10 August
Kuranda Amphitheatre, Kuranda, QLD. Ticketlink, tel: +61 (7) 4031 9555
12 August
Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD. Ticketmaster, tel: 136 100 within Australia
14 August
The Albert Hall, Launceston, TAS. Mojo Music, tel: +61 (3) 6334 5677
15 August
City Hall, Hobart, TAS. Ellison Hawker Newsagency, tel: +61 (3) 6234 4099
17 August
The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, NSW. Ticketek tel: 132 849 within Australia
18 August
The Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW. Ticketek tel: 132 849 within Australia
19 August
Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, NSW. Ticketek tel: 132 849 within Australia
21 August
The Refectory, University of Canberra, ACT. Ticketek tel: 132 849 within Australia
23 August
The Palais Theatre, Melbourne, VIC. Ticketmaster tel: 136 100 within Australia
24 August
Festival Hall, Melbourne, VIC. Ticketmaster tel: 136 100 within Australia
26 August
Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA. Venue-tix tel: +61 (8) 8225 8888
29 August
Alice Springs Convention Centre, NT, tel: +61 (8) 8950 0200
31 August
Darwin Amphitheatre, Darwin, NT. The Lost Arc/Discovery, tel: +61 (8) 8942 3300
3 September
The Perth Concert Hall, Perth, WA. Bocs, tel: +61 (9) 9484 1133