Copy of May 2011 - Lazyfish Technology

May 2011 Kangaroo Valley Voice www.kangaroovalley.nsw.au Page 11
Songwaves – Jeremy Butterworth “A quiet singer”
Last month we talked about Andy Gordon,
one of the many talented musicians who live
in the valley. This month it’s time to turn
the spotlight on another talented singer
songwriter Jeremy Butterworth, known to
many as the lovely, gentle, patient, guitar
teacher of many in the valley.
Jeremy has an alter ego as guitarist and
songwriter for Bhagavad Guitars who recently
reformed after the sad passing of a friend,
Matty Clyde.
The Bhagavad Guitars were to be the next big
thing in the early 90s but record company
politics led to the break up of the band.
While Jeremy loves the magic of collaboration
with his band, he has enjoyed working with
Ben Moore of Studio 313 on the recent
Songwaves project. Ben and his team have
produced a compilation CD some of
Shoalhaven’s best male singer songwriters
called “Songwaves” which follows on from
last years women’s CD “SongBirds”.
Each artist contributes one original song.
Jeremy has always loved music and loved to
sing. When he was very young he got the lyrics
and sang along to Sergeant Peppers album by
The Beatles. Not just one song the entire
album, mind you. Jeremy was six and his
mother must have known then that her son was
going to have a musical career.
Jeremy was already playing in a band at 17
when he decided that he would sing too.
Jeremy, being a stubborn character, ignored
several well-meaning friends who suggested
that perhaps he shouldn’t sing after all or sing
quietly!
It’s just as well for us that Jeremy followed his
passion and not the advice of friends.
After starting guitar lessons in year 7 Jeremy
first joined a punk band ‘Spasm of the Larynx’
at 15 before joining the ‘Flying Fender
Benders’ who had regular gigs at pubs and
clubs. Jeremy also played in a ska band called
‘Ska Souls’ but it was when Jeremy changed
schools and went to Dickson College that his
life changed. Jeremy saw Bhagavad Guitars
playing in the school hall and “… was inspired
by them playing their own music”
“I had been playing in cover bands but it didn’t
occur to me that you could play your own
songs – a whole gig of your own music”.
Jeremy had written music for school but hadn’t
considered that you could write and perform
your own music.
Shortly after joining the Bhagavad Guitars
Jeremy wrote both the music and lyrics for the
first time for a song called “Just to be Sure”
about his best friend in year 9. So started the
writing partnership between John Kilbey and
Jeremy Butterworth that is the backbone of the
Bhagas today.
Jeremy works collaboratively with his band
mates so I was curious to understand the
difference between writing music for a solo
performance and the band. Jeremy describes
the process of the words being about
impressions, feelings and concepts rather than
a story. Either the melody or the words can
come first. Many song fragments are tried out
and Jeremy
says “around
90% of stuff I
try is ditched”.
He describes a
moment of
clarity that is
hard to explain
when there is
feeling of
rightness about
a song.
Bhagavad Guitars have just released a new CD
“Unfamiliar Places” for the first time in 15
years and are playing at the North Nowra
Tavern on Saturday 30 th April. Usually they
would be haunting the cool inner city venues
so this is a great chance too see them live.
Songwaves launching Friday 27 th May 2011
at The Studio, Shoalhaven Entertainment
Centre, Nowra.
Songwaves will wash over the stage at the
Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Friday
27 th May, to launch the CD that is rich with
song writing magic from some of the newest
and some of the most seasoned male
performers of the area.
Not to be outdone by the amazing talent of the
Songbird girls, the boys have brought a
collection of clever, moving, foot stomping,
heart breaking songs to the project.
http://www.bhagavadguitars.com
http://www.skyedog.net.au
See page 36
Liz Aitken