Butch Walker Withdrawal and Renewal

Finally re-energized after the mercifully short period of lowdown blues that slammed into Bibi the week after seeing Butch perform three times in five days.

But, like the Rolling Stones say, that's all over now; the blues, that is.  Bibi keeps remembering:  man, what a roller coaster rush that week was!   Did spend a short time in the dumps thinking about not being able to speak when Butch signed the motorcycle magazine,

but finally told myself:  whatever!  You did speak when you (finally) met Angus and think about how great and memorable that was for both of you.  LOL

What does Bibi owe the renewed enrgy to?  She's gotten to do some things she loves to do.  Like, talk about: 

• Butch Walker,
• the wonderful "Week of 3 Shows (March 11-15)",
• Butch Walker's music, his voice, his rock star qualities,
• the set lists in Dallas and in Austin at SXSW,
• SXSW 2013 as one of the best Spring Breaks ever.  Right up there with the Spring Break in Paris with my favorite person on earth.
• the development, reveal, and gifting to a select few of the new and best ever, Butch Walker Mixtape IX*

One might ask:  did/does Bibi ever experience a sense of surfeit of Butch Walker?  What a question!  With only one response:  NO!  Really, how could that be possible?  It's not like Butch has shows every day, has frequent mentions on the web, tv or radio.  Even his tweets have become few and not so frequent.  (This is something Bibi actually thinks is good, or at least okay.  Could mean that Butch is too busy working on the upcoming album to be tweeting about the weather where he is, his latest stop at Starbucks, his current favorite cat video.)  A key element for the fan-star set up to exist successfully requires a scarcity on the part of the star. It's basic economics:  if the commodity is scarce, or rare, the consumer wants more of it, waits for it with great anticipation and is willing to pay when it becomes available.  Butch Walker fans are just lucky that he doesn't make us pay high prices to see him; just requires us to wait, wait, wait....  From a marketing standpoint, "[he knows] how hard it is to be the easiest thing to love" and that fans are willing to wait as well as willing to continue as fans.  Butch is definitely worth it!

Bibi doesn't understand how she could have thought that she might not follow the summer tour.  Cats!  Who can understand their labyrinthine thought processes?  (woohoo--check out the big brain on Bibi!)  Sure, she can't be stalker-like about it, make the entire tour, but hopefully some short stints on both coasts.  Bibi realizes there's no chance Butch will come back to Texas and that's fine.  Who wants to go to Amarillo or Corpus Christi during the summer?  Can't imagine that Butch's management team has stats that would back up a tour schedule so bizarre as that. 

Anyway, Bibi has a renewed sense of purpose:  let as many as possible know about Butch Walker, his music, his talents.  Have already given out three copies of BWM IX, made a new supply of the BW cards.  Going to a possibly cool party on Saturday; hoping to let new people know about the one, the only, the truly remarkable and talented, Butch Walker.  I know.  How could it be a cool party if Bibi's invited?  Ha, ha, ha.

Love you, Butch!

*She Likes Hair Bands Bodegas and Blood
Summer of '89
Sweethearts
Day Drunk
Synthesizers
The Closest Thing to You
Bullet Belt
Sucker Punched
Mixtape
Race Cars and Goth Rock
The Weight of Her
Here Comes the...
Ponce de Leon Ave.
Oooh...Aaah...
Hot Girls in Good Moods
Bethamphetamine (Pretty Pretty)
When Canyons Ruled the City
Maybe It's Just Me
Pretty Melody
The 3 Kids in Brooklyn

Butch Walker Mixtape V.2

Although Bibi still has a few copies of the BWM II and/or II.2 and IV.3, the BWDDC (Butch Walker at the  Double Door in Chicago) cd is now available.  Late this week, introduced Butch's music to a new possibility, M.  She seemed open to listening and let her know there were Butch Walker cds, BTW II.2 and IV.3, versions with or without the f and the s words.  If Bibi were in a more reflective mood, she'd riff off George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, John Lennon, etc., about the power of some words....Luckily for the faithful It's been such a good week, I won't make them suffer through such a jejeune, and ultimately pointless exercise.  (but what about making the readers suffer through the use of words like jejeune?)  However, the conversation with M did guide Bibi to the realization that from a marketing standpoint, a new "meet Butch Walker" in a cd kind of way was needed.  Here it is:

Butch Walker Mixtape V.2

Maybe It's Just Me  
Mixtape                   
Don't Move         
Race Cars and Goth Rock
Bethamphetamine (Pretty Pretty)
The Weight of Her
Here Comes the…
Ponce de Leon Ave.
Ships in a Bottle
Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car
Sweethearts
Synthesizers
The Closest Thing to You
Pretty Melody

Some of the thought process behind the setlist:  so impressed with the Chicago Double Door show, I now love Pretty Melody--always liked the video--so had to include it with these other faves.  

I got some words you need to hear

I'm coming around to ATL, Closer to the Truth and Further From the Sky, and The 3 Kids in Brooklyn but not there yet, so didn't include them.  This version doesn't rock as much as Bibi would prefer, but as a sampler, really like it.  Plus, that s and f word thing--this selection doesn't have that element.  Have started giving it out; waiting to hear feedback.

Love you, Butch!

The Butch Walker Ameliorative Effect Works!

You know all those miracle diets and cures that are too good to be true?  Well, Bibi is here to tell you, the Butch Walker Ameliorative Effect works and not just for me.  I had been talking about Butch to a fellow staffer, gave him the BWMT II.2 (I think--have to start keeping better records on that) last week.  Today, he made a special effort to let Bibi know that he LOVED the cd!

Bibi about halfway up the Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan

He'd had a tough morning, lots of drama before he even made the drive to work.  Put the BWMT II.2 in the cd player in the car and by cut 7 (The Weight of Her), he felt SO MUCH BETTER!  I could have told him this would be true.  And why not?  He'd already heard

Mixtape (Butch--I will always love this song, even if you no longer sing it in your shows)
Bodegas and Blood (if this one doesn't perk you up, check your pulse.  You may be in more serious trouble than you realize)
Sweethearts (just want to squeal--this one is SO great!)
Day Drunk (raucous, rocking bar singalong here--millions of snapshots shoot through my brain....goodbyyyyyyyye)
Synthesizers ((I can stay out ALL night, like Sacajawea in a paint fight--OOOH!)
Closest Thing to You (Butch at his romantic best, best, best:  Cause I see your face when they turn out my light.  His voice--OMG!)

Very gratifying to Bibi that someone else feels the so positive effect of Butch's voice and songs.  After G told me this, I was energized for the rest of the morning.  And then, for lunch, had to share with y'all.

Highly recommend listening to Butch Walker to make your afternoon go WAY better.

Love ya, Butch!  Thanks for being there!

Butch Walker: Post-Show Blues

Every day's a Monday now that the show has come and gone, right?  Bibi's been really busy at work and suffering from a diagnosis-proof toothache, living on Advil, and a lack of Butch Walker shows.  Guess, toothache or not, had to unfold this way for the fans lucky enough to see Butch in Chicago.  Like Tom Petty says:  waiting is the hardest part--until the new album hits and the supporting tour.  The BWAE (Butch Walker Ameliorative Effect) has been put to the test all week, helping Bibi through the pain, but really!  Just want it to go away and never come back!

Confession:  haven't been upholding my duties as a fan.  Want to make a new mixtape cd--the songs that Butch sang on December 30 at the Double Door, sans the new ones, of course--and have run out of the Butch cards I give out to those whom I want to become familiar with Butch's work.  Did get more card stock today and think/hope I'll be up to putting together the setlist for the new batch of cds later today.  There's a new indie-looking eatery next to the library and wanted to offer them the BWM II.2 (without the s and f words), but need to make a few more of those, as well.  Geez, really behind in carrying out the fan oath of purpose and obligations!  Did I even remember to pay dues recently? Priorities, Bibi!  lol

Did talk up (through the mist-inducing pain) Butch, the recent show, his talent, his persona on stage to two new people at work--that's when I realized I was out of cards and BWM II.2.  Bibi loves Butch's work and understands about the use of the s/f words--they fit in the flow, meaning of the songs, are not hate-inspired, mongering--but the idea is to introduce Butch to simpatico listeners, not give them the opportunity to get hung up on details. 

My competency with the phone camera at the show was really challenged.  Show pics would make very effective ppt-like effects while I'm talking about Butch.  But, have been able to let folks see photos other people took; some are quite good.  Very appreciative of those.  LOVE this pic someone took on NYE while Butch was singing....you know the song lyrics this gesture fits....tick, tock, tick, tock....ok, Race Cars and Goth Rock. 

Thinking that next time I see Butch, will try to get closer to the front, just for the sake of pictures.  Given different factors, Bibi's strategy had been to leave the struggle, time consumption of being at the front, difficulty of going to the bathroom or getting drinks to others, but re-thinking that.  Not something that ever bothered Bibi at AC/DC concerts--and have the pictures to prove it (ha, ha)--but with Butch playing such small venues, seems absurd not to have great pictures of him performing.  Plus, the camera LOVES Butch and the Internet needs more pictures of him looking totally fab.

Who could argue with that need?

Love you, Butch!

Butch Walker and Catching Up for the Holidays

Just heard from an old friend across campus; she asked Bibi what she had been doing lately.  In the recent past, anyone who asked Bibi about her life, they got a version of this:

In August I discovered a singer/songwriter/musician, Butch Walker and now blog about him, talk about him on fb, going to see his show in Chicago on December 30--in the same neighborhood as the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the US and the birthplace, boyhood home of Ernest Hemingway. If it hadn't been for Butch Walker, Bibi would never have gotten a chance to do this!!! 

Here’s a recent picture of Butch, although, really, he’s not just a pretty face:

Fabulous, beautiful voice, talented musician, successful record producer (Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, Pink (his close friend), Gin Wigmore—Butch co-wrote A Man Like That with her, now the video for Heineken/the new Bond movie, Taylor Swift). I know, I know:  recognize these names, but have never listened to their music and realize I probably won't get to them.  (In a previous post, I alluded to Bibi's very full daily schedule.)

He’s all over the web, in a very good way; an excellent showcase for him is Live From Daryl’s House, episode 54. He sings a few songs from his latest album (The Spade) with Daryl Hall (yes, from Hall and Oates). AND, he sings Say It Isn't So with Daryl--a version that is SO beautiful, SO Butch, and yet, such a great collaboration with Daryl.  Well.  This is where I first saw Butch and fell completely in love, totally enthralled, besotted, beguiled.  Also, if you want to see his videos, try the YouTube video for Mixtape, Here Comes the…, Summer of ’89, Synthesizers (two versions—one on the David Letterman show (excellent) and the YouTube video with Matthew McConaughey (Butch is the bartender).  I've put together a few mixtape cds of Butch's stuff from four of his albums:  The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites, Letters, Sycamore Meadows, and The Spade, so let me know if you want one.  Each album has a different feel and sound to it: amazing!  He rocks, he croons, and all in between, he can do it all, believe me! 

I usually end with some personalized questions--how's it going for you at work,  how are the kids, how about those___ (fill in the name of the person's football/baseball/soccer team preference, as appropriate).
Since they know me, it doesn't throw them off, really, but I guess they do wonder how Bibi does it all.  lol

This usually fires Bibi up about Butch, how great his music is, etc.  And it worked again this time.  Think I'll take a few moments and watch Say It Isn't So. 

Thanks, Butch!  See you in two weeks!

The Butch Walker Mixtape IV and IV.2

Had a doctor's appointment and--COOL--gave away two of the Butch Walker Mixtapes (II and II.2) to the really nice doctor's assistants (Bibi's policy remains:  protect identities of the blameless).  Got to talk Butch up a bit, too, why I liked him--he's not just a pretty face--he's a really talented singer and songwriter, has some GREAT recordings and videos,  AND, he had a great look going for Halloween:

 
Arlo "The Apache" Laine from Inglorious Basterds

'Course, you can't take it away from him--he is a good looking guy!

He shaved as part of his pledge work for Movember; I was a bit off put; I've grown accustomed to his (moustachioed) face. 
Here's the link if you want to make a contribution to this group that works on awareness of male health issues:  Movember

So easy to digress...I spent some time thinking about why Butch's work is so good.  A fan's dream assignment, right?  Listened to cuts from Letters on the way home, pondering.  I'll be honest; of the four cds I have:  The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker, Letters, Sycamore Meadows, and The Spade--Letters is my least favorite. (significant glances around the room)  I know.  Blasphemy! 



Mixtape
 Maybe It's Just me
#1 Summer Jam
Don't Move
Best Thing You Never Had
Race Cars and Goth Rock

Of the 12 songs on the album, these 6 are SO strong, such completely cohesive creations, melding the lyrics, Butch's expressive, wistful, often ethereal, sometimes frustrated voice, instrumental breaks and riffs so effectively, although I sometimes listen to the other songs, I usually end up just listening to these songs again and again.    Maybe It's Just Me--okay, a bit unfair to other songs in existence since this one makes such great use of that keyboard bit from everyone's favorite guilty pleasure song, Brandy, repeated at key points in this song--and then, Butch's liquid voice, in the words of the best sensitive guy-boyfriend ever: Maybe we should be alone forever after/... I can't wait for you to shine/, and THIS phrase: The only thing I'll hold against me is a picture of you tonight.  (Anguished Bon Scott scream here! from Bibi) SUCH a love song.  When I hear it, I can almost forget that the first time I saw the video for it, I realized  it was what must have been the highlight of an Ashton Kutcher movie.
Mixtape has such great stand alone phrases:  You say hello, Inside I'm screaming I love you/ ...
You drive away from my car crash of a heart/...
It crushes my head when you call me your friend/...
You can't hear the pain I feel....
It's love and I'm in it/You gave me the best mixtape I have and even all the bad songs ain't so bad/
Just wish there was so much more than that about me and you/
Whoa. And, if you ever see the version of Mixtape from Butch's dvd, Live at Budokan, the section of the dvd filmed in Atlanta, omg!  He goes full out on this one to unbelievably moving effect.  I've read that he no longer does Mixtape in concert; well, what a loss.  Here's the version from Live at Daryl's House.  Butch does it beautifully and Daryl Hall and his band are way better singers than the fans at Butch's shows (lol)

Mixtape, Live from Daryl's House

#1 Summer Jam:  Great line--Won't you come back Sunday/Every day's a Monday now that you're gone.  We won't go into an explication de texte on the first couple of lines of this song, but those lines alone encapsulate that something about Butch's songwriting--his ability to succinctly and in a musically effective way express a place we've all been for at least one set of ineffably incredible moments in past; whew!

Don't Move:  What an impassioned love song--Listen to me as my hands shake/Cause I want you, I need you/I can't live without you, baby/Baby don't move at all--Butch's delivery is phenomenal.  His voice is so full of hurt, regret, hopeless hope.  Again, to see him sing this one in the Live at Budokan dvd--fab u lous!   Here's a live version from 2009:
Don't Move
The Best Thing You Never Had is an anthem among bitter break up songs and really hits you in a place you thought you'd gotten past a long time ago.  The fans just love to sing along with this one at the concerts to the point that sometimes Butch just plays guitar.  Hopefully, he'll include it on December 30th, though, and I can sing along, too.  Great, gutty delivery song!

Race Cars and Goth Rock:  I've read that some of Butch's work could be classified as emo.  He does seemingly reveal a lot about his personal life experiences in his songs.  That said, rationality indicates that for all his songs about heart wrenching breakups, it's just not possible that there have been so many breakups in his past.  Maybe the few break ups there were have been so imprinted on Butch's psyche that he can revisit those rare occurences and write yet another song about coming in second, not being the one.  Whatever, this one adds his feelings of being the cultural outsider, not so much out of her league, but out of her social network.  And his knowledge that even if the object of his unrquited affection realizes she's mismatched with her current guy, she's not going to leave him.  He views her and that time with a regretful, but distanced eye.  I'm a broken down Camaro overheated but you'll never know you're the one that caused this crash.
Butch's metaphors...so expressive!

This pondering led to the creation of the Butch Walker Mixtape IV and IV.2


Butch Walker Mixtape IV and IV.2


She Likes Hairbands

Maybe It's Just Me

Mixtape

Don't Move

Best Thing You Never Had

Race Cars and Goth Rock

Oooh, Aaah…

Hot Girls in Good Moods

Bethamphetamine

Too Famous to Get Fully Dressed

When Canyons Ruled the City

The Weight of Her

Going Back/Going Home (not available on IV)

Here Come the . . .

Ponce de Leon Ave.

Ships in a Bottle

Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car

Bodegas and Blood

Sweethearts

Synthesizers

Closest Thing to You

Sucker Punched

One day, I will master the technical skills to actually and finally make my Butch Walker Mixtape, but that day's not here yet.

Butch Walker, Halloween and New Year's Eve

Still recovering from the effects of being uber-rational about the Butch Walker-NY Eve show in Chicago.  Slow process, but self-medicated on Saturday by going shopping for Halloween costume accessories.  Won’t actually begin the creation process for the October 27 party until after I finish Sarita’s costume, which should be this week.  Now that I have the wig for the Fall Festivus event, done with putting together that outfit.    Should be funny AND a winner.  What people will do to win a $25 gift card! 

Sarita's costume is now 2/3 to 3/4 done.  As the world knows, I do my best work between 11 pm and 3 am, weekends.  Part of that is because I must procrastinate to exteme ends --clean the place, take out the recycling, carefully go through some previously ignored tedious task and hours later, begin sewing.  The Process includes watching/listening to old movies while I'm working; very reassuring and encouraging.  The movies always proceed in familar ways and end the way I knew they would, comforting me when the sewing is more complex or mysterious than anticipated.  But it could take at least an hour to decide on a movie.  No convoluted decision-making last night for 48 Hrs.  Walter Hill put together a knockout cast--Nick Nolte and new-at-the-time Eddie Murphy, James Remar, Annette O'Toole (thankless needy female role--but she gave it a gutty fuck-you reading--and she looked great), Brion James, Sonny Landham, all in a foul-mouthed buddy flick setup with a gritty San Francisco back drop.  Nick and Eddie are good together--wary, sniffing each other for cues or weaknesses, giving the movie a reckless, edgy feel:  these guys could really hurt you if you gave 'em half a reason.  In more recent times, Walter Hill was one of the producers of Prometheus--I liked that movie.  A very good addition to the Alien series.  Of course, Walter Hill has had some notable moments:  who can forget The Warriors, Streets of Fire, Trespass and everyone's favorite guilty pleasure Arnold movie:  Red Heat?

So satisfying getting Sarita's costume together AND having a clean apartment.  Of course, if she does decide to visit this coming weekend---more cleaning in store.  At least don't have to start at ground zero.  Hope to take Friday off so I can get started Thursday after work--leave early on Thursday?--making it sound like I have to sand and re-stain the floor, too.  Need to at least put some of the books and New Yorker issues away, finish the new tablecloth for the entryway table.  And maybe hang a couple more pictures in her room.

Has also helped me accept not going to Chicago on New Year's Eve.  Butch is bound to tour sometime, not in the dead of winter in a northern location, maybe NYC by mid-April.  That way, I could see The Scream at MOMA and see Butch.  Time will reveal all....Back to work on the costume; maybe listen to one of those famous Butch Walker Mixtapes!

Butch Walker Mixtape CD

Why is constructing a mixtape cd (is the correct usage now "mix-cd"? Whatever.) so nerve wracking?  It's not like I wrote n performed the songs and now have to accept the blame or (WOW!) get the credit. The pressure is that I want everybody to fall as hard for Butch Walker's songs as I have.  He's explored so many styles, though, tough to knock the cd down to less than 80 minutes.  AND had to show insight and smarts to put together just the right mix of cuts that will appeal to the amorphous, highly idiosyncratic audience:  family, friends, acquaintances, neighbors, co-workers--who might take the time and make the effort to actually listen to the cd.  I know that once they listen, they'll fall like a ton of bricks, so ....

Here's the resulting list.  Keep in mind, these songs are some of my favorites, but not all of them, and they come from only 4 albums, not including anything from the Marvelous 3 period and before.  Attempting to draw listeners in with current rockers, thoughtful ballads, songs that remind me of Todd Rundgren, Tom Petty, the 90's and/or other music periods in the past.  Also, what if Butch actually did a show in Houston--dream come true--these lucky first responders would have a good feel for the set list.  Think it's a representative and great lineup:

Mixtape

Bodegas and Blood
Summer of '89
Sweethearts
Day Drunk
Synthesizers
Closest Thing to You I'll Ever Have
Sucker Punched
The Weight of Her
Here Comes The …
Ponce de Leon Ave.
Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car, Thought of You
Oooh…Aaah…
Hot Girls in Good Moods
Ladies and Gentlemen..."The Let's-Go-Out-Tonites!"
Too Famous to Get Fully Dressed
Bethamphetamine (Pretty Pretty)
Maybe It's Just Me
Best Thing You Never Had

Plan to distribute these this week.  Will be tough not to press for opinions and positive reviews, but that will definitely be the way to go.  If they like it, they will love it and if they can't get into Butch, oh well. 

Butch Walker--Live From Daryl's House

So there may be a few of you who haven't already heard me extol the virtues of watching Live From Daryl's House on tv or on the web.  If not, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN LISTENING!!  For the rest of my legion of readers, here's the highly anticipated blog about Butch Walker's appearance on LFDH.

It's a really good show--Daryl Hall (yes, from Hall and Oates) invites musicians to come to his house in upstate NY to jam with him and his band.  So far, the beauty of the show for me has been a re-introduction to H&O songs and getting to hear new music.  A lot of the guests are complete unknowns to me.  Not their fault; I just don't listen to new music.  Remember:  this blog is called bibilovesangus, referring to my  relatively recent discovery of AC/DC.  Although not a metal head or anything like that, mostly I like old school rock n roll.

Anyway, episode 54 of LFDH really, really changed stuff up for me.  (what a great sentence! LFDH didn't do much for my ability to express myself verbally)  Here it is, just in case you haven't seen it:

LFDH, Episode 54, May 15, 2012

Once you've watched, I'm sure you'll react just like I did and watch it over and over.  At first, I was just so taken with Daryl and Butch's version of Say It Isn't So--you can just see the joy the two shared in singing together!  Truly, incontrovertibly, a gem among versions of this song!  From August 28, when I began keeping track of the youtube viewings of this video, to today, it's moved up from 2340 to 2903.  And, no, it wasn't just me viewing it repeatedly.  It's addictive listening/watching.  Butch has such a feel for the song--very close to that sense of regretted, but understood and inevitable love fade in some of his own work.  Right now, my current fave of the episode is Sweethearts--just love it!!!!!  Sure, Butch is cute and all and of course he can sing his music with an passion and immediacy that's absolutely enthralling AND endearing, but to watch  Daryl, getting off to the song, the shared performance--man, it's fantastic!

I had read that Butch no longer did Mixtape in concert and felt sad that I hadn't discovered him early enough to attend a concert where he did sing it, so when he sings it on LFDH, OMG!  So heart rending, so close to pretty much everybody's experience with unrequited love, soooooo beautiful. The mix-cd that I've made of Butch's songs begins with Mixtape.  Closest Thing, apparently a Butch concert mainstay, is also here--guess it's the closest thing for me to getting to see Butch do it live--and again, Butch gives it his soulful all and Daryl is right up there with him.  These two are just great together!

Daryl's band comes through on all the shows, but their strengths as musicians really show up with Butch.  You expect them to be good on the ballad-y love songs, but their back up on Bodegas and Blood--killer, total rocker song--is so strong, tight, so UP, makes you want to jump up and dance around!  At home, when this song comes on, I do dance around--the cats run and hide as a safety measure.  FYI:  they LOVE Butch Walker, or at least they've come to accept that they're going to hear at least Say It Isn't So, at least once or twice a day.  Wonder if they thinkButch is better/worse than AC/DC???

Finally, during the food portion of the show, Butch and Daryl cook paella with a noted chef and Butch is wearing the LFDH apron--I have one now!!!

So, enjoy episode 54, it's great!  Discovering Butch Walker, even greater!  Paella anyone?

Butch Walker: Will He Ever Play Houston? What To Do About This?

OBJECTIVE:  Bring Butch Walker to Houston. 

HOW TO?  I had a plan to make a BW cd of my favorite songs--as long as they were on The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonights, Letters,  or The Spade cds--and if I could figure out how to download the video of Say It Isn't So --you know, my own Mixtape, and give it out to everyone I know.  Okay, that plan wasn't that well-baked--but it is still a project to tackle--otherwise how to stage a Butch Walker music domination putsch among those I know? 

To actually see Butch live, other strategems (or singular, strategem?) are /is needed.

So, what if...the local bar/club scene doesn't know about Butch and people like me that want to see him?  I devised a generic email I sent to The Last Concert, Numbers, Fitzgerald's--really, what do I know about the local bar scene?--but anyway, it's a start. Using that email, tweaked it a bit and sent a version to Butch's management today:

Even though I read Drinking with Strangers very carefully, I'm unfamiliar with how music acts are booked into venues in Houston. Hope I'm contacting the right person--if not, please pass this email on to them.

A couple of months ago, I was watching Live From Daryl's House, locally shown at 1 and 1:30 am, (Saturday nights, really Sunday mornings). Right, I don't have cable. Daryl Hall has invited some cool musical guests, but little did I know that episode 54 would lead me to writing this email. I enjoyed the other episodes and new artists--who were/are Chromeo, Neon Trees, The Dirty Heads, Train?--I've asked people a good bit younger than me and they didn't know, but when I saw Butch Walker's turn, well, as is common in parlance now, OMG!! I spent hours afterward watching the show over again on the web and then searching for and watching BW videos. Not to sound too over the edge, I must watch at least parts of that show every day now. Butch's performance was outstanding, incredible, just killed! And his version of Say It Isn't So---I mean, gee whiz, omigod--he has to incorporate it into the live act, really!
Since then, I've talked about him on my fb page intent on making my friends and family Butch Walker fans, posted videos--LOVE the ones everyone loves, won't bore you with the obvious--bought Live at Budokan on the strength of online raves, two cds (Letters, The Spade), talked about Butch to just everyone. Like anyone else with Internet access today, I've also blogged about Butch--even though the blog is entitled Bibilovesangus (as in Angus Young). Read the book, thought about making a mad trip to Berlin for the upcoming concert. Realistically, though, can't go to Berlin on such short notice and honestly, it is exhausting devising Lucy-Ethel schemes to see Butch live.

So, long story longer, I sent emails to a few local bars/clubs extolling Butch to the celestial skies [oops, redundant], believing it's not in vain to think that one of these venues has been wanting to book Butch somewhere in Houston, they've just been waiting for a raving lunatic fan to let them know the market is there for the exploiting.
As you are well aware, his stuff is out of this world great, he can rock like a billybejesus, belt out a heart wrenching ballad like there's no tomorrow cause he lost the girl, and completely suck you into his performance like cannot be believed. (Some of this energy is coming from "just watched Live at Budokan today") The point is, PLEASE have him play here in Houston, the sooner the better. I don't know if Butch wants to come to Houston and someone has to make an offer or if it entails someone convincing Butch to come to Houston, but anything your organization could do in either scenario, PLEASE DO IT. I'm convinced that a Houston audience will instantly recognize that Butch has talent out the wazoo, a fantastic crowd-pleasing voice and material, has proven indie cred, AND to top it off, he's real easy to look at and has loads of tattoos--what more would an audience need to respond positively?

Hope you can do something about this, aka bring/send Butch Walker to Houston. Please.

Sincerely (and with no stalker intentions),

Helen (aka Bibi)

We will see, right?  In the meantime: 


Say It Isn't So started it all