Songwaves
1 May 11
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 30th April. Usually they would be haunting the cool inner city venues so this is a great chance too see them live.
Songwaves launching Friday 27th May 2011 at The Studio, Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra.
Songwaves will wash over the stage at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Friday 27th 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
Liz Aitken