NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic records) - Jarrah/Atlantic recording group the
John Butler Trio has announced an upcoming series of North American tour dates. Dubbed the "Good Excuse Tour," the coast-to-coast trek takes its name from the genre-defying Australian combo's new single, the second from their breakthrough new album, "GRAND NATIONAL." Released earlier this year, the collection also features the No 1 single, "Better Than."
The schedule will kick off on November 1st at Indianapolis' Vogue Theatre, and then travel the continent through early December (see itinerary below). Support comes from singer/songwriters George Stanford (November 1st and 2nd); Gomez's Ian Ball (November 5th through 14th); and Brett Dennen (November 18th through December 9th). Additional dates and special guests will be announced shortly. Pre-sale tickets are currently available at www.JohnButlerTrio.com, with public sales starting this Saturday, September 8th.
Among the tour's many highlights will be a headline performance at the 4th Annual Sweetwater Festival in Milledgeville, Georgia on November 3rd. The festival sees JBT topping a bill that also includes the Hackensaw Boys and Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band.
The "Good Excuse Tour" sees the Fremantle, Australia-based trio partnering with the CLIF GreenNotes campaign to promote environmental awareness, blazing a trail of positive action by taking such environmentally conscious steps as using biodiesel to fuel their tour buses; offsetting the tour's CO2 emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets from clean, renewable wind energy; using recycled paper for printed materials; providing organic cotton merchandise options for fans; and minimizing the idling of tour buses. Further details can be found at www.clifgreennotes.com.
Fans are invited to join the effort by purchasing special "Green Tickets," which will offset the CO2 emissions created by their drive to the show. For an additional 40 cents per ticket, fans will help to build new wind projects through Native Energy, a renewable energy company. To learn more, visit www.nativeenergy.com.
What's more, Butler - in association with CLIF BAR and its CLIF GreenNotes program - plans to make a series of intimate busking appearances at a variety of environmental events across the country. For up-to-the-minute information, please see the Trio's official website at www.johnbutlertrio.com, or their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/johnbutlertrio.
In other news, "Good Excuse," the second single from "GRAND NATIONAL," has just made its chart debut, entering the Triple A airplay ranking at No 25 with-a-bullet, scoring the week's fourth Most Increased Plays. The single follows the remarkable success of "Better Than," which has proven to be JBT's biggest hit to date, spending eight weeks atop the Triple A charts. In addition, the track's companion video was recently added into rotation at VH1.
Produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Beck, Jack Johnson, Super Furry Animals), "GRAND NATIONAL" sees the John Butler Trio further opening its already wide-ranging sonic playbook, offering surprising new points of entry for newcomers, as well as inviting its legion of established fans deeper into its worldly vision. Centered around Butler's virtuoso guitar stylings and powerful, progressive lyricism, tracks such as "Better Than" and "Funky Tonight" draw upon a remarkable variety of musical genres, spanning folk, blues, funk, classic rock 'n' roll, and beyond. Joining the Trio on this extraordinary journey is an array of special guests, including Butler's wife, Danielle Caruana, and cousins Stacia and Jessie Goninon on backing vocals; percussionists Ray Pereira and Nicky Bomba; and on keyboards, the one-and-only Money Mark Nishita.
Having already established himself as a major artist in his native Australia, Butler and Co. made their initial North American impact with 2002's independently released "THREE." The group soon signed with Lava/Atlantic, which released "SUNRISE OVER SEA" in March 2005. The album drew critical acclaim for its expansive artistic fervor, as did the JBT's inspired and energetic live shows, including headline dates, tours alongside Dave Matthews Band, festival appearances at Bonnaroo and the celebrated New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and a performance on CBS-TV's "Late Show with David Letterman."
In the JBT's home country, "SUNRISE OVER SEA" proved nothing less than a phenomenon, achieving 5x-platinum certification and earning Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards for "Best Independent Release" and "Best Blues & Roots Album," with Butler named "Best Male Artist." In addition, the album's hit single, "Zebra," was named "Song of the Year" by the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA).
The John Butler Trio is: guitarist/vocalist John Butler, bassist Shannon Birchall, and percussionist Michael Barker.
THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO
Good Excuse Tour - North America November/December 2007 w/George Stanford (11/1-2); Ian Ball (11/5-14); and Brett Dennen (11/18-12/9 except *)
NOVEMBER
1 Indianapolis, IN Vogue Theatre
2 Nashville, TN City Hall
3 Milledgeville, GA Sweetwater Festival 2007
5 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
6 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
8 Baltimore, MD Sonar
9 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
10 New York, NY Terminal 5
11 Boston, MA Orpheum Theater
13 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus
14 Pontiac, MI Clutch Cargos
16 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre *
17 Madison, WI Berrymore Theatre *
18 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
21 Kansas City, MO VooDoo
23, 24 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
26 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
29 Anaheim, CA The Grove of Anaheim
30 San Diego, CA 4th & B Concert Theatre
DECEMBER
1 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
2 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
5 Bend, OR Domino Room
7 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
9 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
* Support TBA
