March 7, 2011
Butch Walker & The Black Widows
. . . and alcohol. What more can you ask for in a live show?
I dare you to not have fun at a Butch Walker show. It’s not possible. Even if your date is despicable, daft, or flirting with someone across the bar, Butch Walker will have a song to help you celebrate it.
Butch Walker and The Black Widows have been playing songs from their upcoming album, at an underground location, in what has become a Monday night residency of sorts. Even if you know where the venue is, when you arrive, the first thing you see is a sign that says: Shhhhh.
Cheers
As the Black Widows take their positions on stage, Butch Walker reminds everyone why they’re here: “Let’s have some fun, alright? We’re going to play the album straight through. That’s all we’ve got for you. . . unless we get drunk later and it’s someone’s birthday and we sing a bunch of cover songs or something.” They did get drunk, it was someone’s birthday, they played the album straight through, and a good time was had by all.
Butch Walker
It’s a rock & roll show: shots of whiskey are delivered from the bar, round upon round; there are rafters for the band to swing from. . . and they make good use of them; there are beautiful women on and off stage; guitars fall – or get knocked over – by beautiful women who are just trying to be helpful (so no one really gets upset about it); there are other beautiful women perfectly positioned to let the band know that equipment is falling; and not a drink goes untouched.
Ladies: you know what Butch Walker & The Black Widows, whiskey and beautiful women, bring to a venue? A bunch of cool men. Live music and a hell of a lot more fun than a speed-dating event.
Butch Walker & The Black Widows
If you eavesdrop on band members after the show (they really tell the truth if they don’t know you’re listening), you’ll hear every single one of them say, “It’s a lot of fun!” The show feels like a great house party just before the cops arrive as a result of numerous noise complaints, but with an amazing band as opposed to “that neighbor kid and his friends”. The band is having fun on stage and it transfers to the audience. If you see Butch Walker & The Black Widows play, you will have a good time. Guaranteed.
I have several HD videos of the show and a lot of Butch Walker fans asking me to post them. Initially, I considered that these are new songs, that the album is still being recorded, that perhaps something should remain a surprise. What fun is it if everyone knows all the songs before they’re even released?? Then I remembered the first Butch Walker show I ever attended. It was many years ago (not too many though because none of us is “old”). It was an album release show at The Hotel Cafe. Brand new songs. In fact, it may have even been a week or two before the album was released, as a “warm-up show” to kick off a tour. Regardless, it was a sold out show. People had driven in from Atlanta and Arizona and flown in from New York. It felt like a pilgrimage to hear these “new” Butch Walker songs, but the most striking thing happened when Butch Walker played: everyone already knew the words and they all sang along. That show introduced me not only to Butch Walker, but to his fans, who are among the most dedicated, loyal, and passionate fans any artist could hope for. Rock Is A Girl’s Best Friend didn’t exist at that time, or surely I would have written about that show. That said, Butch Walker’s amazing fans have been a significant part of my experience of every show, so I wrote a bit about that here.
Anyway, here are a few videos for people who love Butch Walker – they deserve it:
This has become one of my favorite moments every week: