Sometimes, I see something in my inbox and I just know I need to get it out. I did that a while back with Allen Thompson. I had only heard one of the songs from Thompson’s stellar CD, 26 years, when I knew I wanted to tell all of you about him. Instead of waiting for what might be a week or two for me to listen to the disc a few times and then formulate my thoughts on the complete album, I felt the urge to say what little I knew at that point, hoping you would like what you see and hear and go check out more of it for yourself.
I am experiencing a very similar sensation, now that I see Matt Butcher (Official / Myspace) has released his record, Me and My Friends. I first stumbled upon Butcher’s music when he opened for the Avett Brothers in Dallas a couple of years back. As with many instances where I see an opening act that impresses me, I unfortunately never got around to following up on the artist as diligently as I had told myself that I would (that is one of my rather unattractive traits, I might add). Regardless, Butcher has kept on playing and creating and thankfully, I have been able to kick myself for not following more closely while giving the disc a spin.
While the album is stocked with singer/songwriter and acoustic gems, the song that grabs me hardest, just as it did when I saw him perform it a couple of years back, is “Grace on a Greyhound Bus”. I could be wrong - and as usual, I probably am – but I seem to recall Butcher saying that he had just wrote this track and finished it as they were pulling into Dallas. He played it during sound-check and then again during his set. While the track was performed solo-acoustic that night, the album version is augmented beautifully with organ and piano. The added instrumentation doesn’t detract from the vibe or the tale itself. Also, you can go to his website and pick the album up using the “pay what you want” system that has been gaining popularity among indie acts lately. I suggest that you do this immediately. Listen for yourself…
LISTEN: Matt Butcher – “Grace on a Greyhound Bus”
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