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Butch Walker - Atlanta's Musical One Man Army
www.butchwalker.com
By Angeline Vuong
 If you know anything about the Atlanta rock scene, then Butch Walker's name is permanently imprinted on your brain.
With the recent release of his Sony/Epic debut Letters, the Atlanta Music Guide sat down with Butch Walker before his sold out shows in Athens and Atlanta to have a chat about all of his musical endeavors. These dates would be his first time in over a year playing publicly in Georgia. Of course, the veteran musician wasn't nervous at all. He joked, "The only thing that becomes a pain in the ass is the guest list!" These shows are a part of Walker's first plugged-in tour with a backing band (which happens to be American Hi-Fi ) since he parted ways with Arista Records in 2003.
"I’m finding [the tour] fun because I missed playing with a band after playing acoustic. I really enjoy it, and especially with a band as good as American Hi-Fi . The secret is to have a band that’s been a band for a long time because it’s going to sound tighter than normal, and you’re gonna be introduced to a whole new sound spectrum because it’s not what you’ve been used to."
Although Walker isn't a household name, he has a devoted (almost bordering rabid) fanbase that follows him wherever he tours. This tour, billed "Clash of the Heavyweights" is no exception. So far, the reaction to his live shows has been unbelievable. "Through a fan perspective, it’s kinda cool because I’ve gotten a lot more fans over the couple of years playing by myself acoustic. People who didn’t care about me all of a sudden are coming to all the shows. It’s interesting to see the reactions after the shows -hearing people say, 'hey I’ve never seen you with an electric guitar - that was awesome!' I’d say all in all, it’s pretty positive."
Butch Walker's history with the Atlanta scene begins way before his production and co-writing credits for musicians like Injected, SR-71, Bowling For Soup, Avril Lavigne, The Donnas, Simple Plan, American Hi-Fi, and Midtown. Some of you may even remember Butch, the young kid in Southgang or the door guy at Smith's Olde Bar before The Marvelous 3 found moderate success with "Freak of the Week" and their Elektra debut, Hey!Album.
However, those days are gone; now, Walker has finally started to receive attention for his music and production work from music critics and industry nationwide, as producing tracks off of multi-platinum albums and Grammy nominated singles can do that to someone. Also, he was recently named Rolling Stone 's "hot producer" for 2004, which is a bit - like a lot of his career - ironic. "It’s pretty funny that I’ve been playing music on stage my entire life, and the only time I get in Rolling Stone is as a producer," says Butch . "That’s only my hobby. I’m very proud of it and stoked to see it, and a bit embarrassed to tell you the truth. It was fun and cool to get, but it’s probably the last time you’ll see my face in that magazine."
Nevertheless, Walker takes his title with stride. To Butch, producing may only be a hobby, but it is a hobby that has brought him a lot of attention. His most recent projects include releases for The Donnas , American Hi-Fi , and Midtown. "[With The Donnas] it was a fun time working on a record with four girls that have similar musical backgrounds and tastes as far as that goes. I really enjoyed the Midtown record, and the new American Hi-Fi record will surprise a lot of people."
"My wish list of people to produce is pretty small. I don’t think of this as a job; everything I’ve ever done has come to me. I never really approached anyone [to produce] because I did it on my own time. However, if Elvis Costello came along and asked me to do his record, I wouldn’t turn that down. The only other musician is Elvis Presley, but I don't think that'll be happening."
Well-known hobbies and production credits aside, at the core, Butch Walker is an accomplished musician. His new album, Letters, is a collection of heartfelt songs that are a lot more personal, raw, and stripped down rather than the 'in your face,' flashy throwback rock melodies heard in his previous work. For some people, this is a great thing. However, many fans of his fast-paced, energetic music and sarcastic lyrics have criticized Walker's new sound, but that hasn't phased or deterred him at all.
 "I knew that [criticism] was gonna happen when I did the record. It wasn’t a shock," said Butch. "I’m just honored people care enough to form an opinion about that. They ought to know that every record I do won’t sound the same. You either enjoy it for what I do in general, or keep listening to the one style of music that you obviously like. I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to be the guy making a record that sounds the same because I’m going to get bored. It’s very selfish if I were to make that record every time to appease a certain small core of people w/ blinders on."
Letters is a definite change in Butch 's musical direction that has been brewing for a while. He started playing the album's first single, "Mixtape" live almost two years ago. The album's lyrical content reflects Walker's departure from his more 'familiar' sound and touches on heavy topics, with songs of reflection of his time spent as a young musician in Los Angeles, love, loss, abuse, and coping.
"I’m pretty fond of the whole record," says Walker. "But I don’t really have any personal favorites. I really like ‘Joan’ live because it has a special meaning for a lot of people. It’s more of a right place at the right time song. I can’t play it in a room full of people talking because it’s pretty subtle. The impact when playing it is really cool. I enjoy that because I don’t have to scream bloody murder and jump around like an idiot to make that song receive impact, and it’s cool. But I like playing all of them. I also like 'Best Thing You Never Had' because a lot of people can connect to the lyrics."
So what does the future hold in store for the singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist/producer extraordinaire?
Apparently, a lot of touring. "I want to tour my ass off. I’m going to go back out in October with American Hi-Fi in the states, and then we are going to tour Japan and Hawaii. Afterwards, I'm planning on a solo/acoustic East coast run in December."
Butch Walker might also be on his way to becoming a record mogul. "I’ve been offered by a couple of labels to do a solo imprint," he says. "I’m in no hurry to do it though because good God, I don’t have time for vanity’s sake to have a record label imprint and not do anything for it. I don’t want to have someone on the label develop something and come to me, and then I have to say, 'Sorry, I can’t help you'."
As always, there will also be more of his co-writing appearances for other artists. "I have a lot of songs that will be on people’s records that I’ve never used. I can't divulge that kind of stuff yet; otherwise, if they don't use your songs, you sound like you're talking out of your ass. Everything [being used] are old and random thoughts that are too obscure and too non-constructive to be a song yet. I’m not a songwriting machine; I’m not good at that. Everything just comes to me, and then I either write it down or sing it into my phone voicemail."
It's a bit sardonic of fate to allow so much mainstream success to songs that are ultimately Butch Walker 's trifles, i.e. Avril Lavigne's "My Happy Ending" (to which she only wrote the chorus). Although, it seems like our Atlanta boy's blood, sweat, and tears are finally paying off. It may have taken four major label deals, several band changes, and around six albums, but Walker enjoyed his highest debut yet with Letters, making a dent in the Billboard Top 200 at #171 and the Internet Sales Chart at #5 for first week sales. It seems that critics and fans alike appreciate this earnest approach to songwriting along with his electrifying ability as a performer.
Despite all the recent acclaim and success, Walker still calls Atlanta home and can often be found frequenting local bars and staying true to his hometown. The former struggling artist has come a long way, and we're glad to call him an essential part of our colorful music scene. Butch's new release is another chapter in his lengthy musical career, and so far, it is shaping up to be his best work yet.
Want to snag a copy of Letters and more? - To celebrate the release of Butch Walker 's new album, the Atlanta Music Guide and Epic Records are giving away five special edition Letters prize packs, which include a copy of the recent release Letters , a t-shirt, and a bonus 5 track disc! All you have to do is watch Butch's "Mixtape" video ( Windows Media | Quicktime ) and email us at info@atlantamusicguide.com with the name of the girl who gave Butch 'the best mixtape he has'. By entering this contest, you'll also receive occasional messages from the Butch Walker camp letting you know what he's been up to. We'll notify the winners Monday September 27th. Good luck!
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