By Danny Coleman
originally published: 05/19/2016
Matt Butler grew up in Manhattan, NYC a fan of punk and grunge music and then something happened. Something that was the sum of several subtle events which changed the course of not only Matt's career but his music as well. "I'm a singer songwriter who grew up in the city. I've always been in bands, I loved punk rock as a kid; I practically lived at CBGB and the alternative clubs. I listened to Black Flag, Fugazi, then later on Nirvana, Pearl Jam's "Ten" was my real first favorite record, then came my watershed moment; I heard the song "Back Streets" by Bruce Springsteen off of "Born To Run and it created a paradigm shift. I got more into writing songs and meaningful material that was important to me."
Another event was the changing of his own mindset. Butler began listening to more and more songwriters whose lyrics tend to "Paint pictures" or "Create mental images with their words." Artists such as Springsteen, Ryan Adams and even lesser heard Kris Kristofferson who is known more for his acting skills than his fine musical abilities. "Yeah, even though I was kind of a hard core guy growing up; I also kind of gravitated towards singer songwriters. Once I started writing my own music and putting my efforts there; my thought process began to change. I realized that I had outgrown garage bands, they weren't the right medium for my music any longer. There was nothing wrong with my bands or my band mates, I wanted to remove myself from the democratic dynamic that came along with being in a band. I wanted to make the decisions on when, where and how my music should be presented and it was becoming increasingly harder to do so in a band format."
These decisions have served Butler well; his music has been placed in multiple films and on such notable television programs such as "The Voice," "Pawn Stars," "NY Ink," "Ax Men," "Burn Notice" and he has also penned the main theme song to "American Pickers." Butler has co-written songs with members of The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Flogging Molly and Shinedown as well as been the face of a Converse ad campaign.
This Saturday, May 21, Butler will take to the stage in his hometown as he headlines a free show at the Rockwood Music Hall beginning at 9 p.m. Butler says that he is, "More interested in songs that tell stories" and that his soon to be released CD, titled "Reckless Son," does just that. "This is my debut as a solo artist," said an enthused Butler. "This title and the song by the same name are a summed up narrative really. It's kind of a loose concept album, it was intended to be this way; sort of my lifetime. As I was writing the tune, I found myself kind of directing it at my dad; it's kind of the role that I've always played. The disc, like my life, has taken a while to get to this point. I'm hoping for a July release of what I call a compilation of myself, it was time to put these songs, these stories down; I guess I just got tired of chasing my own tail (laughs)."
Butler lists Woodstock and Albany, NY as two of his favorite places to play, yet counts an appearance on"Radio Woodstock" and a certain night which saw him open for the great Garland Jeffreys among his fondest memories. This show in front of his hometown friends, family and fans looms as a large reminder of how far he's come and he's committed to making it his best. "First of all, this is a great, great venue," explained Butler as he reaffirmed and offered his vision on the upcoming show. "Even though the CD has some full band material on it; this is a solo performance of songs off of the record. I like to kid and say it's more like the old VH1 "Storytellers" version of my music; I'm more interested in storytelling songs."
The Rockwood Music Hall is located at 196 Allen Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side and Butler will be performing on Stage 1. To discover more about Matt Butler; please go to www.mattbutlerofficial.com.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Alchemist & Barrister28 Witherspoon St. Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. JP3
Amalfi's Restaurant146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Rich Scanella Group
Sat. 8:30 p.m. PapaDelux
Amarones Windsor Inn29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Ottmar
Fri. 8 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 8 p.m. Zepher
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Simply Piano" feat. Carla Gaiser
Blend Bar & Bistro911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
Backstage at Championship Bar 931 Chambers St. Trenton
Thurs. 6 p.m. Grim State, Turncoat, Wicked World, War Among Us, Desperations, All Talk. All ages, $10
Fri. 7 p.m. Inari One, Twisting Life, Burnt Out, 609, Uprise Shadow. All ages, $10
Sat. 5 p.m. Descendency, I Am The Trireme, One With Nothing, Fiakra, Seeds Of Perdition, Sakrilejist, Divination. All ages, $10
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Ralph Bowen Sax Quartet. $10 (cover charge)
Chickie's & Pete's183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia
Cream Ridge Winery145 Route 539, Allentown
Sat. 1:30 p.m. Alex English
Dempster's Pub437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. DJ DNIAL
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Chris
Dog & Bull Brew House810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Paul Donavan
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Wizard Duo
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Jazz 180 (9 p.m.) The Conshohocken Curve
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale (3 p.m.) Visoon
Wed. 8 p.m. Jay Regan
Fran's Pub116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Fri. 9 p.m. The Bansai Bills
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Glory Days Tavern1200 Hornberger Ave. Roebling
(609) 499-0896
Sat. 8 p.m. Kevin Toft & The All Stars
Halo Pub4617 Nottingham Way, Hamilton
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. Living The Dream
Havana New Hope105 S. Main Street. New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Thus. 10 p.m. "College Beat The Clock Night" DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8 p.m. "Phil Collins Tribute" w/ Hello I Must Be Going. Doors at 6 p.m.,
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Kharma Train
Sun. 3 p.m. Ladies 2000
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. "Live, Local, Unplugged" Hosted by Pat Foran
Hopewell Valley Vineyards46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. Abel Mireles
Fri. 6 p.m. Deb & Mike
Sat. 6 p.m. Girl Jam
Sun. 2 p.m."Jazzy Sundays" feat. Bill Henry Trio
Iron Plow Vineyards26750 Mount Pleasant Rd., Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6 p.m. John & Maggs
Sat. 2 p.m. Tom Fuller
Sun. 2 p.m. Chris Aschman Duo
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. Tangled
Sat. 10 p.m. The Anchovy Brothers & Friends
All shows 21+
Jake's Pub869
Bustleton Pike, Richboro, PA
(215) 322-6787
Fri. 9 p.m. Mike Shakleton
Sat. The Recliners
Tues. 5 p.m. Bill Shannon
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. J & P's Comedy Night Hosted by Miss Pumpkin and Mike Dialto
Fri. 9 p.m. Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols
Sat. (3 p.m.) Pride Dance Party (9 p.m.) RedRover Revue Burlesque
Sun. (3 p.m.)Josh Zuckerman (9 p.m.) Lincoln Durham
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Justin
Tues. 9 p.m. Justin Pope
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Laurita Winery85 Archertown Road, New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Laurita Spring Food Truck Festival" feat. (11 a.m.) The Polish Nannies (2:30 p.m.) Mr. Lucky (6 p.m.) Pennington Station
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Laurita Spring Food Truck Festival" feat. (11 a.m.) Shore Syde Band (1:30 p.m.) Take 5 (5 p.m.) Nikki Briar and The sweet Briar Band
Wed. 6 p.m. "Girls Night Out"
McStews Irish Sports Pub5316 New Falls Rd Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Thurs. 10:30 p.m."Beer Pong" w/ DJ Codie
Fri. 10 p.m. The Sharon Lia Band
Sat. 9 p.m. "Saturday Night Dance Party" w/ DJ RV and DJ OXX
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike
Millhill Basement300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Tues. 10 p.m. "Local Artist" Hip Hop, Experimental EDM and Bass Music Showcase
O'Connor's American Bar & Grille1383 Monmouth Road, Easthampton Mt. Holly
(609) 261-1555
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Secret Sound
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Jo Wymer
Olde Liberty Tavern2114 Liberty Street, Trenton
(609) 396-2262
Sat. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Palermo's Of Hamilton310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 8 p.m. Mike Macmanus
Sat. 8 p.m. Blues In Disguise
Pete's Steak House523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Infinite Bandwidth
Randy Now's Man Cave134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sat. (10 a.m.)"Bordentown City Street Fair" (2 p.m.) "Meet and Greet / Autograph Signing" w/ Shades Apart (8:30 p.m.) Willie Nile / The Doughboys. Doors at 8 p.m., $25 (advance) (This show takes place at The Open Arts Stage PAC located at 146 Rte. 130 South Bordentown)
RHO Waterfront50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto. Doors at 9 p.m. Ages 21+
Fri. (4:30 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) The Soul Cruisers
Sat. 10 p.m. "Paid In Full 80's Party" w/ DJ Wes Will. Ages 21+, 80's dress code recommended, $25 (advance)
1867 Sanctuary at Ewing101 Scotch Road, Ewing
(609) 392-6409
Fri. 8 p.m. "A Flute & Guitar Journey from Renaissance to Rock & Roll." All ages, $20 / $5 (Student ID)
Tara's Tavern 1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 9 p.m. Lisa Says No
Sat. 10 p.m. Billy Hector
Tavern On The Lake101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Kick Back
Sat. 9 p.m. Pretty Baby
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 8 p.m. (TBA)
The Ivy Inn248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong
Sat. 10 p.m. (TBA)
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Wednesday Wheel Night Spin To Win Karaoke" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
The Record Collector 358 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Eric Ambel Band (CD/LP Release Party of "Lakeside") / Sarah Borges Band. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Gashouse Gorillas / Crash Gordon & Debra Dynamite. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
The Roost 181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Fri. 9 p.m. Union Groove
Sat. 9 p.m. Mr. Lucky
The Sticky Wicket 2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Out Of The Red
Sat. 9 p.m. DiRty ReD "Unplugged"
The Sun National Bank Center 81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog 1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Sat. 9 p.m. Ziggy Isaacs
Tues (7 p.m.) "Rock On Radio Happy Hour" Hosted by Danny Coleman feat. Radio Fiction. (9 p.m.) Open Mic. Hosted by Jerry Monk
All shows 21+
Trenton Buzz702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic.
Trenton Social449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Fri. 4 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 10 p.m. Sons of Pitches ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. (TBA) ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign-ups at 6:30 p.m.)
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock
All shows 21+
Yankee Doodle Tap Room10 Palmer Square E., Princeton
(609) 688-2600
Thurs. 6 p.m. CJ Barna
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
