Butler jokes that he is “touring Calhoun
County” but his success so far is no
joke. Having just recently returned to
the stage, Butler has a full schedule of
shows. “My plan is I’m going to conquer
Calhoun,” he laughs. “And I’m starting to
merge into Etowah, and I would like to
get into Jefferson County and hopefully
start merging toward Nashville.”
July 14 Rack and Roll
July 19 Little Bridge Marina Rainbow City
July 27 Loco Mex
Jacksonville
July 31 Rack and Roll
Anniston
August 10 Rack and Roll
Anniston
August 17 Loco Mex
Jacksonville
Anniston
Butler’s “singing from his toenails”
style draws attention wherever
he’s performing. “I want you to feel
something,” he says. “So if it doesn’t move
me, I don’t want to sing it. It doesn’t
matter what genre it is.”
With a background ranging from worship
music to metal, Butler has sang it all. “I
started playing guitar because I actually
sang first, and so I started trying to play
music to accompany what I was singing,”
he says.
“I love to take a song that was heavy
or something and strip it down to just
acoustic,” Butler admits. “That kinda
shows your talent that you can do that.
Either you’re going to butcher it or you’re
going to nail it.”
Butler says he would love to “do music
full time”. In fact, he says “it’s turning into
a second living” for him already. “I think
the key is to just get out and work, and I
think good will come out of that.”
Pursuing his passion for music, Butler
hopes to set an example for his children.
“I think it’s good for my kids to see Dad,
you know, pursuing something that
[I am] passionate about, and not just
being stuck. I think that’s probably very
important.”
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While it has been an adjustment for Butler to
play the restaurant scene, he says “the cool
thing about Calhoun County is that it is such a
backbone of support here. I think once people
know you, they support you. They tell people,
and I think that’s that networking and that’s
the South.”
Butler says he spoke with country singer and
fellow Calhoun County native Riley Green
about the music industry and asked him for
insight. “[Riley] said ‘Play the Gridirons.’ So I
got that circuit going, and now I see what
he’s talking about. A few months in, you start
seeing repeat faces.”
You can catch a live performance from
Brandon Butler at one of his upcoming shows
to support local music in Calhoun County. ✽
July 2018
INSIGHT