Matt Butcher

Matt Butcher is no stranger to travelling. Born in England to Christian missionaries, he lived in Amsterdam and Colorado before moving to Orlando, Florida. His love of music began at an early age, listening to his parents spin classic records on the turntable - Van Morrison, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen. Many of these influences would inform his later work. His first bandThe Heathens, a rollicking country-rock outfit, released their album “Big White House” in 2006. The album garnered favorable reviews and won the group a devoted following throughout Central Florida. The Heathens disbanded in 2007 and Butcher subsequently embarked on his solo career. His debut album, “Me and My Friends,” produced in conjunction with Justin Beckler, saw release in 2008 to uniformly rave reviews. The Orlando Sentinel dubbed it one of the ten best albums of 2008. Colored by pedal steel, piano, and acoustic guitar, the album displayed a somber and mature approach leading Reax Music to call it a “ dewey-prairie mix of wistfulness and confession”.

The following year saw Butcher and his backing band The Revolvers headlining shows throughout the Southeast and opening for such notable national acts as The Avett Brothers, Conor Oberst, and Jason Isbell. In 2010 Butcher toured heavily throughout the Southeast without The Revolvers as a solo performer, heralding positive reviews like Ray Roa’s comments on a show in Tampa, “[Butcher] held the crowd captivated with a voice uniquely his own, and a guitar playing style that is deceptively complex… Butcher is well on his way to crafting a songbook rich with vivid imagery."

In the midst of his touring schedule Butcher reunited with producer Justin Beckler to begin work on his sophomore effort. Work continued throughout 2010 as Matt collaborated with a host of talented musicians, recording in multiple locations to capture the sound he envisioned.

The result, “Ghostwriting,”builds on themes Butcher initially explored in “Me and My Friends” while expanding upon his musical and lyrical palette. Matt purposefully created an album of songs less autobiographical than his first release. The lyrics, though more literary in nature, continue to explore themes of universal human experience. It is these insights that have drawn many to his work.

2011 will see the release of “Ghostwriting.” Butcher will also be joined by a revamped group of Revolvers as he continues to tour the Southeast and beyond, winning new fans and new acclaim at each stop. Matt Butcher is no stranger to traveling.