THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO
''SUNRISE OVER SEA''
MARCH 8 2004
76:15
1 /Treat Yo Mama/4:49
2 /Peaches & Cream/6:43
3 /Company Sin/4:38
4 /Betterman/3:44
5 /What You Want/5:21
6 /Damned to Hell/1:47
7 /Hello/4:26
8 /Bound to Ramble/6:07
9 /Seeing Angels/6:13
10 /There'll Come a Time/3:34
11 /Zebra/3:57
12 /Mist/2:24
13 /Oldman/5:10
14 /Sometimes/17:22
All Tracks By Butler
Michael Barker /Congas, Cymbals, Darbouka, Drums (Bass), Marimba, Spoons, Tambourine
Shannon Birchall /Bass (Electric), Conductor, Double Bass, Piano, String Arrangements, Strings, Vocals (Background)
Nicky Bomba /Djembe, Drums, Guitar (Electric), Percussion, Shaker, Stick, Tambourine, Vocals (Background)
John Butler /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals Arranger, Banjo, E-Bow, Guitar, Guitar (11 String), String Arrangements, Vocals
Danielle Caruana /Vocals (Background)
Ceridwen Davies /Strings
Fiona Furphy /Strings
Helen Ireland /Strings
Andrea Keeble /Strings
Stephanie Lindner /Strings
Caerwen Martin /Strings
Janette Mason /Strings
Tim Neil /Organ (Hammond)
Dave Pensabene /Vocals (Background)
Amanda Rowarth /Strings
Airlie Smart /Strings
REVIEW
By John D. Luerssen
The John Butler Trio's U.S. debut album, Sunrise Over Sea, is phenomenal -- from the opening notes of "Treat Yo Mama," a muscular and soulfully expressive roots rocker, to the final strains of the expansive, ten-minute-long opus "Sometimes." The John Butler Trio is arguably the best musical group Australia has to offer in 2005, and Butler's superb, bluesy riffs and innovative melodies are only part of the JBT musical equation. The sturdy rhythm section of Shannon Birchall (on bass) and Michael Barker (on drums) gives added life to hit contenders like the powerful "Company Sin" and the buoyant, breezy "Better Man." If the mid-album blues vignette "Damned to Hell" seems an ill fit at first, its lo-fi, banjo-strummed presentation shifts effortlessly into the warm, heartfelt "Hello." On occasion, as with the uplifting acoustic number "Peaches & Cream," Butler's voice recalls the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis, but Butler and his bandmembers are without question on their own trip. And one only needs to hear the magical love song "Seeing Angels" to feel the trio's transcendental power.
BIOGRAPHY
By Marisa Brown
Though he spent the first 11 years of his life in California, it was in Australia -- his father's native land -- that guitarist John Butler picked up the instrument that would later launch his music career. After showing interest in the guitar, the 16-year-old Butler was given his late grandfather's Dobro. He quickly began learning to play different styles of music, including Indian, Celtic, bluegrass, and folk. Butler showcased his budding skills by busking on the streets of Perth and Fremantle, and he began building an audience after releasing a homemade cassette featuring his own instrumental songs. The busking performances eventually gave way to a weekly residency at Mojos, a bar in North Fremantle, and Butler balanced his Tuesday evening gigs with preparations for a proper studio album. 
He released the self-titled John Butler in 1998, having recorded the album with drummer Jason McGann and bassist Gavin Shoesmith. The JBT EP followed in 2000, and Three -- the first of Butler's albums to also receive an American release -- appeared in 2001. Shoesmith had decided to leave the John Butler Trio by this point, but he was replaced by Rory Quirk and then later by Andrew Fry, who joined the band for its 2002 American tour. By now a bona fide star in Australia, Butler released a flurry of material during the three subsequent years: a double-disc live album, Living 2001-2002; an EP, Zebra; and a proper studio album entitled Sunrise Over Sea. Living 2001-2002 sold well and went platinum in Australia, but Sunrise Over Sea trumped its success exponentially, eventually going five-times platinum in Butler's homeland and faring well on several international charts as well. It also led to an opening spot on Dave Matthews' tour that year, which spread the John Butler Trio's music to thousands of new fans. 
Still partnered with Jarrah Records, the indie label that he and fellow Aussies the Waifs had founded in order to distribute their music overseas, Butler released Grand National worldwide in March 2007. Grand National was an ambitious project, featuring more instruments than the band's past releases, as well as multiple guest appearances. It was also the last album to feature bandmembers Shannon Birchall and Michael Barker, as Butler restructured the trio's lineup in 2009 in order to keep the music fresh. Featuring bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Nicky Bomba, the revised John Butler Trio returned to the studio later that year to commence work on April Uprising, the band's fifth studio album, which was released in early 2010. While touring later that year, the group recorded a particularly memorable performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater, which was packaged into a three-disc live album and released in 2011 as Live at Red Rocks.
''SUNRISE OVER SEA''
MARCH 8 2004
76:15
1 /Treat Yo Mama/4:49
2 /Peaches & Cream/6:43
3 /Company Sin/4:38
4 /Betterman/3:44
5 /What You Want/5:21
6 /Damned to Hell/1:47
7 /Hello/4:26
8 /Bound to Ramble/6:07
9 /Seeing Angels/6:13
10 /There'll Come a Time/3:34
11 /Zebra/3:57
12 /Mist/2:24
13 /Oldman/5:10
14 /Sometimes/17:22
All Tracks By Butler
Michael Barker /Congas, Cymbals, Darbouka, Drums (Bass), Marimba, Spoons, Tambourine
Shannon Birchall /Bass (Electric), Conductor, Double Bass, Piano, String Arrangements, Strings, Vocals (Background)
Nicky Bomba /Djembe, Drums, Guitar (Electric), Percussion, Shaker, Stick, Tambourine, Vocals (Background)
John Butler /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals Arranger, Banjo, E-Bow, Guitar, Guitar (11 String), String Arrangements, Vocals
Danielle Caruana /Vocals (Background)
Ceridwen Davies /Strings
Fiona Furphy /Strings
Helen Ireland /Strings
Andrea Keeble /Strings
Stephanie Lindner /Strings
Caerwen Martin /Strings
Janette Mason /Strings
Tim Neil /Organ (Hammond)
Dave Pensabene /Vocals (Background)
Amanda Rowarth /Strings
Airlie Smart /Strings
REVIEW
By John D. Luerssen
The John Butler Trio's U.S. debut album, Sunrise Over Sea, is phenomenal -- from the opening notes of "Treat Yo Mama," a muscular and soulfully expressive roots rocker, to the final strains of the expansive, ten-minute-long opus "Sometimes." The John Butler Trio is arguably the best musical group Australia has to offer in 2005, and Butler's superb, bluesy riffs and innovative melodies are only part of the JBT musical equation. The sturdy rhythm section of Shannon Birchall (on bass) and Michael Barker (on drums) gives added life to hit contenders like the powerful "Company Sin" and the buoyant, breezy "Better Man." If the mid-album blues vignette "Damned to Hell" seems an ill fit at first, its lo-fi, banjo-strummed presentation shifts effortlessly into the warm, heartfelt "Hello." On occasion, as with the uplifting acoustic number "Peaches & Cream," Butler's voice recalls the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis, but Butler and his bandmembers are without question on their own trip. And one only needs to hear the magical love song "Seeing Angels" to feel the trio's transcendental power.
BIOGRAPHY
By Marisa Brown
Though he spent the first 11 years of his life in California, it was in Australia -- his father's native land -- that guitarist John Butler picked up the instrument that would later launch his music career. After showing interest in the guitar, the 16-year-old Butler was given his late grandfather's Dobro. He quickly began learning to play different styles of music, including Indian, Celtic, bluegrass, and folk. Butler showcased his budding skills by busking on the streets of Perth and Fremantle, and he began building an audience after releasing a homemade cassette featuring his own instrumental songs. The busking performances eventually gave way to a weekly residency at Mojos, a bar in North Fremantle, and Butler balanced his Tuesday evening gigs with preparations for a proper studio album.
He released the self-titled John Butler in 1998, having recorded the album with drummer Jason McGann and bassist Gavin Shoesmith. The JBT EP followed in 2000, and Three -- the first of Butler's albums to also receive an American release -- appeared in 2001. Shoesmith had decided to leave the John Butler Trio by this point, but he was replaced by Rory Quirk and then later by Andrew Fry, who joined the band for its 2002 American tour. By now a bona fide star in Australia, Butler released a flurry of material during the three subsequent years: a double-disc live album, Living 2001-2002; an EP, Zebra; and a proper studio album entitled Sunrise Over Sea. Living 2001-2002 sold well and went platinum in Australia, but Sunrise Over Sea trumped its success exponentially, eventually going five-times platinum in Butler's homeland and faring well on several international charts as well. It also led to an opening spot on Dave Matthews' tour that year, which spread the John Butler Trio's music to thousands of new fans.
Still partnered with Jarrah Records, the indie label that he and fellow Aussies the Waifs had founded in order to distribute their music overseas, Butler released Grand National worldwide in March 2007. Grand National was an ambitious project, featuring more instruments than the band's past releases, as well as multiple guest appearances. It was also the last album to feature bandmembers Shannon Birchall and Michael Barker, as Butler restructured the trio's lineup in 2009 in order to keep the music fresh. Featuring bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Nicky Bomba, the revised John Butler Trio returned to the studio later that year to commence work on April Uprising, the band's fifth studio album, which was released in early 2010. While touring later that year, the group recorded a particularly memorable performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater, which was packaged into a three-disc live album and released in 2011 as Live at Red Rocks.
