Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
I saw Butcher Brown open up for Kamasi, they were pretty damn great.
BUTCHER BROWN - SOLAR MUSIC (2023)
Bandcamp has a nice lil writeup about this album:
Butcher Brown, “Solar Music”
On their new LP, the combo discovers new worlds at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop.daily.bandcamp.com
Stream/buy it on Bandcamp here:
Also available directly from their website and probably other places too.
Butcher Brown is a band that is near and dear to my heart. Much of my life was spent growing up in Virginia and in the early 2000s I went to school at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. It's there that this kid who listened to almost nothing but Smashing Pumpkins and other depressing 90s alt rock discovered the joy and beauty of jazz and hip hop. And the former capital of the Confederacy has a thriving scene of both. I have many fond memories of going to Bogarts to listen to Devil's Workshop Big Band or Cary Street Cafe to catch Modern Groove Syndicate. And who could forget the Oregon Hill Funk All-Stars and Yo Mama's Brass Band amirite?
I'm no musician myself, but I learned to keep an open mind and appreciate new music. And there's no lacking of it in RVA.
I graduated in '04 and not long after moved to Florida where -- don't get me wrong there's some great music to be found -- it just wasn't the same for me. I kept in touch with my old jazz guitarist roommate (Scott Burton who features on my previous N&G AOTM) and tried to come up to visit whenever I could. Around 2009 or so he was telling me about a young up and comer named Devonne Harris, a jazz keyboardist who also spent his weekends making Madlib and Dilla-inspired beat tapes under the moniker DJ Harrison. He was starting a new jazz band called Butcher Brown that wore its fusion roots on its sleeve but also dabbled in other like-minded genres like hip hop and R&B.
I made a point to see them live during a visit and was blown away by how tight the band was. It sounded like they'd been around for decades, and the fun variety of songs got heads bobbing and booties shaking.
An early album of theirs, Grown Folk, sounded like one of DJ Harrison's beat tapes. It was around this time they had a bit of a shake-up in the lineup, bringing in guitarist Morgan Burrs and Marcus Tenney on trumpet/sax. It was also around this time Questlove got wind of Devonne's hip hop production and called him out to LA. When Questlove calls, you answer and not too long afterward, Devonne was signed to Stones Throw for his DJ Harrison projects. His latest album was an AOTM contender.
Butcher Brown, meanwhile, bounced around a bit from label to label (and also self-released the incredible afro-beat AfroKuti: A Tribute to Fela that I wish saw wider release because then that could have seriously been my AOTM) while touring extensively both in the States and over in Europe. They eventually landed on Concord Records, where they've to date released a trio of albums. They continue to be diverse in their presentation, with horn player Tenney now regularly stepping up to the mic as rapper Tennishu.
So what is it about Butcher Brown? It's that in their music you can find everything under the sun.
Welcome back to another Needles & Grooves Album of the Month Thread. I am your host for this month, NewsFedora. We had lots of fun the last time I guided you on an AOTM thread which was... holy cow four years ago? Good lord, what is going on with the fabric of time.
Err... anyways, things seemed to work out pretty swell last go-round, so I'll stick with my format from back then:
I'm still putting together hints but let's just go ahead and make the deadline to submit guesses/figure it out be July 14. I don't think I'll have that many clues to drop but we'll see how it goes.
First clue will drop on Monday but if you're feeling it, go ahead and start guessing now! See if you can ruin my thread without the benefit of a single clue! It'll be funny! Ha ha ha! Yes!
It's also available (currently on sale!) at several big online retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. I also did a quick look at some European retailers and saw it was available there as well, so hopefully it's not too hard to find for anyone looking for it.FYI it appears to be sold out at Bandcamp. @Ethos99 does have some here:
Butcher Brown - Solar Music [2LP] | Apocalypse Vinyl - Vinyl Never Dies
Vinyl, Released by Butcher Brown, on 10/06/2023apocalypsevinyl.com
Direct from band:
Solar Music 2XLP Black Vinyl
The Richmond, VA band Butcher Brown’s new album Solar Music explores a blend of genres including Jazz, Hip-Hop and R&B/Soul. Following the release of Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey and #KingButch, this forward-thinking band shares 17-tracks (with three additional single edits on digital) and...thebutcherbrownshop.com
Still here.OP is updated with a hastily-written love letter to this band from me, as well as links to stream/buy it and a bonus Youtube video of their recent Tiny Desk appearance. I'll probably post a few more videos of other songs of theirs I really like, but I gotta go grab me some dinner right now.
Oh and btw @Skalap Butcher Brown is playing a few shows in France this week and next! If you ended up liking this album and have a chance, you should really go check them out. You know, I'm gonna tag my Wax Buyers Club BFF @Edd too in case he still lurks here lol