Butch Walker - The Tralf, Buffalo, NY - Oct 18, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 3:11PM 
Review by John Jeffrey Photos by Diana MacDonald
Buffalo, NY - At the tail end of October, Butch Walker and his caravan of 'supa-stahs', collectively known as "the Black Widows," played a mesmerizing gig at the Tralf (located in downtown Buffalo) on a rainy Tuesday night. Interestingly enough, there is a well known, local cover band called, "Black Widow," which resulted in a handful of people asking me why a cover band was opening for Butch, and led to me explaining that Butch's band are "the Black Widows," not "Black Widow."
In addition to the area's apparent penchant for a lack of reading comprehension, as equally as strong, is their lack of support of a great musician, like Butch Walker. It wasn't a dismal turn out, but like Butch said, "If the capacity of this place was only 200 people, it would almost be sold out." Attendance aside, Butch Walker played one of the most unique concerts that I've ever witnessed in my life.
Instead of having a 'traditional' opening act, Butch addressed the audience at the beginning of the night, informing everyone that the members of "the Black Widows" all have their own 'side projects.' So before Butch came out to do his thang, various members of his backing band teamed up as duos and trios, playing songs they've recently recorded/released. The 'headliners' of the opening acts were a duo known as Shovels and Rope, led by Butch's backup singer, Carrie Ann Hearst, and Butch's friend, Michael Trent. Trent was involved in the making of Butch's latest CD, "The Spade," and Butch returned the favor by producing the group's debut CD. Shovels and Rope cranked out their foot stompin' country/rock, as Hearst and Trent alternated playing a scaled down drum set, as they were both adorned with acoustic guitars and a harmonica. Carrie Ann displayed a young Stevie Nicks mystique and style, while having a voluminous voice, reminiscent of Loretta Lynn.
When it came time for Butch to take the stage, he took center mic, and delivered an acapella version of the Marvelous 3 fan favorite, "Cigarette Lighter Love Song." Making his way over to the piano, Butch performed a handful of songs, before once again, taking center stage, this time, with an acoustic guitar. After taking some requests, one enthusiastic fan begged Butch to perform the notorious Marvelous 3 "one hit wonder" track, "Freak of the Week." As Butch proceeded with the song, he invited the requester (Rob Bilson) on stage to sing the song with him. Bilson did a great job on the song (which can be viewed on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3L_AaVecSA), and it was awesome of Butch for allowing one of his fan's dreams to come true.
After finishing his mini acoustic set, Butch brought out the "the Black Widows," to perform a full on electric set. It was cool to see his band consistently switch up musical instruments, with the only mainstay being Fran Capitanelli, who stayed on lead guitar, throughout the show. Butch and co. played the majority of "The Spade" CD, while throwing in a few cuts from his last couple of releases for good measure. You can clearly see that the band enjoys what they're doing and enjoy performing with one another. Their 'good time' vibe is infectious, as the crowd ate up every minute of it.
When Butch dedicated the song, "Day Drunk" to his father, you could tell it wasn't some cliche stage rap used to introduce the song. The lyrics and meaning of the song obviously mean a lot to him, as during the solo, Butch sat down on the drum riser visibly upset, and came to tears while finishing the song. It's moments like these that show Butch is a true musician, who is truly 'one' with his music, and doesn't go out and perform, as just a 'means to an end.' Seeing Butch perform in an intimate setting, like the Tralf, was truly a special event. While Butch may always remain a well kept secret, every time seeing him perform is an honor and a privilege.
Special Thanks to Anthony D'Amato of Shore Fire Media and Nick from the Tralf, for allowing us to cover the show.