DT: JULY 27, 2009
FR: LIBBY COFFEY/MITCH SCHNEIDER/ANGELA VILLANUEVA
LEADS UP TO THE SEPTEMBER 15 NETTWERK RELEASE OF
‘SCARY FRAGILE’
WITH DIVERSE ARRAY OF SHOWS
SINGER-SONGWRITER TO SUPPORT
THE WALLFLOWERS
IN LATE AUGUST/EARLY SEPTEMBER
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist BUTTERFLY BOUCHER is leading up to the official September 15 Nettwerk release of her second album SCARY FRAGILE—which is enjoying early critical acclaim—with a diverse array of shows.
Known for her edgy mix of soaring pop-rock melodies and unflinchingly intimate lyrics, delivered with her trademark vocal dexterity, the Australian native and Nashville-based artist has set two additional shows in the NYC area–Wednesday, July 29 at the Bell House in Brooklyn (with Mark Eitzel and Hotel Lights) and a solo set Monday, August 3 in NYC at the Living Room—beyond her previously announced Thursday, July, 30 performance in lower Manhattan at the Housing Works Bookstore Café with Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards.
BUTTERFLY will follow those gigs with a one-off performance Wednesday, August 5 with Sarah McLachlan at the Edmonton Folk Festival in Ontario before she opens five dates for The Wallflowers–in Knoxville, Nashville, Asheville, Charleston and Washington, D.C–beginning Saturday, August 29 (see itinerary below).
SCARY FRAGILE marks the highly anticipated follow-up to BUTTERFLY’s debut album Flutterby (A&M/Geffen) of which the New York Times wrote: “Ms. Boucher plays almost all the album’s instruments, and she sings her crafty lyrics and big, crashing melodies with reckless abandon: you picture her running downhill, arms spread, face to the sky. Why isn’t she everywhere, already?” SCARY FRAGILE, produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Kelly Clarkson, The Strokes), is filled with highlights like the first single “Gun For A Tongue,” “A Bitter Song,” “Keeper,” “I Want To Feel Love” and the title track. Check out what critics are saying so far about the disc:
“[On] ‘Gun for a Tongue,’ Butterfly Boucher's ferocity is slier and more personal on a sleek, driving track from the aptly titled Scary Fragile.”
“Aptly named Scary Fragile, the new set showcases her torched-up mix of rock punchiness and pop accessibility, delivered in that charmingly accented voice and with a hot band that is mostly half her on bass, guitar and keyboards. Boucher’s now part of the Nashville music collective Ten Out of Tenn and also does sideline gigs, most famously playing drums on Mat Kearney’s ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out’ and dueting with David Bowie on his remake of ‘Changes’ heard in “Shrek 2.” But this Buttterfly deserves to fly alone and very high.”
“It’s hard to pick one or even a few songs on the album that stand out because they are all so melodically and lyrically beautiful.”
“Boucher’s debut, Flutterby, was filled with catchy, captivating tunes, but it was equal parts pop and rock, a hybrid which seemed to confuse her record company. SCARY FRAGILE rocks much harder, with its excellent opener ‘I Found Out’ leading the way in fast-paced fashion. Ten more compact, hooky tunes follow, several of them thumping, charged rockers such as ‘Just One Tear’ and ‘Keeper’ that feature full-bodied choruses, pinpoint tempo shifts and Boucher’s supple vocals. She’s a versatile performer, she writes great songs and the release of SCARY FRAGILE definitely has given her the last laugh.”
“SCARY FRAGILE finds the singer continuing to nurture her mix of hook-laden pop/rock while still maintaining a lyrical integrity that many pop songs throw right out the window in favor of a radio hit. Highlights from the album include the driving beat of ‘Just One Tear’ and the smokey single, ‘Gun For A Tongue.’ Milder songs like the affecting ‘A Bitter Song’ are noteworthy in that they show Boucher’s talents don’t lie solely in how well she can steer an up-tempo song.”
“The opening track ‘I Found Out’ starts out with the vocals, ‘I found out, I can only be who I am, I can only do what I can’ which is exactly what Butterfly does throughout the entire album, that is produce amazing melodic, yet some-times aggressive songs. The title track ‘Scary Fragile’ is an amazingly simple acoustic piece that is so riveting in that it shows off not only Butterfly’s amazing vocal ability, but her ability to tell a story with simple lyrics.”
“After quite a wait, Boucher returns with SCARY FRAGILE, an eleven song collection featuring her fresh and unique mix-up of pop and rock with a firmly indie sensibility. Her vocals swing effortlessly from powerful and full to whispery and fragile and her music is full of great hooks that defy classification. The haunting title track finds the artist contemplating the world around us today, singing ‘It’s scary to be fragile in this turning world/The world turns me upsid-down.’ It’s rare to find such a deep vulnerability in song form, and it’s beautiful. With refreshing openness like this, she will be an artist to watch.”
“This ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ favorite dishes out melancholy piano ballads alongside more uptempo confessionals in the vein of Jem or Sarah MacLachlan.”
“First single, ‘Gun For A Tongue,’ was finished with another producer, Brian Malouf. Boucher had initially brought the lyric ‘Watch out for this girl, she has a gun for a tongue’ and a James Bond-ish lick to Kahne, but the two had differing ideas about bringing the song to life. The menacing melody of the verses reminds me a little of Lykke Li's ‘I’m Good I’m Gone,’ though Boucher's recording predates it; perhaps she still picked up some tricks from her Swedish studio time? But then the chorus kicks in, so squarely rooted in Boucher's soaring-pop sweet spot (a la ‘Another White Dash’), and I'm reminded why I fell for her the first time around.”
DATE | CITY | VENUE |
*with Mark Eitzel and Hotel Lights | ||
Wed 7/29 | Brooklyn, NY | Bell House (8:30pm) |
*Opening Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards | ||
Thu 7/30 | NYC | Housing Works Bookstore Café (8:00pm) |
*Solo date | ||
Mon 8/3 | NYC | Living Room (9:30pm) |
*Performing with Sarah McLachlan | ||
Wed 8/5 | Edmonton, ONT | Edmonton Folk Festival |
*Opening for The Wallflowers | ||
Sat 8/29 | Knoxville, TN | Bijou Theatre |
Sun 8/30 | Nashville, TN | Cannery Ballroom |
Mon 8/31 | Asheville, NC | The Orange Peel |
Tue 9/1 | Charleston, SC | The Veranda @ Family Circle |
Thu 9/3 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club |
For BUTTERFLY BOUCHER publicity, contact MSO:
Libby Coffey 818-380-0400 x224
LCoffey@msopr.com
Angela Villanueva 818-380-0400 x232
Avillanueva@msopr.com
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BUTTERFLY BOUCHER:LEADS UP TO THE SEPTEMBER 15 NETTWERK RELEASE OF ‘SCARY FRAGILE’ WITH DIVERSE ARRAY OF SHOWS SINGER-SONGWRITER TO SUPPORT THE WALLFLOWERS
IN LATE AUGUST/EARLY SEPTEMBER