John Butler talks about art and freedom ahead of New Zealand shows – Stuff.co.nz

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John Butler performs shows in Christchurch and Auckland this weekend.

John Butler always has an appreciation for the freedom music affords his life, but right now he is incredibly grateful for the freedom and connection between Australia and New Zealand.

Australias highest-selling independent artist, American-born Butler performs two shows in New Zealand this weekend, on Friday night at Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal and at Auckland's Powerstation on Sunday.

Travelling internationally without the need to be in quarantine is an incredible luxury.

It is an honour and privilege to live in this part of the world where we can actually do this. We are so lucky, he says.

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He will perform songs from his extensive back catalogue, including the John Butler Trio's multi-award winning seventh album, Home, which hit the ARIA Charts at number 1 upon release.

The Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions lead to the cancellation of BluesFest at Byron Bay this year, which he was headlining, but the silver lining was the time off-stage afforded him a rare opportunity to focus on his art and create new songs.

He started playing guitar at 16 and was busking, playing instrumental songs by the age of 21. Now hes 46 and has a busy family life.

I have travelled constantly for the last 20 years so not being on tour has been a break in many ways, Butler says.

It has allowed me to focus on making the art rather than performing the art.

In his home studio he has been self-producing and self-engineering a new body of work.

It has been an immense learning curve but, I have enjoyed putting it together ... making my own little world.

I have to bend and morph to what the song wants, whether that is guitar, if it wants to be a drum 'n bass song ... I contort to the song, that brings out a million and one ways to approach it. I just sit in my studio trying to figure out what it wants ... I sit in my studio and try and serve the song.

STUFF

Kiwis welcome Australians to New Zealand, as the first flights from Australia arrive after the opening of the trans-Tasman travel bubble.

On his new songs he has mined themes of the human condition.

Life has been a mixture in the past year. I lost my dad ... one kid has graduated from school. Beautiful moments and tragic moments and everything in-between like most people, he says.

On these songs Ive been thinking about the human condition mainly, externally and internally ... micro and macro, its very fractal. The world without is just a reflection of the world within. Our relationships with each other are all about the relationship we have with ourselves.

While in New Zealand he hopes to reconnect with friends from Trinity Roots but wont have time for any sightseeing.

For me, just actually performing again ... it's very freeing. I will give my take on myself, the world and art.

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John Butler talks about art and freedom ahead of New Zealand shows - Stuff.co.nz