Crib Notes

This just scoped out via MTV.com: Butch Walker has posted a live album that you can download for free. It’s called Leavin’ the Game on Luckie St., perhaps a nod to Walker moving from Atlanta to Los Angeles (and then New York) last year. Not sure how the album sounds — I just saw the post a few minutes ago. With luck, however, it will be resemble the amiable glam-rock pastiche of Walker’s underappreciated 2006 album, Butch Walker & the Lets Go Out Tonites and not the radio crap … uh, hits … that he writes for Avril Lavigne. Plus, while you’re downloading the album, you can sign up for an account with Friends or Enemies, the latest social networking miasma.

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Editor’s note: If you haven’t read self-proclaimed Mayor of Ponce J. Winter’s latest Nightcrawler columns, click here and here. And check out one of his older columns below. Even without photos, we think you’ll get the picture.

Fri., Jan. 11

It’s 6:30 p.m. and the text reads, “Louis goes on at 7:45.” It’s from Butch Walker. I’d better hustle if we’re going to make it to Buckhead.

“I’ll be upstairs,” his next text reads. Funny, because it conjures up an image of him waiting for my arrival above his Ruby Red Studios with candles and suggestive music playing. He buzzes me in, and thankfully, it’s just Butch. No candles or Keith Sweat. As a matter of fact, there’s not much of anything.

Butch is back in town taking care of a few things after the Malibu beach house he was renting from Flea burned to the ground along with ALL his possessions. His Midtown pad is empty except for a couch, a baby grand, and now, a mayor.

We hop in his rental and bounce to Buckhead. It’s a fairly anticipated show at the Roxy with San Diego’s Louis XIV, Canadians Hot Hot Heat, and Britian’s Editors. It’s like the U.N. of corporate rock.

Backstage we head up an extremely tight spiral staircase into a tree house of sorts that overlooks the stage. Paul, the Hot Hot Heat drummer, is looking out a window into the crowd and notices someone, “It’s that dude! He’s at every one of our shows.”

I already know before I look. Sure enough, front and center, it’s former Creative Loafing cover boy and current Atlanta mystery Kenny Crucial. I explain to Paul that it’s an honor to have him at your show, and the only reason Kenny is so weird is because he’s Canadian. Awkward silence.

Louis XIV absolutely kills its set. Onstage, lead singer Jase Hill is drinking wine of out of the bottle. You can’t take your eyes off him. He’s half wizard, half Jim Morrison.

Free backstage Budweiser is great, but we need drinks. The front bar is definitely “Cougarville,” and rock star Butch isn’t the only one getting recognized. A cute little blonde whom I’ve seen around starts chatting me up. Butch buys us a handful of drinks and we set up shop to watch his boys Hot Hot Heat. Aside from having to follow Louis XIV, the sound isn’t right and Steve Bay’s disheveled vocal pattern is definitely an acquired taste.

Plus, he kind of reminds me of Sideshow Bob. (more…)

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Hit singer/songwriter/producer Butch Walker’s home, according to a press release sent by his publicist, was destroyed in the recent Malibu, Calif., fires. Worse, it seems that Walker had permanently relocated from Atlanta to Malibu, so he lost everything:

Butch Walker and his family have fallen victim to the wildfires spread by the Santa Ana winds across Malibu, CA. On November 24th a family friend was forced to evacuate the singer, songwriter and producer’s Malibu home, which was being rented from Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Flea, due to the rapidly spreading fire. Walker was in New York City at the time on tour.

Says Walker “I had just consolidated my entire recording studio and house from Atlanta into the one house In Malibu. I lost everything I’ve ever owned. Every master of every song I’ve ever recorded, every piece of recording equipment, guitars, drums and things I’ve collected over the years, cars, motorcycles, every family memorial, heirloom, picture, and document we ever had…. Gone. I feel like I finally know the difference between ‘going back’ and ‘going home’.”

Incidentally, Flea noted in comments to the Los Angeles Times Saturday, Nov. 24, that one of his houses burned to the ground, but that it was a second house up for sale, not his primary residence. He didn’t mention that Butch Walker was staying there.

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