Butterfly Boucher stormed the District Sept. 3 with her Fender Telecaster and signature racing stripe (that she taped on herself) and opened up for the Grammy Award-winning Wallflowers at the 9:30 club. Promoting her sophomore release, "Scary Fragile" -- released digitally in early June and in stores Sept. 15 -- Boucher played an enjoyable set, to say the least.
For the most part, her set was composed of newer songs from "Scary Fragile," but she gave the audience a few tracks from her first album, "Flutterby," including "I Can't Make Me" and "Another White Dash." These songs and others were put to the tune of just her guitar and voice, and when deemed necessary, she called in backup that took the shape of a pedal with pre-recorded bass and drums -- tracks she laid down herself.
Her latest single, "Gun for a Tongue," is a perfect example of Boucher's tendency to use a simple beat, light piano and a bass line under her live guitar. Using her pedal, Boucher prevents her songs from falling into the same pattern, keeping the audience engaged.
Her eclectic style is unique for several reasons, which she explained to the audience during the set. Her Australian upbringing was followed by her move to London and her current residence in Nashville, Tenn. In her MySpace biography, Boucher also describes the musical household in which she was raised, where she learned to play many instruments, including the bass, piano and guitar.
Alone on stage, Boucher created a full tone by tuning her guitar a bit differently than most, dropping the sixth string to a D and bringing the fourth string up two steps to an E. This can especially be heard in songs like the title track, "Scary Fragile" and results in the ability to play the bass line and the melody together despite only having one instrument.
Boucher's performance of "Scary Fragile" was exceptional; it showed her depth as a musician who could write a ballad. With a morose tone as an opening, the melody carried the recurring lyrics of "It's scary to be fragile in this turning world/this world, it turns me upside down." She then quickly uplifted the crowd with "To Feel Loved," showing her alt-rock side with a strong, clean strumming pattern and an added string arrangement in the middle.
Boucher keeps her spirits high, even after the record industry has left her tumbled and bruised over the last three years. Her label claimed her first album was "too indie for pop and too pop for the indie scene," according to her MySpace page. She encountered similar problems with "Scary Fragile" and had to re-record all 12 songs, as her British distributor insisted that she was too "American-sounding" for British listeners. Boucher ended up getting the full rights to her songs and is now releasing the original recordings. Today, the scars have made her tougher and gave her a sense of humor, too. One would expect her to come out of these situations bitter, but it is clear that she has bested the music industry, playing with joy and displaying her love for the music she plays.
Now without the help of Nettwerk Records, Boucher has self-released "Scary Fragile" and is stronger than ever, joking about how "well-behaved" her band-in-a-box is. She recognizes how much work she needs to put into her career now that she is free from a label, and after the show she spent quality time with anyone who wanted a CD signed. Right in the middle of her set, she handed out mailing lists from the stage herself, passing them around the crowd hoping for people to sign and follow her along her travels.
All in all, Boucher came to the District with only a few fans in the crowd. But as the set went along, so grew the applause and respect from the audience. She avoided overusing the pre-recorded instruments and put herself out to the crowd. She was ready for any misfires and casualties, but she came out of the show with a victory and a troop of people supporting her.
Have no fear if you missed Boucher's show this past week; she is coming back to the District, playing at the Rock and Roll Hotel along side Erin McCarley and KS Rhoads on Oct. 20.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
