“Music is still the way humankind communicates, the way we tell our stories, put our pain and suffering in a context others can understand. That’s how I see my own role as a musician- a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer It’s also how I hope people will be hear my music.”

Jon Butcher: Bostonian Blues Rock Axe

Grammy-nominated guitarist and New England Music Hall of Famer Jon Butcher is one of a select handful of influential recording artists who emerged from the legendary Boston music scene! Video, eclectic album releases and incendiary live performances comprise the underpinnings of a rich music career that continues today. Grammy-nominated guitarist and New England Music Hall of Famer Jon Butcher created a signature sound unlike anyone else. His powerful soul-infused vocals and his guitar work reflect a skillful mix of Rock and R&B, Funk and Soul, Jazz and Americana, all of it focused through a prism built from the Blues. His latest album Nuthin but SOUL (2025) is classic R&B inflected Roots Rock, at once fresh and familiar. It's also Jon's best songwriting to date. Jon Butcher does music for movies and has produced commercial music for network and cable television, feature film, video games, music video, Indie film, short films and more for over four decades.                                                      (Photo: Jon Butcher)

Jon Butcher’s career spans over four decades, anchored by a series of prominent bands, supergroups, and multimedia production projects. He first gained regional attention in the mid-to-late 1970s with the hard rock band Johanna Wild. In 1979, he formed his most famous project, The Jon Butcher Axis, the band became a cornerstone of the 1980s Boston rock scene, opening for Kiss and the J. Geils Band. Following the dissolution of the Axis, Butcher co-founded the roots-rock supergroup Barefoot Servants in 1994, alongside legendary session bassist Leland Sklar, guitarist Ben Schultz, and drummer Ray Brinker. Later collaborative musical ventures included Farren Butcher Incorporated (FBI), and the acoustic roots project Gypsy Caravan. Beyond performing in bands, Butcher transitioned into music production and media scoring by founding his own state-of-the-art recording facility, Electric Factory Music.

Interview by Michael Limnios 

Special Thanks: Laurinda Butcher (Electric Factory Music)

How has the music influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your life the most?

It’s actually the opposite! The world has influenced my relationship to music. From the moment Chris Martin and I wrote the music for our first record we set in motion a POV that spoke to struggle, power, class and humanity. Almost everything I’ve written- LIFE TAKES A LIFE, HOLY WAR, WISHES or NUTHIN BUT SOUL, all have been snapshots in time. Of the natural world we live in, of the times we live in. At its best that’s what the BLUES is.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? What keeps a musician passionate over the years?

Blues, with all of its cousins and relatives. I love BB and Albert King, I love Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Pop Staples. I worked with an And I absolutely love Chris Cain and Kirk Fletcher, two of my favorite ’new’ guys. My music philosophy is simple - if it’s real that’s the deal. I’m not moved by fashion or hype, nor speed or flash. I am positively moved by the real. Country, Gospel, Rock or Blues. It’s hard to define ‘real’ in words but everyone knows it when they hear it. I’ve recorded and released 15 albums around the world, it's still what I strive for every day.

How does your hometown that affect your music? Why do you think that Boston music scene continues to generate such a devoted following?

There’s an authenticity to Boston, a blue collar perception that lends authenticity and ‘grit' to the music scene. It’s always been that way and the acts and musicians who had their start here bear that out. And fans you make in Boston are fans for life.

“The Blues is now and always has been the language of the common man. Or the language of the poor man for that matter. The Blues is the International language of pain, sacrifice, loss but also of celebration. Because it is a language it naturally follows that speaking that language well requires some amount of skill or dedication.” (Photo: Jon Butcher)

Are there any specific memories or highlights of your career that you would like to tell us about?!

Hearing my music coming through the car radio for the first time. Jamming with BB King, Jeff Beck and Leland Sklar. Playing my first big gig at the Boston Garden opening up for the mighty J. Geils Band. Spending the evening with Felix Pappalardi talking life and music and our plans for doing a record together. The night before he was shot and killed by his wife. Becoming the 2nd person of color to be featured at MTV ( when MTV was MTV). so many memories, hard to put them in a 1-10 order.

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

Like most things in life there’s a trade-off we make. The longer we live the more things we see change in our lives. I do miss the days of $5 and $8 concert tickets though. I also miss the days of concert bills that had a broad spectrum of music styles- when you could see Santana, BB King and Gladys Knight on the same bill. I hope that live music survives. I hope our kids’ kids are able to go out and see live music performed by real musicians in the future.

What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

The Blues is now and always has been the language of the common man. Or the language of the poor man for that matter. The Blues is the International language of pain, sacrifice, loss but also of celebration. Because it is a language it naturally follows that speaking that language well requires some amount of skill or dedication. The more conversant you are at speaking the language of Blues the better your chances of communicating.

What is the role of music/musicians in today’s society? How do you want the music to affect people?                                                   (Photo: Jon Butcher)

The role of music in social structure is as old as when the first human beat on a drum. It wasn’t entertainment at first, more to do with getting the word out. “A saber tooth tiger just bit Franks arm off, go grab your spears!”  Communication in its unvarnished, direct form. In that way nothing has changed. Music is still the way humankind communicates, the way we tell our stories, put our pain and suffering in a context others can understand. That’s how I see my own role as a musician- a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer It’s also how I hope people will be hear my music. I’m beating my drum now in the same way that Fred P Caveman beat his drum. And for the same reasons.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

The nexus of politics and music has been brought into sharp focus in recent years. It isn’t new nor did that relationship start recently, but music and politics is as palpable today as it was in the 1960s with the Civil Rights Movement in the US. The lessons are as obvious as they are profound- none of us can do it alone. We need each other. That’s what I’ve learned.

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