Keny Butler

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Keny Butler is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Southern California. Originally from Stanton/Anaheim, Ca., he took up guitar at 14 years old to escape his modest surroundings and picked up on the instrument quite quickly and was soon a neighborhood legend. Butler's unique eastern soloing style didn't go unnoticed long as he was asked to join L.A.'s "Da Bomb Squad" which featured members of The Gap Band . Here, he shacked up in L.A and gigged constantly. "Da Bomb Squad" played original material and cover songs and his strange guitar style fit in surprisingly well with their r&b/funk/hip-hop sound. Da Bomb Squad landed a multi-month tour of Japan. They disbanded soon after.
EXPANDED his music collection and playing styles as he took a job at Tower Records and discovered underground artists such as, Steve Roach , Cindytalk, Sonic Youth and the 4AD label. It was artists like these, and especially Steve Roach's album Empetus and This Mortal Coil's It'll End in Tears that opened his mind and slowed his guitar playing down as he tried to emulate, with a guitar, the electronic soundscapes that he heard. It was here Butler evolved from "shredder" to a kinetic songwriter.
ENTER Zen , a shoegaze ambient rock band in which he was a primary guitar player, vocalist and songwriter for over 10 years. Zen's history is a long one but in short, their original style(in its' various stages) was met with a credible underground success including independent film and college radio play. During his tenure with Zen, he played over 2000 live shows and lent his talents to other acts as well. Butler has announced his plans to rejoin Zen for a limited number of shows.
NOW, Butler has released his debut album "The Strange Cabaret." The album is a 14 track concept album. "Cabaret" is a gothic novella, so to speak, in which Butler wrote, arranged and performed all the instrumentation and vocals himself with a few special guests lending a hand. Butler also creates ambient soundscapes under the moniker Eight Story Window . Butler is currently relocating and writing "Be Still, a Ways Away," an instrumental guitar EP during the transition.
UPCOMING 2009:
Keny Butler-DizzyRex (full-length "Cabaret" follow-up)
Eight Story Window(Ambient EP)
Zen Live Shows
Keny Butler's The Strange Cabaret