Whilst working on a new studio album due for release in early 2018, the John Butler Trio have released BULLY as a new stand-alone track. Available now on Soundcloud, iTunes, and Spotify, the song is independently released on John Butler’s own label Jarrah Records.
Produced by Jan Skubiszewski and John Butler Trio, BULLY was recorded in 2016 at Jan’s Red Moon Studios in Victoria with fellow John Butler Trio musicians; Byron Luiters (bass) and Grant Gerathy (drums). Sensational backing vocals were provided by the extraordinary Australian vocalist Kira Puru.
“In the wake of the recent deplorable and gut wrenching event in Charlottesville, Virginia – USA and Australia’s impending bullshit plebiscite on gay marriage, it’s hard to write this without a heavy heart. Nevertheless, I want to explain where this song comes from.
Over the years of campaigning to protect pristine and sacred parts of our globe, I’ve witnessed two archetypes over and over again; The Bully and the Power of community. It’s always been the injustice inflicted by the Bully that’s incited me to stand up, and the strength of community that’s kept my faith in humanity.
BULLY is about the abuse of power. It’s about Governments, corporations and organizations who think they have the right to use violence and their powers of state against their own community; telling us how we should live, who we’re allowed to marry, whose lives matter and whose do not, how much racism is tolerable, what industries and private enterprises should be allowed on our land and how contaminated our water is allowed to be.
It’s about a BULLY mindset that is so greedy for more control, power and dominance that it’s willing to use violence against innocent citizens and in the process, killing the planet and life upon it, just to feed its veracious appetite.
This song is about good people all over the world, who believe in a fair, just and sustainable future, who are willing to stand together to protect what is most precious to them.”
