New York duo, Rogers and Butler, return with their second album, Brighter Day, continuing their combination of anglophile melodies with observational lyrics. Jason Barnard speaks to Edward Rogers and Steve Butler to hear about their journey and latest release.
How does the second Rogers and Butler album Brighter Day, compare lyrically and musically with your first, Poets & Sinners?
Steve: I think ” Brighter Day” is a bit more hopeful lyrically than the last record. In many respects ‘Brighter Day’ is a continuation of a writing style we began with our first EP, ‘Diana Dors’ in 2019. Then came ‘Poets and Sinners’ in 2020. I don’t think we set out to write an album that will sound like one thing or another. Edward sends me lyrics which I set to a song. Some lyrics present themselves clearly while others can be more obscure. Edward and I speak often, so we have a good understanding of each others’ lives. Sometimes I have to ask “what is this lyric about?” while others are obvious.
I’m always working on songs in my head. I mostly listen to classical music so melody is the main ingredient when I compose music. I love rock ‘n’ roll and play it all the time. I have to step away from it, though, because I just want to create rather than listen. My favorite song to record was “Cabaret.” Edward and I recorded the song live and I played classical guitar, which was a real treat for me. Also, I always write on the guitar but on one song, “Last Reply” I wrote it on the piano. I had the song composed before I received the lyric which is backwards from the way we usually compose. I get a lyric and it inspires me to write the tune.
What was the writing and recording process for Brighter Day?
Steve, our writing process has been pretty fast and easy. I get words in an email and I put it to music and send Edward a recording made on my phone. Very basic. We talk back and forth and figure it out. The recording of the album is the same way. We do a couple rehearsals with Sal Maida, on bass and Konrad Meissner on drums then go right into the studio. We recorded the new record in two days. Most of what you hear is what we did in those two days. Don Piper is our producer and also rhythm guitarist so he mixes and puts it all together in a way that Edward and I really like. We all have project studios in our homes so we can add overdubs at home then send them all to Don for mixing. I like not having too much time in the studio. Something about the immediacy of the way we record sounds like us and not some belabored studio concoction. Mostly we do it fast because we’re trying to save money! Whatever it is, it works.
It’s been two years since your debut, how has the pandemic impacted you?
Edward: At first the world shut down! No people on the street; just a ghost town in NYC! We were all scared the world was over. Ghosts, rumors n lies; we didn’t have any information. We didn’t understand how to behave around friends and people in general. It really hit home, when a good friend of mine, Alan Merrill from The Arrows and writer of the anthem of “I Love Rock n Roll” caught the virus and within days was gone. It felt like the beginning of the end. I was living in NYC which at the time had the largest outbreak figures in America. It was a new world, and we had to deal with it. Of course the opportunity for playing live was eliminated, so we spent more time in creating both the lyrical and musical content for the new album, ‘Brighter Day’. I set up a daily routine of writing lyrics and/or playing music. Pretty soon I had some strong lyrics reflecting feelings of both hope and facing and tragedy. I sent them to Steve and he felt the significance of the lyrics and wrote the music to match. We developed a remote creative work environment that helped us develop the songs for the new album, ‘Brighter Day’.
How did you meet Steve Butler and when and why did you get the idea to form a duo?
Edward: I knew about Steve from the music scene. He lives in South Jersey near Philadelphia which is about 80 miles away from NYC. The first time we met in person was at a NYC venue called The Cutting Room. After the show, Steve came over to me and said “your music reminds me of someone I know your won’t know.” Of course, me being out my head on music said who? His response immediately bonded our friendship – “Duncan Brown.” We started emailing each other and eventually, I worked up the nerve to send him some lyrics. The words were about all my childhood heroes dying. They were inspired by David Bowie’s passing. The resulting song “20th Century Heroes” ended up on my solo album ‘TV Generation’. From that point on, it just felt natural so we constantly sent each other ideas for lyrics and music. We speak the same language when it comes to music! Now, one EP, two albums and many, many songs later, we’re always looking for the magic.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Edward: New music has just been released by Rogers & Butler in the form of a CD and download called ‘Brighter Day’ on TLAK (24 June 2022).The vinyl release comes out in October….So, we’re having two record release parties – one for the CD and one in the Autumn for the vinyl release..everybody’s welcome! We also have shows booked playing with Willie Nile, The Yardbirds and several outdoor shows during the summer. And a UK tour opening for The Zombies is on the books for early ‘23.
Meanwhile Rogers & Butler are writing and creating new music…our passion!!!!
Rogers & Butler – Brighter Day is released on CD and streaming worldwide, June 24, 2022: https://tlak.rocks/brighterday
See also facebook.com/RogersButlerMusic
