Cam Butler is a Melbourne (Australia) based composer and guitarist. He is the driving force behind the 3 piece instrumental band, Silver Ray. A longtime mainstay or the Melbourne live music scene, Silver Ray toured Europe in 2004 and has released 4 critically acclaimed albums in Australia and in the UK.
Cam has written and produced 5 completely unique solo albums : Crazy Dreams, Go Slow, See (Symphony No. 1), Healing Feelings and his latest, Dark Times (Symphony No.2). These albums feature dramatic and darkly, beautiful mini-symphonies; highly melodic and deeply personal. They combine lush and emotive electric guitar, drums, atmospheric guitar loops and orchestral string sections.
Cam's guitar playing is a completely unique; a simple almost folky, expressionistic, rock sound blended with 21st century loopiness and ambient atmospheres. The guitars on his albums are sometimes sampled and electronic-ified, at other times raw or delicate, all being played straight from the heart. Combined with orchestral string sections this creates an emotional and timeless musical world. Cam's sound is not entirely rock, experimental or classical, it has a aesthetic that is quite possibly unique in the world today; romantic, dark and richly melodic, a sound that will continually reward the listener.
Healing Feelings was the first of Cam's albums to not be based around orchestral arrangements. Instead, the album is primarily focused on a sound of guitar, drums and loops. Cam has started collaborating with renowned Australian drummer, Mark Dawson (Ed Kuepper, Black Eyed Susans) in an electric guitar and drums duo. A dreamy, groove based album of this material will be completed later in 2008.
"...... Butler is a national treasure. Nobody else in the world is making music like this."
(Inpress Magazine)
"Electric guitar hums streak like stars across these illimitable canvases, whilst strings soar and dip to create drama and filmic romance."
(Comes With A Smile)
".....makes you wonder all over again how music without words can evoke so much emotion in the listener."
(ABC Radio 4.5 stars)
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