10 things you didn’t know about Guy Buttery
JOBURG - Guy Buttery brings his soothing guitar sounds to Joburg, but what lies behind all the music?
The acoustic sound produced by Buttery and his guitar can only be described as unique and distinctive, and with more than 10 years of musical experience under his belt, it’s no wonder that he’s almost mastered the instrument.
City Buzz contacted Buttery for a Q & A session about his music and the other interesting things that others may not know.
Q. What inspired you to start playing and make the music you make?
A. South African music. I was very inspired by the music of the country and it further inspired me to develop my own vocal skill and musical skill. I grew up on a diet of folk music and world music, and crazy amounts of different music.
Q. Who inspired you?
A. Steve Newman was an inspiration to me and he made music with his group, The Talalas, that spun my head around.
Q. Were you self taught or did you learn from someone?
A. I studied under Nibs van der Spuy and I studied different kinds of music separately, but I think to a large extent I am self-taught. I tried to reject the classroom style of music.
Q. Where would you hide a dead body?
A. In the Hawaan Forest (Umhlanga).
Q. If you had a theme song to your life, what would it be?
A. Postman Pat – it’s a timeless classic.
Q. What item are you most proud of in your bedroom?
A. My guitar.
Q. How do you feel about performing at Zoo Lake in February?
A. I like the venue and the space. It’s intimate and really nice acoustically. It’s beautiful and it’s on the lake. I feel like it’s a place unique to Joburg.
Q. What was the best gig you’ve ever played?
A. A guitar fest in remote Italy when I spoke no Italian and I literally travelled on the language of music. The response of the Italians to the guitar was great and it kind of shows that the language of music is universal.
Q. What was the weirdest response you ever received from a fan?
A. I played the Sitar at one of my gigs and when I was done, someone looked at me and said ‘never, ever, ever do that again’. But I loved that response. It was so real.
