Proximity Butterfly
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Contents |
Websites
History
Biography
Proximity Butterfly melts together with ancient Chinese instruments and cutting-edge rock layered with psychedelia. Established in 2003 by Joshua C. Love (America), Chenduxi (China) and Heather Judson (Canada), Proximity Butterfly landed in China 9 years ago – since then, the tales of performance, power and the world’s unknowns have shaken the space that makes this band so unique and full of genuine expression. The band currently consists of guitarist/vocalist/producer Joshua C. Love, bassist/vocalist Heather Love, guitarist Robert Tanner, and drummer Wang Yong.
Their music is mixed with a complex variety of elements, including the retro atmosphere of Led Zeppelin through complex jazz time signatures, Pink Floyd's psychedelia and strikingly poignant lyrics, an unidentified aspect of aggressive rhythm structures and an ethereal tactfulness only to be compared to the likes of Janes Addiction, The Mars Volta or Sigor Ross. Creating an almost circus-like attraction to what songs they’ll play next, Joshua C. Love describes it as, “looking for the timeless, a series of works that can be heard in a 100 years and people will say, yeah, I know that feeling.”
Originally a four-piece band in 2003, none of the members had any professional training to the point the bassist (Heather) hadn’t even picked up the bass yet. “We weren’t just musicians; we were artists. We shared a vision of how visually something could be expressed through sound.” The band evolved through many transformations, sometimes having 7 or 8 performers on stage making use of violas, clarinets, oboes, hand drums and many more unique and varied sounds. Soon after they formed, they were featured in Rolling Stone Magazine gaining them National Attention. This momentum brought Proximity Butterfly to record their second of many albums, Arcana [2006] and to experiment with new non-traditional rock sounds.
“The live shows are like a ceremony. Not religious, but so full of passion and attention that the energies tie the room together.” –A Fan
Immediately drawing attention from record labels around the country the album was praised and released nationwide to enthusiastic audiences. In 2007 they were voted Chengdu’s best performance by Chengdoo Magazine. After the release of Arcana and two nationwide tours with guest drummers sitting in, the birth of a beautiful daughter, Aetheria Hope Love, gave Joshua and Heather new inspirations for what was to come. Shortly after, local well known Chengduian drummer Wang Yong, an old friend, came asking if he could join the band. We continued as a three-piece through 2009 writing a concept-album – The Reprieve – our greatest work to date.
Generations Born 2009 & 2010
The three continued working with local musicians and doing shows preparing for their next release, The Reprieve [2011] throughout the months of June 2009 and February 2010. While on a trip to Beijing, Joshua discovered one of his favorite bands, The Scoff, had broken up. The lead guitar player from The Scoff, Cong Pai, came to the Proximity Butterfly show that night and less than a month from the show, Congpai moved across country to join Proximity Butterfly. Together, they’ve played Chengdu’s Zebra Music Festival, University circuits throughout the country, Beijing’s Midi Festival, astonished crowds in Nanjing and countless shows in Chengdu. However, after one year of touring and recording he went to Sweden with his girlfriend for 3 months returning to China ready to inform the band of why he needed to leave. “You guys drive the band and I play with the band. There's a difference.” With no harsh words or feelings, this opened the door for veteran Robert Tanner to rejoin the ticket with new life and ambitious energy that would propel the band further through its musical frenzy.
Joshua
Chen Du Xi
Heather
Robert Tanner
2011 and The Reprieve
With returning guitar player, Robert Tanner, Proximity Butterfly has teamed up with Beijing's Maybe Mars record label, releasing their 5th studio album “Reprieve”. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Joshua C. Love, the album expresses the DIY nature of their productivity. After storming the main stage of Chengdu's 2011 Zebra Music Festival PB went on to unleash a 10-city nationwide tour along with music festivals in Xiamen, Nanjing, and Xi'an, dazzling Shanghai and Beijing with their precise and jolting stage-presence and dramatic self-defined sounds. Growing more and more to be known as one of a kind, they continue building their own genre raking in fans by the 1000s.
There are two unreleased videos that should be expected before October of 2011. The first is "Evil" from their latest album "Reprieve", a song entirely in Chinese that describes a man's faith in his reflection while trying to convince himself that he is in fact not an evil person. And the second video is a 20-minute long live version of "Vanity" filmed and recorded at Butterfly Studios in Chengdu with both Congpai and Robert Tanner on guitars. The escapade takes you through the colorful nightmare of a girl that is exactly what the title refers to, vain.
They have recently gone on air in Beijing for Mogo Video Studios to record 5 unplugged songs and a 20 minute video interview along with a 4-page interview and story in the nation's well-known So Rock! Magazine. Catching the eye of CNNGo with their earthquake-inspired album and atypical band history, they were chosen as a force to be reckoned with. Proximity Butterfly, featured on Chongqing's CCTV as one of the founding members of China's underground rock scene along with Cuijian and P.K. 14, this band continues to “shock and awe”.
Proximity Butterfly at Zebra Music Festival 2011
Discography
Albums
Reprieve - 2011, May 1st
The Antikythera Mechanism - 2008, April 29
Poltergeist: Cinerarium (2008 Release) - 2008, April 15
Poltergeist: Cinerarium - 2008, May
Arcana - 2006
Proximity Butterfly (Demo) - 2005
Compilations
We are together (DVD) (VA) - 2005, March
Rock Christmas (DVD) (VA) - 2005
Soundtracks
| Proximity Butterfly does Complete Soundtrack for Carl Parker's Film The Return (2007)
Reviews
"Joshua C. Love is one of the best rock front-men in China. The guy is a ferocious performer with a great voice, solid guitar chops and passion for his music that is truly inspiring."
-Beastwith2backs
Cityweekend Sept. 18 2009
“Great Name, Great Hair, Great Band rocks its reverb-laden Siamese-Dream-on-the-moon tunes… to ever-increasing attention, tearing up stages all over China in the process."
-Ian Sherman
Time Out Beijing Magazine
“Enthusiasm is contagious and that's why songwriters (like Proximity Butterfly) with a genuine, obvious passion for their craft can't help but attract an audience.
-Donny Day
Attic Records
“Album of the Month- May well turn out to be among the top albums of 2011”
-Wang Ge
Time Out Beijing Magazine
“Joshua C. Love... is a shaman, a dreadlocked musical healer who is exciting the audience with his banshee's wail and heavy, psychedelic guitar riffs, leading festival goers into a hypnotic aural experience.”
-Dan Shapiro
CNNGo
“We only want to work with artists that are deeply connected to the local music community...”
-Nevin Domer
Maybe Mars Label
"We have so many bored shoe-gazers bands in (Beijing) that its great to see someone show so much passion and emotion on stage. And (Joshua's) voice... was equally amazing.”
-Ruby
BeijingDaze
Upcoming Events
Hemp House Birthday Party on September 11th, Chengdu
Nuts Club Birthday Party on September 16th, Chongqing
Rock Denim Party on October 2nd, Guiyang
SanShengXiang Music Festival October 3rd, Chengdu
Opening of 8 1/2 Bar Festival on October 15th, Chengdu
Timeline
2011
Hemp House Birthday Party September 11th 2011!!! Not to be Missed!!!
Keep your eyes out for Proximity Butterfly's Mogo series with 5 acoustic songs and interview.
Interviewed by Warwick in Shanghai:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjg2MDU1Njky.html
The following day they exploded at Yuyintang after not having been there in almost 3 years.
From May to July, Proximity Butterfly went on their Pillars of Creation tour through China. On July 5th 2011, they performed in the Yugong Yishan. According to Beijing Daze[1]:
The first half of their set was the heavier songs, from their both last album and the new one. The small crowd really got into ‘Tiptoes of Shiva’ a few songs in. Unfortunately when you stick what was essentially a D22 crowd into a venue the size of Yugong the vibe is not great. There was plenty of toe tapping and nodding, but none of the ecstatic dancing and moshing I was hoping to be part of. I spent most of the set right up front, trying to ignore the people behind me, captivated by singer Joshua’s immense stage presence. We have so many bored shoe-gazer bands in this city, that it’s great to see someone show so much passion and emotion on stage. And his voice, although a little drowned out by the music at the start of the set, was also equally amazing. Those of us show stayed around until the end of the set were rewarded by the slower, more moving songs – Sacrifice, Sadness and the highlight of the night for me – the mesmerizing Evil. The Yugong sound system which I so often complain about, was actually not bad tonight, and I really like how Heather’s bass was turned up loud!
Xiamen White Dolphin Music Festival
Nanjing International Music Festival
Xi'an Rock Music Festival
Zebra 2011 (Main Stage)
2010
On May 1st, 2010, they performed on the Zebra Music Festival 2010 in Chengdu. According to GoChengdoo, The band delivered their consistently high-energy show, closing out Day 1 on the second stage.[2]
On May 3rd, they rocked the Tang Stage of the Midi Music Festival 2010. Later on they were interviewed by Cityweekend Beijing on their upcoming performance at the Midi Music Festival 2010. Asked about why they were not performing at the Strawberry Music Festival even though they are signed to Modern Sky Records, they replied:
Though we are signed to the label, we are not bound to participate in their events. It is a very free partnership. And we happen to have a lot of good vibes from our previous MIDI experience, even from when it was tiny. So, the soul of the festival is about skateboarding and jazz and heavy metal and DJs and getting as many freaky meshes of friends together in one place, because when it comes down to it, everybody wants to hear some music that moves their souls and shakes their bones. - Joshua Love[3]
2009
Rebuilding the band after bearing a child, Joshua Love and Heather Judson find Drummer, Wang Yong. "He is amazing. I love him so much. He's a brother unlike any other." In May they participated in the 2009 Zebra Music Festival in Chengdu announcing afterwards:
The Zebra Music Festival was an exciting three days of sound and smiles, big blue skies with pummeling sun structures drying the earth for the soft rumble of bare feet pounding the ground by night. And PB had a swell time knocking around the business of deputies.[4]
2008
March 2008, on the release of their album The Antikythera Mechanism, PB released the following press statement:
We are alive and well... busy as bees and makin lots of Honey... in fact the long awaited album "The Antikythera Mechanism" is on the verge of release!!1 April 29th, to be exact, will be the release date. There will be a release party in Beijing's Yugong Yishan and the cd will be available nationwide in shops everywhere. Pres releases are underway and LUDI music is movin her booty for us. The album s a special one, especially in today's world of music. Its over 70min of music and one to sit down with again and again alone or with a room of friends. It has electric and acoustic songs, dream moments, and moments of explosion. The magical tracks are scattered about to make contact with every part of the human psyche, with double scores of Angelicus D and I Don't Know, an empowering story of my brother David in St. Davide, and surprises all over.
In fact, we are also releasing, ourselves, Poltergeist: Cinerarium album on May 1st. Another secret in the workings. Its a story of a woman trapped inside of a ghost that is borne from the containment of her spirit... her only manner of existence then is to shake this spirit to unlock a destiny only she knows how to become... this says much in today's world of science and internationalism... I'll let you listen for yourself. this album is over 50 minutes of music and will certainly speak volumes...
A small tour is in store in conjunction with the Beijing Midi Festival. Soon we'll b packin our bags and heading north. We can't help but be grateful for everyone who has come together to make the past year what it has been, to feel the souls of each other and to know that being awake and alive is not only an individual endeavor, but one we achieve with each other. So we are set to make everything what it should be worth, are even eye-balling the studio again...
Take care this year and keep in touch everyone... because that is what it is all about. Spectacles are for those who have trouble seeing; what we build here and now is everyting that we'll begin to live with in the years to come... So, reach out to your colors and bring your dreams closer and closer to your actions.
See you on the flipside and keep being - joshua and PB
After the release they went on tour through China starting on April 25th as support band for German Gammalux in the Little Bar, Chengdu. Then they went to the Jah Bar on the 26th, the Yugong Yishan holding their Antikythera Mechanism Album Release Party in Beijing on the 29th, the Chengdu Music Festival on May 1st, the 13 Club in Beijing on May 3rd, the 2 Kolegas in Beijing on May 5th, the D-22 on May 6th and last but not least the Mao Live on May 7th.
In October they participated in the Midi Music Festival 2008 in Beijing.
2007
Busy as little bees, PB recorded two albums in 2007, storming the nation with music festivals in Nanjing with an amazing two-drummer line-up and saxophone player Melissa Carrol shaking the ground with their energy. Was this band finally reaching out to the audience it had been trying to build for 3 years?
Action Timba Program, Cafe Panam, Chengdu, Jan. 25th 2007
Little Bar 10th Year Birthday Concert Series, Chengdu, Jan. 20, 2007
2006
Cafe Panam New Year at the Fish Palace, HuaYang, Dec. 31st 2006
Little Bar Welcoming 2007, Chengdu, Dec. 23rd 2006
Cafe Panam, Chengdu, Nov. 18th 2006
University of Law and Politics, Soundsmakers, Chongqing, Nov. 3rd 2006
Halloween De Bacchus, Hemp House, Chengdu, Oct. 31st 2006
Gammalux w/ Proximity Butterfly, Little Bar, Chengdu, Oct. 21st 2006
Power Western Music Festival, HuaYang, Sept. 8,9,10 2006
Butterflies in Space Tour 2006
Pushing along with their Butterflies in Space Tour, their second tour of 2006, PB is marking their territory with more hawk-groomed eyes than ever before... If you want to see a show and you happen to be in the eastern hemisphere, you'd better mark your calendar now and get ready for an absolute combustion of music never before seen in the history of the Orient.
Nameless Highland 无名高地, Beijing, Aug. 10th 2006
2 Kolegas, Beijing, Aug. 11th 2006
God’s Music Bar, Hankou, Aug. 14th-15th
Bordeaux Bar, Hankou, Aug. 17th
VOX Bar, Wuhan, Aug. 18th 2006
SiLiu Bar Changsha, Aug. 19th 2006
JiDi 77 Nanjing, Aug. 24th
Yu Yin Tang, Shanghai, Aug. 25th
Yu Yin Tang, Shanghai, Aug. 26th
Live Bar, Shanghai, Aug. 27th
Arcana Tour Schedule 2006
Live Bar, Shanghai, May 20, 2006.
021, Shanghai, May 20, 2006.
Yu Yin Tang, Shanghai, May 19, 2006.
Live Bar, Shanghai, May 18, 2006.
VOX Bar, Wuhan, May 14, 2006.
Bunker Club, Guangzhou, May 12, 2006.
Live Bar, ZhuHai, May 6, 2006.
Red Rock, Nanning, May 3, 2006.
South Park, Guiyang, May 1, 2006.
Other shows in 2006
Little Bar, Chengdu, April 8, 2006.
CDTV-5, Chengdu, April 7, 2006.
Hemp House: Arcana Album Release Party, Chengdu, March 31, 2006.
The Doors, Xichang, January 26, 2006.
2005
Christmas Music Festival, Chengdu, December 23, 2005.
Low Live Bar, MianYang, October 22, 2005.
Yugong Yishan, Beijing, August 5, 2005.
Fuling, August 20, 2005.
Inner Mongolia Grassland Festival, Inner Mongolia, July-August 2005.
(NGO of China), Chengdu, September 23, 2005.
The Loft (Acoustic), Chengdu, July 23, 2005.
Reggae Bar, Chengdu, June 11, 2005.
Soundsmakers, Chongqing, May 4, 2005.
Overtone Club, Guang An, April 2005.
Little Bars 8th B-Day Concert, Chengdu, March 2005.
Little Bar, Chengdu, April 30, 2005.
Sichuan Art College, June 9, 2005.
WenJiang, WenJiang, April 16, 2005.
Sichuan University, Shuangliu, February 2005.
Little Bar Tsunami Benefit Performance (acoustic), Chengdu, January 15, 2005.
2004
Age of Red, Rock Christmas, Chengdu, December 25, 2004.
Kiss Club, Chengdu, October 30, 2004.
V-Mix Club, Chengdu, October 31, 2004.
Little Bar, Chendgu, October 23, 2004.
Lilly Shadows, Longquan, September 30, 2004.
V-Mix Club, Chengdu, September 11, 2004.
TaiYangTai Bar, Chengdu, August 2004.
Millenium Club Opening, Chengdu, June 19, 2004.
Dianzekeda Music Festival, Chengdu, May 15, 2004.
Participated Festivals and Tours
Zebra Music Festival 2011, April 30th- May 2nd 2011
Zebra Music Festival 2010, May 1st-3rd 2010
Midi Music Festival 2010, May 1st-4th 2010
Zebra Music Festival 2009 - May 2009
Midi Music Festival 2008 - October 2008
Dino Beach Rock Festival - June/July 2007
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Appearances in Podcasts
Immigrazioni Musicali: Cina - 2007
Further Information
Official Pages
Articles & Interviews
- Interview on CNNGo:
Proximity Butterfly Interview on CNNGo by Dan Shapiro Joshua C. Love and Proximity Butterfly honor Sichuan earthquake survivors and victims June 27th 2011
- Interview on Chengdumusic.com:
Reprieve Album review by Chengdu Music's Morton Capturing The Butterfly July 2nd 2011
- MIDI 2010 Festival Preview: Proximity Butterfly with an Interview with Joshua Love, May 2010
References
- ↑ Beijing Daze (2011-07-06). "Bedstars crash & burn, Rustic shine and Proximity Butterfly soar". Retrieved on 2011-07-06.
- ↑ Jane (GoChengdoo) (2010-05-02). "Zebra Music Festival 2010 Day 1 in Photos". Retrieved on 2010-07-25.
- ↑ Daniel Shapiro (Cityweekend Beijing) (2010-05-01). "MIDI Festival Preview: Proximity Butterfly". Retrieved on 2010-05-01.
- ↑ As received via email on 2009-05-09.
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