It was approximately 11:30 pm, and I was waiting by the bar’s door on Lansdowne Street in Boston, right next to Fenway Park. The three women I was with were taking their time leaving. A couple of people exited through the door I was waiting by, and one of them was Butch Walker. We exchanged a few words, and then we all went on our way. Walker was barely noticed by anybody aside from us and maybe a couple of others in the bar, in grand contrast to the show that he had just played a couple of hours prior, just a few doors down from the bar. It was a wall-to-wall packed house, with probably at least a thousand people. Such is the life of Butch Walker, who at one time had some hand in just about every popular song you heard on the radio. The average radio listener had no idea who he was, but if you liked a song at this time, he most likely was either a writer or co-writer of it, the producer, one of the musicians playing on it, or some combination of those. It’s quite a feat to be this famous while simultaneously remaining virtually anonymous in public. That’s where Butch Walker: Out of Focus comes in.
This well-made documentary from Peter Harding and Shane Ryan Valdez chronicles the daily life of Walker and his band at the time, Butch Walker and The Black Widows, as well as his career path and family life. While the overarching path of this documentary film follows Walker and his band in the recording of their album “The Spade,” it doubles as a career retrospective up until around 2012, when the documentary was filmed.
“… a candid look into the studio and homelife of one of our most prolific producers/songwriters.”
It quickly becomes apparent to the viewer that Walker has two parallel yet separate careers. First he was an artist, and second a producer. Walker has been in the public eye since the early 1990s as a musical artist, and slipped into a production career in the late 90s when other bands started asking him to produce their records. Butch Walker: Out of Focus shows that the balance between these two allows him to make big money creating pop records with billboard-topping artists while still being able to run his own musical career without worrying about money.
One of the more poignant aspects of the documentary is on Walker’s father, “Big Butch.” Walker’s real name is Brad, but he decided to adopt his father’s name as his stage name when he left Atlanta for California as a teenager. This plays a part in Walker and his father remaining best friends for the rest of Big Butch’s life. However, Big Butch’s health issues have a direct impact on the musican’s dedication to his wife and child. I promise that if your parents are still with you, this will leave you wanting to call your parents and tell them you love them.
If you’re a fan of Butch Walker, a fan of music, or even just a fan of documentaries, Butch Walker: Out of Focus is one to catch.
*Easter Egg: Those who are familiar with producer/YouTuber Rick Beato will get to see a bit of an interview with the drummer from his band, “Billionaire,” Darren Dodd.
"…Butch Walker: Out of Focus is one to catch."
