She loves lesbians and we love her. Butterfly Boucher -- yes, it is actually her “real” name --is preparing to head back out onto the road this summer with Sarah McLachlan. It will be the second time the two women have worked together on tour (the first one, Sarah’s Afterglow tour, allowed Butterfly to spread her wings as a solo artist). So, who is Butterfly and where did she come from anyway?
Butterfly Boucher was born on June 2, 1979 in Australia.She was number four out of nine children in the Boucher household and took to music at an early age.She began touring and making a name for herself in Australia before joining the Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan on their respective U.S. tours.Butterfly now resides in Nashville, and has a slew of musical projects up her sleeves. Oh, and she also plays a mean Hacky Sack!
SheWired:Butterfly, we have to start with the obvious – your name! How did “Butterfly” come about? I read that it was a suggestion from a family friend.
Butterfly Boucher: Well it‘s kind of a long story but, yeah, it was suggested by a family friend.Actually, two different people suggested it, which was kind of crazy!My Mum wasn’t quite convinced at first but after about a week full of random butterfly things showing up she decided to go with it. Plus, I was the fourth child and they were looking to get creative with the names!
You are originally from Australia but are now living in Nashville. What a change of scenery! How is that going for you?
I love it here in Nashville. The pace of life is pretty laid-back.It’s a lot like Australia in that way.I’ve lived here for about 11 years and I have close friends here so it’s very much home for me.
Please tell us a little bit about Ten Out of Tenn. Love the name!
Well, I can’t claim any credit for the name! Ten Out Of Tenn is the Brain child of Trent and Kristen Dabbs - who are two very wonderful people in the Nashville community. They put out a couple of compilation CD’s (each of them having ten songs from ten different artists from Tennessee). Some of those artists were friends of theirs and others, like me, got to know them through the compilations.They decided to go one step further with the idea and put a tour together.I was lucky to be part of that first tour. It just so happened that all ten artists who were on VOL 2 were able to do it.It was one of the happiest tours I’ve ever been on!Since that first tour, we have gone on to do three more tours and we are looking to do another in October of this year.
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Sarah McLachlan had you along for her Afterglow tour a few years ago and now you will be joining Sarah on the road again for Lilith. How exciting! What is the working relationship like between you and Sarah?
Oh, yeah - I’m super excited! I was actually opening for Sarah as a solo artist for the Afterglow tour, which was such an amazing experience. Playing in front of that many people night after night was, and will always be, one of the highlights of my career. This upcoming Lilith Fair tour will be the first time I’ve officially “worked” for Sarah (if you don’t count the one gig I did a few months back!). Apart from the handful of solo sets I have on Lilith Fair, I will mainly be playing bass guitar in Sarah’s band. I’ll have to get back to you on how our working relationship goes, but judging from the times we have hung out, I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be great! She is such a laid back and generous person. It’s hard to feel anything but relaxed and grateful around her.
Can you tell us a backstage story from the Afterglow tour that stands out for you?
Oh geez, I’m terrible with stuff like this and I never remember the cool stories! I do remember playing hacky sack once with a few of us backstage and Sarah had a rule that you were not allowed to say “sorry” if you messed up. My poor guitarist ended up gouging Sarah’s foot with his toenail by accident, but she wouldn’t let him say “sorry” because those were the rules!
There are a lot of lesbians reading this right now who cannot wait to see you perform at Lilith. How does that make you feel?
Ha! I love lesbians! A lot of my fans are fans I stole from Sarah when I opened for her and, as I’m sure you are aware, she has a loyal following of lesbians!I, too, now have a fine following of lesbian fan/friends and, I have to say, I love it! I’m incredibly grateful for all of them.Lesbians are an incredibly supportive and generous bunch of souls.
If you could choose five things to bring on the road with you this summer, what would they be and why?
1. My own comfortable pillow – anything to help me sleep better on the road is a plus, not just for myself but for the people who have to be around my tired, grumpy old ass all day!
2. Lavender oil - to make my bunk bed smell nice and fresh.
3. My iPhone – my connection to the outside world.
4. My beloved boots – you have to look good on stage!
5. Sunglasses – to combat the bright sun and maybe every now and then… but hardly ever… a hangover.
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Grey’s Anatomy recently showcased “A Bitter Song” from your album Scary Fragile. Are you a fan of the show?
Actually, I don’t have a TV so it’s made it difficult to follow the show over the years!It’s been so wonderful to have my songs on Grey’s Anatomy.I’ve been lucky to have three songs on the show over the years - the first one being in the Pilot! It’s great exposure for an artist like me who hasn’t really gotten a lot of radio play. I’ve had a lot of people become fans through hearing me on Grey’s.It’s been wonderful.
Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Let’s see..I’m currently busy working on my new solo album and trying to get that done before too many months pass by! I’ve also been releasing some special videos of songs from my album Scary Fragile. It’s called the “ALIVE” series (they’ll give you a good idea of what I’m like live if you’ve never seen me before). I’ve been posting a new video every other week on my YouTube page along with various other silly videos!
Also I recently started a band called Elle Macho with two very talented friends of mine (David Mead and Lindsay Jamieson). It’s a fun rock and roll/pop band. In fact, the best way to keep in touch with all things "Butterfly Boucher" would be to head to my Facebook page and become a friend, follow me on Twitter or go to my website and sign up for my mailing list. You wouldn’t want to miss out on anything new now would ya?!
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