A preview within a preview

New music from Anna Butterss

Over the weekend, I had a wide-ranging conversation with Indiana to Los Angeles transplant Ben Lumsdaine. Hoosier music fans may remember Lumsdaine as the drummer of Mike Adams at His Honest Weight or half of indie pop duo Spissy, alongside fellow Honest Weight alum (and supremely talented graphic designer Aaron Lowell Denton). Chatterbox regulars may remember him as the anchor of Sophie Faught Trio. But this post isn’t about Ben. I’ll get to a detailed update on his creative past and present soon. 

Instead, let’s talk about Anna Butterss, Lumsdaine’s fellow IU Jacobs School of Music alum. On the night I spoke to Lumsdaine, Butterss was in Indy playing with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at The Lawn at White River State Park. They’re one of the most in-demand bassists working right now. Beyond the gig with the 400 Unit, their credits include: BoyGenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis, and Aimee Mann, just to name a few. 

While those pop credits probably keep their lights on, Butterss’s jazz output is what really excites me. See: Makaya McCraven, Daniel Villareal, SML, and the live document of a weekly L.A. jam session with saxophonist Josh Johnson, drummer Jay Bellerose, and guitar god Jeff Parker, called Mondays at Enfield Tennis Academy. This record hasn’t left my weekly rotation since it dropped on Eremite Records in late October 2022. It’s a masterclass. Close your eyes and put this 23-minute, meditative slow burner on for a taste: 

2022 also saw Butterss release their solo debut, Activities. The fact that this record was spawned during a one-day recording session should tell you more than you need to know about how talented this crew is. Co-produced by Colorfield Records founder Pete Min, the session was rounded out by Johnson on sax, Lumsdaine shared drum duties with Christian Euman, and Butterss covered nearly every other instrument. It was one of my favorite releases of the year, and it remains criminally underrated–especially given the prominence of Butterss ascent into pop relevance. I love jazz records by unconventional bandleaders, and this one serves as a perfect example.

This week, Butterss dropped “Shorn” the lead single on their forthcoming follow-up solo LP, Mighty Vertebrate, due out on International Anthem records on October 4. Lumsdaine recorded the album at Chris Schlarb’s Big Ego Studios. Schlarb and Lumsdaine were labelmates at Joyful Noise Recordings during Lumsdaine’s time with Mike Adams at His Honest Weight. I booked Schlarb at Joyful Noise’s former space in the Murphy Building in 2016 when I was managing that space. He provided the picture of Lumsdaine and Butterss in the studio that sits at the top of this post. 

 Mighty Vertebrate reunites Johnson, Parker, and Butterss from Mondays, on the track, “Dance Steve”.  Lumsdaine lends drums, as well as lap steel guitar and other effects. Guitarist Gregory Uhlmann shares his talents as well. Needless to say, I’m immensely proud of the Indiana connections on display here. These musicians represent some of the most interesting and important music getting made today, as far as I’m concerned. I hope you’ll give what I shared here a listen, and I really hope you plug in and stay tuned for future releases.