BRAD Butcher was 21 when he discovered he had a half brother.
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The fact that he turned out to be an opera singer and professional golfer was just a bonus.
Family is a topic close to Butcher's heart, and it's only natural that connection strongly features in his music, like his latest album Travelling Salesman.
"This one is a more personal album with stuff that I've been through, like Christmas at my grandmother's home and that over the years that home doesn't belong to us anymore," Butcher said.
"I now have a half brother that I didn't know existed until I was 21, mum and dad sat us down and said they had something to tell us.
"Mum put him up for adoption when she was still in her teens and in those years it was really frowned upon so she was treated quite poorly, but my brother Allan is 10 years older than me and he was an opera singer and professional golfer and I have a real connection with him."
Travelling Salesman is a marriage of blues, country, folk and singer-songwriter and possibly Butcher's best work yet.
One of his songs was written just up the road at the Dag Sheep Station in Nundle at one of the famous songwriters' retreats with fellow artist Jason Carney.
It's taken Butcher some time to become comfortable with selling himself, and it's what inspired the name of his latest album Travelling Salesman.
"I definitely had to find my feet, my sound and that evolved luckily from the get-go," Butcher said.
"A lot of it has an Americana influence but I think for me personally I have a hard time dressing it up or doing anything that isn't me and I think that would show on stage.
"It's a pretty honest approach I try to take, I don't tell any lies and it's just who I am."
Outside of his own family mental health is something that influences a lot of Butcher's words.
His own battle with anxiety is something he had learned to deal with through performance, but he's had personal experience with working in the coal fields in Queensland.
"I've seen the impact and have had relatives lose their lives so I've tried to raise awareness and be an ambassador for different foundations, that's something that means a lot to me," Butcher said.
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"I really try to put a message in there that's universal whether that's about happiness or whatever, hopefully people can relate.
"I try not to make it all in the key of me."
Nature's Course, one of the songs on his latest album is already released and has taken on a path of its own.
What started out as a song about humanity and its relationship with the planet has ended up with a far different meaning.
The last line, 'What if nature's course is just the end of you and me?' was first written about the potential of an ice age or natural disaster, Butcher said.
"In recent months it's turned into a breakup song and that's the way it's perceived now," he said.
And what good country song doesn't?
Brad Butcher's new album will be released July 5 and is available for pre-order. He'll be back in Tamworth for a show at July 13 at The Pub.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
