Blackbutton

This haunted, brooding guitar/ drum duo brings out the very core of raw emotion in songwriting. Jordan Tavenner’s growl spits out bile as intently as it sucks in the listener with stories of life and lost love and foreboding. While Blackbutton’s music is vaguely reminiscent of the blues of the Mississippi delta of days long ago, this is not a retro, stylized sound of yore. The sound of these songs is immediate, its intimacy perfectly preserved by the knob twiddling of Shane O’Connor.

The band slithers easily from a whisper to a scream and you will be too enthralled by the journey of the song to notice. The tales of a journeyman have never sounded so genuine as they do with this band. With so many drowning in a sea of imitators, Blackbutton takes you to the origin, while carving its own unique path. (Joel Simches)
- The Noise

"'The Physical and Functioning Integrity', a knock-down, drag-out, back-alley beating that adapts Wolfmother’s “Joker and the Thief” into a primitive six-string gauntlet. Just Pummeled skins and cranked-up riffing, this track, like its makers, proves a pure thing of long ago – the wheel itself." (Robbie Hilson)
- Performer Magazine

Shortly after I settled into the bar, Boston two-piece grunge/blues outfit Blackbutton started making a racket from the stage-area. Turned up to ear-drum shattering volume, Jordan Tavenner (guitar, vox) and Anshul Jain (drums) made more noise together than any band yet at the festival (so much noise they actually got yelled at and told to turned down mid-performance by the bar's owner). With nasty dirt-blues guitar chops, loose flying drums, and intense vocals, Blackbutton were my favorite festival discovery thus far! Tavenner's Gibson hollow-body soared with rich, sweet tone, while Jain channeled his inner John Bonham, punishing his toms and snare. Festival-goers will have another chance to check these guys out at Good Times on Saturday night at 7:30, I highly recommend it!
(Noah Joffe-Halpern) - PlaygroundBoston.com

When did you form blackbutton, and why? With who?

[J. M. Tavenner:] I formed blackbutton in August of 2007. I was playing as a solo artist for some time. I had a problem with the impact of my music, and wanted to change the intensity of my sound by writing new songs on electric as opposed to acoustic. This occurred to me one night during a show at All Asia. A neighbor and friend of mine suggested we play together. [Anshul Jain on drums.] We did, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to achieve what I was seeking.

Describe your music.

Our music is much more dense than what I am used to. We're able to manipulate so many new sounds I can hardly keep up with my own changes. The advancement of songs originally written alone and now played with a drummer in the background is more than I ever expected. We play like anyone would say a rock sound, however, coming from a singer / songwriter practice, there is a romance to the music that is indelible. We have a lot of fun and communicate very well.

Who are your musical influences?

Both Anshul and I have many musical influences. It's hard to name any one band without feeling silly and partial. We both enjoy classic and alternative rock bands, and I really like the blues, which I'm sure comes across in our songs. But when it comes down to creating new music, we just play in the moment and are thereby under the influence of everything that we happen to carry with us that day.

Anything else you'd like to add?

We hope that you can come out to the show. Everyone could get involved with Whats Up and Spare Change - you don't have to do everything, but to be aware of what you can do is crucial. -Emily Johnson

- Spare Change News