By Rega Jha

Originally from small-town Jersey, and now a sophomore in Steinhardt, Brent Butler knows for certain that despite any odds, music will be a part of his career. “I guess when you’re a musician in a small farm-town, you have a lot of time to sit around and write songs,” he openly admits.

“I’m not in Recorded Music, I’m not in Composition, I’m not in any of those majors where kids make music for homework and are gearing themselves towards a specific career. For me, it’s always been a ‘free time’ thing. But I know that if I’m going to go anywhere with this, I have to believe in myself. Lil’ Wayne swears he’s the best rapper alive, whether he is or he isn’t, and it’s that confidence – almost arrogance – that allows him to keep putting music out like a fucking monster, like a machine,” he says reverently.

A pertinent question at this point would be: at a school like NYU, where musical talent is more prevalent than much else, what makes Brent Butler relevant? In a school where everyone claims to be a songwriter, and in a city that makes us all artists, why pay any attention?

Butler’s claims to fame include playing at the CAS Block Party 2010, busking at several Subway stations and Washington Square Park, being selected for the finals of Ultra Violet Live 2010, and most recently (and most significantly), recording a live album at The Bitter End, New York’s oldest rock club with “Winter North and Night,” a band that he plays bass for. The album is slated to drop a month from now, before which the band has a host of shows scheduled in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, including UVL on February 25th. Although playing bass is new to Butler, who usually markets himself as a solo act, he acknowledges that “the more aspects of music that I hone in on at different times in my life, the more I will have to feed into, and they’ll help my ability to write songs as a composer.”

Butler was a small-town boy, born and raised in South Jersey (no, not Detroit), where his mother brought him up with country music (he claims to be able to sing along to multiple Dixie Chicks’ albums), while his father barraged him with cutting edge rock n’ roll. “I think him blasting Greenday and Weezer when I was 5 was what made me want to play guitar. I don’t know how that fits into things with a country mom, but that combination probably defines me,” he laughs. Now a singer/songwriter of the pop-rock persuasion, Butler also admits to “an undeniable compulsion to rap from time to time.”

As for the future, Butler knows that one way or another, music will feature in his professional life. “I love, love, love, love, love performing,” he asserts. “But, as a slightly more realistic option than being a breakout music sensation, I want to be a songwriter. Not to set the bar low – if I can make a living out of performing, then that’s awesome – but if not, I could have a very, very fulfilling career doing what the Dream or Kanye are doing.”

Winter North & Night website: www.wnanband.com

Brent Butler’s Fanpage: Search “Brent Butler” on Facebook.

UVL info: http://www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu/calendar/uvl_2010