Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NIGHT BEAT: Butterfly Boucher spreads her wings

The Barenaked Ladies signed up Butterfly Boucher to open for the comic, pop-rock band on tour. That includes Friday's show at Mandalay Bay. Why Boucher?

"She's so charismatic and captivating," says Barenaked singer and guitarist Ed Robertson. "Sometimes (picking an opening act is) a favor to the label, or a favor to the agent. ... With Butterfly, it was a case of us calling and saying we want her with us. We want to help her any way we can."

Boucher is also slated to open for singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan this year. Opening for two different-sounding stars is a testament to Boucher's high quality. She is a light-fisted singer-songwriter. To me, she sounds most inspired by Elton John, Sheila Nicholls and Aimee Mann.

But it's unclear who else will become a fan. Some critics who prefer flash think she's talented but vocally bland. I think she's great. Boucher herself was surprised when a friend of hers, who works in a record store in Nashville, spun Boucher's debut CD, "Flutterby," and found out who liked her there. Boucher tells this story her native Australian tongue, which is airy, animated and requires italics:

"He said about 40 to 50 people came up in the 10 times they played it. They were going, 'What is this? It's a-ma-zing!' ... And he said these are the people who generally only come in to buy country music. I mean, that's not even close to what I do."

I heard one of Boucher's songs in a restaurant, I think at Raffles at Mandalay Bay. Boucher says friends have told her they've heard her singing overhead at the clothing store, the Gap. Boucher explains: Executives at her record label ordered compilations to go out to different marketplaces.

"Now that radio is not as strong as it used to be, you play around (radio), and eventually they'll catch on," she says.

Boucher says executives at her record company became happier with her disc after she recut the single, "Another White Dash," turning it from a folkie song to a splashier pop thing. The move earned her more money to make a music video.

"We all agreed pop radio is saturated with such commercial pop at the moment, I had to be able to compete with it," she says.

What was changed about the song?

"I'd rather not talk about it, but," she says, sounding a little bit funny, "the key-change at the end. Which apparently makes it a smashing single," she says and laughs, then suddenly she requires not just italics but uppercase: "It's called THE SACRIFICE THAT YOU MAKE." She stops laughing. "Ah, it's not that bad."

Boucher sings at 7:30 p.m. Friday. She's followed by the also-talented Howie Day, and then Barenaked Ladies. Tickets cost $35-$45.

Doug Elfman's Nightbeat column appears Tuesdays