Ian Butters is already known to many Rush fans both in the UK and abroad and he needs no introduction here.
But a little history always helps......
Ian first picked up a guitar aged 12 in 1979. He took early lessons via a school guitar club, then gained classical guitar training whilst studying 'O' Level music. This gave him the knowledge he needed to continue as a self taught musician thereafter.
Being an 80's teenager Ian always loved the sound of powerful synthesizer bands such as Ultravox and Gary Numan as well as the many guitar bands prevailant at the time. Ian became an instant Rush fan on hearing their albums of the period - Exit..Stage Left, Signals, Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves which seemed to perfectly meld the two musical genres together as well as incorporating classical influence and many other styles of music.
Ian recognised at that time that he had a very similar stylistic approach to guitar playing as Alex Lifeson and found it almost effortless to mimic his playing, even as a youngster. Despite being a huge fan, he tributes Rush not least because it is the easiest band for him to copy stylistically and faithfully in a very natural way.
Ian spent much of the early 90's playing in a show band before embarking on an original progressive rock project 'Gymnarchus' writing music with keyboardist/programmer Andy Thomas (David Bowie, Steve Winwood, Asia, Stevie Wonder, Frankie Goes To Hollywood). This collaboration also brought him into regular contact with other people such as Hugh MacDowell of ELO and Ian gained insight into the pro level music world at this time. It also saw him stepping foot into the hallowed halls of Rockfield Studio near Monmouth where A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres were born, which was an almost spiritual experience for such an avid Rush fan.
Ian then had the idea of developing a professional Rush tribute band around 2001 and took the mighty step of 'getting on the net' in that year. Ian soon found a like minded drummer and Tom Sawyer was eventually born in 2002.
In October 2008, in order to provide a more polished and regularly gigging Rush tribute experience for Rush fans everywhere, Ian took the necessary step of dis-banding the line-up of Tom Sawyer in favour of re-establishing it with two players more able to handle the rigours of a travelling band.
And here we are.... up to present day with RUSH UK fully established and raring to go.
Coming at ya!
Sometimes for fun and/or rehearsal purposes I record Rush songs and very occasionally I lob a vocal on too just to finish it off (literally!) and it gives me a chance to work on my backing vocals (which are very Lifeson-esque too might I add!). Here's Subdivisions.....enjoy I say, enjoy!!!
