MUSIC

Have a Punk Christmas with Brent Butler's "Brooklyn Christmas Eve"

The LA-based songwriter is the #ZackMorrisofRap.

What says Christmas in Brooklyn better than a chorus of, "Light up my Christmas tree like a cigarette / We don't need eggnog / We've got Jameson"?

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MUSIC

Have a Punk Christmas with Brent Butler's "Brooklyn Christmas Eve"

The Brooklyn-based songwriter is the #ZackMorrisofRap.

What says Christmas in Brooklyn better than a chorus of, "Light up my Christmas tree like a cigarette / We don't need eggnog / We've got Jameson?"

The punk sound of Brent Butler's Christmas ode captures the vibrant energy of the borough. Butler's feverish guitar riffs, clever melody, and charmingly off-kilter lyrics celebrate youth and independence in the face of holiday drudgery. "Well the magic starts to fade from this TV holiday / Yeah, I guess it ain't the same as when you're young," he croons. "Unemployed, so we got no shopping bags / But we're happy with the little things we have / Radio says this is the best time of the year / But my wish is for summer to appear." The song shifts from anthemic verses about reckless youth to earnest sentiment, "It doesn't matter where you're from / we're at home right now," he sings.

Influenced by the likes of The Pogues and Green Day, Butler is the self-proclaimed "#ZackMorrisofRap." Also called the #DavidBowieofHipHop, his concept album The Cold Press, released in 2015 with Bronx-born rapper Deascent, is considered a "hip hopera" for its narrative quality, weaving a story throughout each song. Butler released his debut EP Lilac in 2018, blending hip-hip, alternative rock, and pop punk in a genre-bending experience as unique as it is ambitious.

Find Butler's latest music on Apple Music or Spotify.


Find Brent Butler on SoundCloud | Instagram | Twitter

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We do very serious work here at the Popdust offices: we spend hours a day arguing about whether Cillian Murphy is ugly-hot or just hot, play a lot of ping-pong, and probably drink too many nights a week to be considered healthy functioning adults.

Most of all, we, as a team, watch in terror and delight as Brent Butler, our fearless leader, stumbles through his day to day life with an endless arsenal of puns, granola, and hair product. Brent is known for many things, including his seemingly infinite appetite for yogurt and deep love of Weezer and graphic tees, but most of all, Brent is known for his questionable decisions.

Without fail, these decisions are borne from a desire to make life as fun and entertaining as possible, and without fail, they end in unexpected and hilarious ways. The latest of these decisions was Brent's decision to allow me, Popdust assistant editor, and notoriously impulsive millennial, Brooke, to give him a haircut. The stakes of this undertaking are higher than they sound, as Brent is passionate about and protective of his golden locks to a degree that is difficult to imagine if you haven't personally witnessed it. Yet, he insisted on this undertaking, prompting questions from the rest of the staff of whether he was emotionally stable and psychologically whole. Nevertheless, we went forward with this absurd plan, taping it for the pleasure and terror of our viewers. At long last, here it is. Most of all, we're so sorry.

PopCuts PreBrentswww.youtube.com

Tin whistle, Cajun French and fiddle filled the Popdust board room as very special guests Spider Stacy and Lost Bayou Ramblers paid us a visit while doing a run of sold out shows in NYC.

Stacy is probably best known best for co-founding legendary Celtic punk band, The Pogues in London, as well as his role on Treme. These days he's a certified 'Naw-land-er,' and Louisiana is where he linked up and began performing with the Grammy-nominated cajun music group, Lost Bayou Ramblers.

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On this week's Popdust Presents, we have a dual performance by Garrett Gardner and Sharlette, who met through Instagram and began collaborating.

Sharlette is a contemporary soul/pop artist and songwriter from London, who has performed with the likes of LeAnn Rimes and Boy George. She was also featured on Anthony Harm's track "Should've Been Me," that's garnered thousands of streams on Spotify. Meanwhile, Garrett first broke into the mainstream on NBC's The Voice, where he made it to the top 12 in Season 4 on team Shakira. Now, the two are collaborating to craft soulful, genuine, acoustic music.

Popdust's own Brent Butler interviewed the pair about their respective musical journeys, the small world of Instagram, and fireworks in Dubai.

Popdust Presents | Sharlette & Garrett Gardneryoutu.be

The pair also performed the upbeat and unreleased, "Meet in the Middle," showing off Sharlette's extraordinary voice and Garrett's guitar prowess.

Sharlette "Meet in the Middle"youtu.be

Then, Garrett performed "Fool's Gold" solo, showing off the velvety voice that caught the attention of The Voice judges.

Garrett Gardner "Fool's Gold"youtu.be

Finally, both artists endured the Magic Box, pressuring Brent to follow them down a dark path, explaining a desire to haunt a shelf in 7/11, and unpacking a terror of advisory roles in the American Executive branch.

The Magic Box Interview with Sharlette & Garrett Gardneryoutu.be


For more from Garrett Gardner, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

For more from Sharlette, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.


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Film News

The Dunning Man is Now Available to Stream

The critically acclaimed film is now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Fandango.

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