A marriage of magical musicians

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Nibs van der Spuy, left, and Guy Buttery, who are promoting their first album together, will give five performances at Durbans Catalina Theatre from Thursday to Sunday.

So, what does a young man who secretly longed to be a beekeeper one day and who, in high school, was coaxed on stage for his first public performance by a drama teacher offering him chocolate, have in common with Durban gigs later this week by two of the city’s top guitarists?

The answer? One of those guitarists, 28-year-old Guy Buttery, is the person referred to and this wannabe beekeeper, who has four solo albums to his credit, will be sharing the spotlight at Durban’s Catalina Theatre, Wilson’s Wharf, with long-time mate and mentor, the seasoned Nibs van der Spuy.

Touring countrywide to promote their first album together, In the Shade of the Wild Fig, the Durban performances have Buttery excited.

Having now waved goodbye to Cape Town to again make his home town his base, he and Van der Spuy will perform at the Catalina Theatre at 8pm nightly, Thursday to Saturday, and again at 2pm and 6pm on Sunday.

Tickets for the show cost R90 each (R65 for students and senior citizens) and booking is at the theatre (telephone 031 305 6889) or via catalinaunltd@gmail.com

“Nibs and I had been talking about doing an album together for nearly 10 years. Eventually we pulled ourselves towards ourselves and found time to pull it off,” says Buttery, adding that the collection was recorded in two days at the award-winning studio, Peace of Eden, in Knysna, with renowned engineer and producer Howard Butcher.

“It’s essentially a world/folk album. We are both known as guitar players, but the album features sitar, mbira, cuarto, tampura and assorted percussion, all played by either Nibs or myself.

“It’s also probably the record I had the most fun making, and I think that shines through in the music.”

Having toured and performed together for many years, the two had a good idea of what pieces they intended to capture on tape but ended up writing material en route to the studio and some of that landed up on the album as well.

“Our show changes every night. We mix up the songs we’re going to play, but more importantly we also stretch them out and improvise a hell of a lot. It makes it way more fun for both the audience and us as musicians.”

The guitar aces will be taking their mixed bag of tunes to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in July, then to the UK, Italy and France in September, and are also planning a US tour early in the new year.

They are thrilled that they are now also negotiating the album’s release in the UK, Canada and France, which should come to fruition later this year.

The relationship between these two magical musicians goes back some time, Buttery having been a teenage fan of Van der Spuy, who was then already well established and widely renowned.

“I was a big fan and managed to convince the music department at high school to get Nibs in as a guitar tutor… and the rest is history. He taught me for four or five years at both school and the then-Natal Technikon, when I was studying jazz there.”

Buttery’s other formal training includes further study in classical guitar with his first guitar teacher, Leandros Stavro.

Besides Van der Spuy, Buttery says his “endless list” of guitar heroes includes such masters as Jimmy Page, Michael Hedges, Steve Newman and Ralph Towner.

“They all represent innovation for me in some way and have really carved their own ‘voice’ on the instrument… and that means more to me as a musician than anything else, really.”

Buttery first took to the guitar at the age of 10: “My brothers were making music and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I think Led Zeppelin may have had something to do with it as well.”

He has “ 10 or so” guitars now, but tends to always return to his favourite, a handmade Fylde guitar, created by Roger Bucknall in the UK.

Buttery admits to having a soft spot for another guitar: “I still have a musical chat now and then with my first guitar. Despite being a rather cheap Chinese knock-off, it holds a special place in my heart. I also recorded my first album with it.”

Guitar might be his passion, but Buttery has turned to numerous instruments over the years. Either on stage or in the studio, he has played sitar, mbira, piano and mandolin, “but all at a very rudimentary level”.

He recently trotted off with three national awards, including the SA Music Award for Best Instrumental Album, for his 2009 success, Foxhill Lane.

“I was very chuffed when I finally picked up a SA Music Award. I’d been nominated four times and, quite frankly, was quite sick of making the trek up to Sun City every year,” he says with a laugh. It was a real honour to be up against all those guys and to be recognised by South Africa for my musical noodles.”

He is proud of all his albums, which include 2005’s Songs from the Cane Fields and 2011’s To Disappear in Place, the latter of which was released “exclusively on 180g audiophile virgin vinyl in Holland… and came out fantastically”.

Buttery has accomplished much since releasing his first album, When I Grow Up, in 2002, and was featured in the world’s biggest-selling guitar magazine, Guitar Player, which led to him performing at some of the world’s leading guitar festivals.

“I have been fortunate to travel and see large parts of the world through my music.

“I’ve been to the US, Australia, UK, France, Italy, Seychelles, and many other places. Playing at guitar festivals have been highlights and meeting and performing alongside a bunch of my childhood heroes.”

Any tips for budding guitarists dreaming of making it big?

“Keep at it, no matter what anyone tells you, and, most importantly, strive for your own voice. It’s your musical ‘muscle’, if you will, and separates you from everyone else.”