Australia's chart topping John Butler Trio, will kickoff more U.S. tour dates beginning April 29th at Jazzfest in New Orleans. The acclaimed three-piece will be hitting the ground running in support of their recently released U.S. debut "Sunrise Over Sea." The album, which hit stores March 15, sold over 4000 units its' first week and landed at #8 on the Alternative New Artist Chart. In May, Trey Anastasio of the legendary Phish, will join the band for a few shows.

Critics across the country have praised the group. According to the New York Post, [Butler] plays "the best acoustic soul since Dave Matthews," while Billboard calls Sunrise Over Sea, "wonderfully overwhelming." The kudos don't stop there, Performing Songwriter calls Butler "a force to be reckoned with," and the Dayton Daily News cites the trio as "blending styles of the two Bobs - Dylan and Marley."

The John Butler Trio established themselves as one of Australia's most successful independent artists in recent history. Sunrise Over Sea debuted at #1 in their native country and is officially four times certified platinum in Australia and platinum in New Zealand. The band was nominated for five ARIA Awards in 2004, (Australian Grammys) taking home a total of three including "Best Male Vocalist," "Best Roots & Blues Album" and "Best Independent Artist." In addition, John Butler recently set up his own Arts Grant Scheme in Australia to help benefit emerging artists.

The John Butler Trio just completed a successful run of dates, which included sold out shows in San Francisco, New York and Austin. The band have diligently built a substantial touring base and are committed to spending much of 2005 on the road here in the States.

Dates follow:

4/29 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazzfest
5/01 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsay
5/05 Indianapolis, IN In Vogue
5/06 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre *
5/07 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre *
5/08 Milwaukee, WI Eagle's Ballroom *
5/10 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
5/11 Portland, OR Douglas Fir Lounge
5/13 Joshua Tree, CA Joshua Tree Music Festival
5/14 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
5/15 San Diego, CA House of Blues
5/18 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
5/22 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
6/12 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
6/16 Telluride, CO Telluride Bluegrass Festival
6/18 Lawrence, KS Wakarusa Music Festival

* w/ Trey Anastasio

Labels: Trey Anastasio