Sliced meat and signed boobs
Winnipeg goes Butch(er)
CHELSE MCKEE VOLUNTEER STAFF
PHOTO: COURTESY OF VKPR / SONS OF BUTCHER
At least that’s what Ricky Butcher — one of the show’s main characters — said, when speaking to me about the SOB’s current tour, new album Meatlantis, and vegetarians.
Here’s the lowdown on the show: SOB is a reality-based show revolving around the Steeltown lives of Sol Butcher, Ricky Butcher, and Doug Borksi, members of the band of the same name. The band was formed after Sol and Ricky’s dad died in a tragic meat-grinding incident. Sol, Ricky, and Dave took over the family business, Sons of Butcher Quality Meats, running it during the day while playing Steeltown gigs at night.
While the members all provide vocals, each one brings something unique to the group. Ricky plays guitars and provides orgasms, Dave plays bass and mops the store, and Sol plays guitar and gives hugs — a wide array of amazing qualities, to be sure. There’s also drummer Christal Ballz, but he doesn’t make any speaking appearance on the show and is usually just around for the tour.
SOB, only in its second year, combines Macromedia Flash and the live action heads of its three main characters to create an innovative look, different from anything else on television.
The show was created by Jay Ziebarth, Trevor Ziebarth, Dave Dunham, and Max Smith. If the name Smith sounds familiar, it’s because Max is the son of Steve Smith, infamous star of The Red Green Show. Smith/Green had a common saying: “if the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.” I asked Ricky “if the women don’t find you handsome, what’s Sons of Butcher’s advice?”
“Whip ’em out. We haven’t developed [any band slogans] except for 'please whip ’em out.’ It doesn’t ever seem to materialize into anything. It’s the most unsuccessful slogan ever.”
The new sophomore album, Meatlantis, just came out Nov. 7, and it’s better than their debut, according to Ricky. “I think it’s a hundred percent better. I would definitely go on record to say that it’s way, way better. It sounds better, there’s more tracks, the songs are better, my voice is better. It sounds fuckin’ amazing.”
Just in case the new album isn’t enough, SOB released their firstseason DVD on the same day. What to expect from this 13-episode spinner? No less than six drunken commentaries, the music video for “Fuck the Shit” (including a live version), a season two trailer, and much more.
Sons of Butcher are currently on a cross-Canada tour promoting everything from their Gemini award (Most Popular Website: www. sonofbutcher.com) to pepperettes. If you are planning to attend the Winnipeg show happening at the Pyramid Cabaret on Nov. 24, you’d better expect oodles of meat.
“[The vegetarians and vegans] best be bringing a diaper ’cause the meat overload will make them shit their pants. We’re meaty guys.” Ricky Butcher’s not joking. At every show there’s an offering of meat-scented air fresheners, flying pepperettes, hanging meat, and a snack unique to SOB called “Sol’s Slippery Snackers.”
If you’re already a fan of the show, then you know about the spandex, the stretchy neon spandex. Be prepared for the guys to be wearing skin-tight colours while singing about jerky bouncers and girlfriends. Just a warning that the meat at the product table might not be the only thing that’s tightly wrapped.
However, fame isn’t all meat and music. There’s the well-known perk of female groupies. “I’ve been doing a lot of the signing boobs,” said Ricky. “There’s stomach, a shoe, back, shirts, but boobs are the best of them.”
So get prepared for Sons of Butcher, showing up in Winnipeg on Nov. 24 at the Pyramid Cabaret. If you need a teaser pleaser before then, just remember that every Friday at 11:30 p.m. on Teletoon, you can learn why there’s more than one purpose for a fur coat or why not all porn is good porn.
Bon appétit on the meat.
Sons of Butcher play the Pyramid Cabaret Nov. 24.
