William Butler (musician)
Encyclopedia
William Pierce Butler is a multi-instrumentalist
who is best known as a member of the indie rock
band Arcade Fire. William plays synthesizer, bass, guitar and percussion. He is known for his spontaneity and antics during performances. He is the brother of Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler
.
Born in northern California
and raised in The Woodlands, Texas
, Will is the grandson of guitarist Alvino Rey
. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy
in 2001, and subsequently attended Northwestern University
, majoring in Poetry and Slavic studies. While at Northwestern he worked as a DJ
for the WNUR Rock Show, where he also hired Nathan Amundson of Rivulets
to be a substitute DJ at WNUR. He also served as the poetry editor of Northwestern's literary magazine, Helicon. An excerpt of a poem from his senior thesis is quoted in Brian Bouldrey
's book, "Honorable Bandit: A Walk Across Corsica."
In January 2008 Butler married dancer Jenny Shore. They are expecting their first child, as of November 2011.
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
who is best known as a member of the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Arcade Fire. William plays synthesizer, bass, guitar and percussion. He is known for his spontaneity and antics during performances. He is the brother of Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler
Win Butler
Win Butler is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the Montreal-based indie rock band Arcade Fire. His wife Régine Chassagne and his brother William Butler are both members of the band.-Life and career:...
.
Born in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and raised in The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
, Will is the grandson of guitarist Alvino Rey
Alvino Rey
Alvin McBurney , known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American swing era musician and pioneer, often credited as the father of the pedal steel guitar...
. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in 2001, and subsequently attended Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, majoring in Poetry and Slavic studies. While at Northwestern he worked as a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
for the WNUR Rock Show, where he also hired Nathan Amundson of Rivulets
Rivulets
-Biography:Amundson was born in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and started Rivulets in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the year 2000. He has also lived in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Dallas, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, Bloomington, Indiana and Duluth, Minnesota...
to be a substitute DJ at WNUR. He also served as the poetry editor of Northwestern's literary magazine, Helicon. An excerpt of a poem from his senior thesis is quoted in Brian Bouldrey
Brian Bouldrey
Brian Bouldrey is a United States writer. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Northwestern University's English Department. He is also a Visiting Writer at Lesley University.-Controversy:http://www.chron.org/tools/viewart.php?artid=1467...
's book, "Honorable Bandit: A Walk Across Corsica."
In January 2008 Butler married dancer Jenny Shore. They are expecting their first child, as of November 2011.