“You forget that places like Philly and California have a lot of people who love country,” Kaitlin Butts tells me during a recent phone chat. At the time, the Nashville-based, Oklahoma-bred singer/songwriter is about half-a-dozen dates into The Roadrunner! Tour, which will be making a headlining stop at MilkBoy on Tuesday August 6th. And she tells me that, in addition to finding country music fans in seemingly unlikely locations, she also appreciates the variety of people coming out to hear her play her music, explaining that she always wants her shows to be inclusive of all: “I always hope everyone feels welcome at my shows.”
Last month Kaitlin Butts dropped the tour’s titular release, Roadrunner!, her third full-length and follow-up to 2022’s What Else Can She Do, which she tells me she thinks better reflects her live performances than previous releases: “I feel like this album really encompasses what I do at my live shows… At my shows, I’m a lot more country and have a lot of humor, although I do have some rock stuff, too. It encompasses all of what I do.”
Kaitlin she says that she likes her live shows to reflect a wide range of emotions: “People can expect to hear music about real life, and hopefully connect with the people around them… I mean, my music talks about things like depression, addiction, and domestic violence, which often times people feel shame about, because it’s often generational trauma revolving around family members… but I hope if you come to the show, you feel connected with the people around you.” But she assures me that it will certainly be a fun time, as well: “I’m lookin’ for people to get their boots stomping!”
The most recent single from Roadrunner! – an album inspired by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, which Butts used to go see every summer with her family, and whose references fans have been trying to pick out of the new album in YouTube reaction videos — is “Come Rest Your Head (On My Pillow),” a classic country ballad which dropped last month and features country legend Vince Gill, who apparently also hails from Oklahoma and who Butts met earlier this year: “I was playing Grand Ole Opry six or seven months ago, and he was there, in the church pews behind me. And he’s a fellow Oklahoman, like myself, and after the show, he was like, “Hey, Okie!” Although the two casually talked about collaborating, Kaitlin didn’t put much thought into the post-show banter, but when she reached out, in hopes of getting another Oklahoma artist on the track, he actually made good on the offer!
The Roadrunner! Tour kicked off earlier this month with a July 4th show in Segovia, Spain, which Kaitlin tells me has been a major highlight of her recent years: “We’ve been off for most of June, and then, for the album release, we went to Spain, which was amazing! Just to see people who don’t necessarily speak English sing along to our music was so cool!” But she tells me that just getting to play these songs, in general, has been exceptionally enjoyable: “It feels great to finally have these songs out, and people are buying tickets more than they ever have!”
This jaunt currently has dates going into next January and, in addition to headlining shows, includes gigs at mega-venues opening for Dierks Bentley and major clubs when Kaitlin’s supporting Flatland Cavalry (in the UK), Corey Kent, and Wyatt Flores, in addition to some extremely notable festivals, including Lollapalooza, which she’s quite excited about: “Lollapalooza is a big one for me, and I’m so excited to play the same stage that Lady Gaga played years ago! That’s one of the biggest festivals in the US, and so bucketlist!”
Accompanying Kaitlin Butts on her August 6th stop at MilkBoy will be Americana singer/songwriter, and fellow Oklahoma native, Ken Pomeroy, who Kaitlin tells me she’s known for quite some time now: “I’ve known her since she was like 14/15, maybe, so it’s been incredible to see a girl come into a woman and discover her sound.” And while the 200-capacity MilkBoy is a far cry from Lollapalooza, when I ask Butts how she likes playing sweaty and intimate barrooms, she tells me that she’s certainly a big fan: “It’s kinda my favorite! We played one here in Montana last night, and I love this honky-tonk bar feel. I feel like we’re all together in this.”
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