Ben Butcher

Ben Butcher, born 28 December 1974 in Melbourne, Victoria, is a visual artist and musician based in Melbourne, Australia.
Biography
Butcher moved with his family to the Central Victorian district of Welshmans Reef in 1977, where he attended primary school at Maldon, Victoria and High School at Castlemaine, Victoria, before relocating to Melbourne to study at RMIT. It was then that he began playing in his first band Aardvark. While travelling to North America in 2001 Butcher found himself in New York City the day the 11 September attacks occurred. As a budding photographer, his photos from that time became a series which he exhibited in 2002, some of which were acquired by the Australian War Memorial. Back in Melbourne, Butcher continued to take photographs, mostly of local Melbourne rock bands, which he's been doing ever since.
On returning from the USA he soon joined the punk band Jihad Against America who ruffled a few feathers, but amused everybody else. After two tours of Adelaide and releasing two records, Jihad Against America broke up.
Butcher joined Monika Fikerle in the short lived band The Grimm, while also playing in bands Fibbonacci, Assassination Collective, and joining Fikerle and Cameron Potts with Evelyn Morris in the reformed Baseball. Baseball enjoyed critical success with their début album Animal Kingdom, and toured Japan and played the Hohaiyan Festival in Taiwan (2005), and Europe and Russia in 2007.
Currently Butcher plays in High Tea(with Potts) and the Paul Kidney Experience, and has recently married his partner Nell.
Australia's Worst Artist
In 2009 Butcher won the Itchiball Prize for his painting "Why Do We Need A Porpoise In Life". Since then he has continued to paint in his childlike style, holding his first solo exhibition of paintings in September 2011.
Discography
with Aardvark
* Aardvark EP - (1999)
* Earth Pig - (2001)
with Jihad Against America
* Jihad Against America 7" - (2003)
* Live After Deth 12" live album - (2006)
with Baseball
* Taiwan/Japan Tour EP - (2005)
* Animal Kingdom - (STMPCD014) (23 February 2008)
with Assassination Colelctive
* Fight, Or Assimilate And Die - (2006)
* Million Fantastic Reasons - (2009)
with Paul Kidney Experience
* Radio Transmissions - (2010)

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