[8] Butler was active in Kent, Ohio's 1970s music and art scene that also spawned The James Gang, Devo, and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders.
Butler was fired from the band for skipping a rehearsal to attend a photo session for his Waitresses band project, which were to be part of Stiff Records' Akron Compilation, which also included tracks by Tin Huey, Jane Aire and The Belvederes, Rachel Sweet, Rubber City Rebels, The Bizarros and Chi-Pig.
[citation needed] Starting to get work as a producer, Butler commuted daily to Water Music Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey, during the recording of Scruffy The Cat's "Tiny Days" album (1987), and Joan Osborne's "Relish" EP (1995).
[citation needed] To help songwriter Freedy Johnston get a contract with Bar None Records, Butler played drums with bassist Rich Grula.
[9] In 1995, Butler was hired by former Tin Huey keyboardist Harvey Gold, now a TV producer in New York City, as drummer and bandleader for "Two Drink Minimum", a stand-up showcase program for Comedy Central.
I had quite a pile of these, plus some fun co-writes lying around gathering dust... so I invented a fake European band that supposedly had had 'hits' with these tunes.