With singer Clint Boge spreading his wings, The Butterfly Effect are closing their current chapter with the release of a retrospective album, called Effected, on April 23. The 18-track disc spans The Butterfly Effect’s entire history, from their self-titled debut EP to their 2007 album Final Conversation of Kings.

The classic Butterfly Effect will take these beloved songs on the road one last time for the Effected tour. The tour dates offer fans a final chance to see the line-up that’s rocked Australia for the last ten years.

Tickets for the Effected shows are selling fast, and The Butterfly Effect are thanking fans for that support with the release of a free acoustic version of “Gone.” It’s available exclusively to members of The Butterfly Effect’s mailing list. You can sign up through the band’s Facebook page.

The enthusiastic response for tickets means they won’t last too much longer. Get your from the venues for the following shows.

27 April 2012 – Andergrove Tavern, Mackay
28 April 2012 – The Venue, Townsville
29 April 2012 – Brothers Leagues Club, Cairns
2 May 2012 – The Great Northern, Byron Bay
3 May 2012 – The Arena, Brisbane
4 May 2012 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast
5 May 2012 – Kings Beach Tavern, Sun Coast
9 May 2012 – The Plantation, Coffs Harbour
10 May 2012 – Panthers Leagues, Newcastle
11 May 2012 – UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney (Licensed All Ages)
12 May 2012 – Waves, Wollongong
16 May 2012 – UCU Bar, Canberra
18 May 2012 – Bended Elbow, Geelong
19 May 2012 – Inferno, Traralgon
20 May 2012 – Pier Live, Frankston
22 May 2012 – Hotel New York, Launceston
23 May 2012 – Wrest Point Casino, Hobart
25 May 2012 – Palace Theatre, Melbourne
26 May 2012 – The Bridgeway Hotel, Adelaide
27 May 2012 – HQ, Adelaide (Licensed All Ages)
2 June 2012 – Prince Of Wales, Bunbury
3 June 2012 – Metro City, Perth

Image used with permission from SGC Media

The world of side projects is a bit of a musical mixed bag; for every success there are many more dismal failures. Happily A Family of Strangers, the latest project for The Butterfly Effect front man Glenn Esmond, falls into the former category.

It’s too early to determine whether chart success will follow the band, but it should if their debut EP New Techniques for Beginners and Champions is any indication. This is a really strong collection of six tracks, songs that step away from The Butterfly Effect but not so far as to alienate the band’s strong fan base.

I find these tunes more accessible than those of the iconic Aussie hard rock outfit. There are some big gritty guitar chords and dark lyrics, but the focus on the melody helps the listener connect from the first spin.

Fans of The Butterfly Effect won’t be disappointed with rock anthems like “Don’t Forget (03.03.03)” and “Silly Love Songs,” but I find the tracks that are dramatically different from Glenn Esmond’s previous work a little more intriguing. “Here Without You” shows he is capable of producing a real radio-friendly ballad of love lost. A Family of Strangers exposes their soft underbelly again with “The Velvet Divorce (Follow).” But my favourite track is probably the closer “Farewell, Mr Hooper,” a wild rock sea shanty. It’s such a quirky tune, the kind of thing I imagine a crew of pillaging pirates might create if you handed them electric guitars.

It almost seems unfair to bands starting out to call New Techniques for Beginners and Champions a debut EP, because A Family of Strangers are so experienced and in control of their sound. They’re equally at home in the sunlight and the shadows, and they take us to both places in this recording. It’s a really accomplished first taste of a band I look forward to hearing a lot more from.

The Butterfly Effect’s Glenn Esmond has a brand new band. He’s currently broadening his horizons with the new act A Family of Strangers.

The outfit came to be when Glenn found himself coming up with new songs that didn’t quite fit with TBE. The solution was obvious; he needed to create a new one.

“A Family of Strangers has been a fantastic opportunity for me to go back to basics and create something from the ground up. I wrote and recorded the songs, I’m promoting the music and I’m managing myself,” Glenn explained. “The satisfaction of heading back to the beginning, trying some new ideas and building it up from a grassroots level is pretty immense. The idea of these songs being heard and resonating with an audience is exciting to me and so, more than anything, this debut EP is about paying dues and getting out there to people one on one and connecting.”

Side projects can be a bit hit and miss, but I love this song “Don’t Forget,” from A Family of Strangers’ forthcoming EP New Techniques for Beginners and Champions. It’s got such an epic, melodic rock sound. It’s a bit more commercial than a lot of The Butterfly Effect stuff, but that only makes it that more accessible. If this is a taste of what’s to come when the EP hits stores on November 12, we’re all in for a treat.

If you like what you hear, you can check out the rest of the tunes when the band plays live in Queensland and Victoria next month.

5 November 2010 – Hard Rock Cafe, Surfer’s Paradise
6 November 2010 – X&Y Bar, Brisbane
11 November 2010 – Bended Elbow, Geelong
12 November 2010 – Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne
13 November 2010 – Pelly Bar, Frankston

Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting

Melbourne lads Calling All Cars are becoming a go-to support act for some of the country’s best rock acts. After touring with AC/DC and Grinspoon earlier in the year, they’ll now join The Butterfly Effect for 24 mid-year shows.

Refreshingly this tour is barely touching the major capitals, instead focusing on the country’s regional centers and oft forgotten locations. Almost as if to prove a point, the double-header tour will wrap up in Darwin!

Get ready to rock with The Butterfly Effect and Calling all Cars at the following shows.

25 June 2010 – The Bridgeway Hotel, Adelaide
26 June 2010 – The Sandbar, Mildura
27 June 2010 – The Roi Bar, Albury
30 June 2010 – Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully
1 July 2010 – Geelong, Bended Elbow
2 July 2010 – Inferno Nightclub, Traralgon
3 July 2010 – Pier Live, Frankston
4 July 2010 – The Commercial Hotel, South Morang
7 July 2010 – Station Resort, Jindabyne
8 July 2010 – Hellenic Club, Canberra
9 July 2010 – Panthers, Bathurst
10 July 2010 – Panthers, Newcastle
11 July 2010 – Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale
14 July 2010 – Campbelltown RSL, Campbelltown
15 July 2010 – Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill
16 July 2010 – Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay
17 July 2010 – West Tamworth Leagues Club, Tamworth
22 July 2010 – Villa Noosa Hotel, Noosaville
23 July 2010 – Surfers Paradise Beergarden, Surfers Paradise
24 July 2010 – Alexandra Hills Hotel, Alexandra Hills
25 July 2010 – Kallangur Tavern, Kallangur
30 July 2010 – Sheraton Breakwater Casino, Townsville
31 July 2010 – Magnums, Airlie Beach
6 August 2010 – Darwin Ski Club, Darwin (All Ages)

Image source: Michael Spencer @ Flickr