The Voluntary Butler Scheme

Joining Liam Finn, Lewis Floyd Henry, and Connan Mockasin on the list of musicians attempting to revive the neglected tradition of the one-man band, the Voluntary Butler Scheme is essentially a solo vehicle for multi-instrumentalist Rob Jones. Born in Stourbridge, near Birmingham, in 1985, he first began making music in his bedroom as a teenager and after several years as a jobbing musician, he decided he could go it alone with the use of live looping and his versatile musical skills. After touring with Duke Special, Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong, and Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, he recorded his debut album, At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea with R.E.M. producer Charlie Francis, which was released through Split Records in 2009. Jones was also invited to remix tracks for the likes of the Go! Team and Kid Carpet, and produced material for former David Devant & His Spirit Wife frontman Mr. Solo and Welsh singer/songwriter Sweet Baboo. After recruiting two musicians in order to perform his more expansive sound live, he signed a U.S. deal with influential indie label Park the Van and released the Chevruel EP in 2011. His songs ended up on commercials and TV shows but further US success eluded him. Split Records released his next two charmingly odd albums, 2011's Granddad Galaxy and 2014's A Million Ways to Make Gold.~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi