Arcade Fire's Will Butler knows a thing or two about volatile bands. Cue 'Stereophonic'

The vocalist of the set lights up a cigaret and fume drifts into the theater. Ditto for the pungent aroma of marijuana erstwhile a fewer set members stock a joint. “Stereophonic,” which is playing astatine the Hollywood Pantages done Jan. 2, isn’t biographical, but it definite feels close.

The authenticity springs successful portion from the prime of the songs being recorded by the fictional set connected stage, which were written by Will Butler, a multi-instrumentalist and erstwhile subordinate of the Grammy Award-winning set Arcade Fire.

“Stereophonic,” which holds the grounds for the astir Tony nominations of each clip for a play, unfolds implicit the people of a azygous twelvemonth arsenic a stone set connected the cusp of megastardom struggles to grounds its 2nd medium arsenic the archetypal reaches No. 1 connected the charts. While the unit to nutrient a deed builds, the set falls apart. For impervious of the formula’s resilience, look nary further than the occurrence of VH1’s “Behind the Music” series, which plumbed the depths of dozens of stone ’n’ rotation bid wrecks.

“We truly tried to conscionable marque thing real,” Butler said during an interrogation successful the small, cluttered greenish country astatine Amoeba Music earlier helium joined the formed of the amusement for a little in-store performance. “This is 3 hours of what it’s similar to marque a record.”

Is it ever. There is thing inherently combustible astir being successful a band. (Full disclosure: I played successful a semi-popular indie set for a decade, which imploded with immense amounts of play close connected cue. I cognize astatine slightest a twelve different groups that person unraveled successful akin fashion.) Despite, oregon alternatively due to the fact that of, Arcade Fire’s monolithic popularity, Butler knows the crash-and-burn quality of being successful a band. He joined Arcade Fire aft 1 of its archetypal members discontinue successful the mediate of an encore pursuing a combat with the pb vocalist — Butler’s older brother, Win Butler.

Will Butler near Arcade Fire astatine the extremity of 2021, saying astatine the clip that the determination came astir organically. “There was nary acute crushed beyond that I’ve changed — and the set has changed — implicit the past astir 20 years. Time for caller things,” helium wrote connected societal media.

Will Butler performs astatine Amoeba Music with Claire DeJean and the stars of the Broadway circuit of “Stereophonic,” which follows the emergence of a struggling 1970s stone band.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“Stereophonic” was 1 of those caller things, and Butler has brought his knowing of volatile set dynamics to carnivore successful his enactment connected the show, arsenic good arsenic his thoughts connected the fragile, ephemeral quality of signaling successful a studio.

“There’s a small booth, and you spell into the booth and you suffer your mind,” Butler said of the acquisition of laying down a track. “And you exit the booth and you’re conscionable a boring human.”

The boring — and boorish — parts of that humanity are connected show successful “Stereophonic,” wherever determination is much power country struggle than existent euphony making. This besides feels existent to form. Romances blossom and bottommost retired successful spectacular fashion. Drugs are consumed successful copious amounts — peculiarly cocaine. This is 1976, aft all. The long-suffering signaling technologist reaches his breaking constituent aft becoming wholly fed up with the band’s self-absorbed, self-destructive behavior.

Human beings weren’t meant to make creation successful this peculiar benignant of unit cooker. Until they do. There is simply a infinitesimal successful the making of each large opus erstwhile each instrumentalist becomes portion of the full during the enactment of recording, and the band’s genius is temporarily realized. The opus can’t beryllium made by immoderate 1 subordinate — it tin lone travel from the spontaneous transcendence of the group.

This infinitesimal happens successful “Stereophonic” aft a genuinely frustrating fig of stops and starts, erstwhile the radical plays a opus truthful beautifully that the theatre erupts successful effusive applause. This is wherefore the set stays unneurotic contempt its changeless feuding — and wherefore the assemblage has come.

“We truly tried to conscionable marque thing real,” Will Butler said of “Stereophonic.” “This is 3 hours of what it’s similar to marque a record.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“The euphony successful this amusement has to ace unfastened the satellite due to the fact that it’s truthful overmuch talking and it’s truthful overmuch sitting around,” Butler said. “And past erstwhile they play music, you person to instantly recognize wherefore they’re together.”

Butler archetypal met playwright David Adjmi and heard his thought for the amusement successful 2014. Butler was intrigued, but had to hold for the publication earlier helium could enactment connected the euphony successful earnest. The songs needed to acceptable into the publication similar puzzle pieces, Butler said. Sometimes helium needed to constitute a full opus and different times helium needed to absorption connected composing the archetypal 30 seconds of a opus — which would beryllium heard connected repeat.

“And past we formed it, and present the euphony exists successful a antithetic way,” Butler said, noting that the euphony changes with each caller cast. A formed — similar a set — has its ain peculiar strengths and weaknesses. No bushed conception is ever the same. You cognize John Bonham’s tom fills erstwhile you perceive them, conscionable arsenic you tin instantly admit the dependable of Ringo Starr’s hi-hats.

None of the actors successful the nationalist circuit formed of “Stereophonic” — but for the drummer — are trained musicians.

(Julieta Cervantes)

The full process of constructing “Stereophonic” arsenic a play is precise meta — with Butler producing the set that is successful crook producing itself onstage successful the studio. During the people of the show, 1 of the songs is really recorded unrecorded and played backmost from the power room. It is somewhat antithetic each time, successful ways some meaningful and incidental. Just similar successful existent life.

The in-store show astatine Amoeba, however, is wildly antithetic from what happens onstage astatine the Pantages. The formed members are not — with the objection of the drummer — trained musicians, and stripped of the assurance that comes with costumes and a set, they look somewhat susceptible successful the process.

This is successful stark opposition to Butler, who displays each the verve and condemnation of a bona fide stone star. The formed volition bash the aforesaid crossed the thoroughfare aboriginal that night. For the moment, however, Butler is showing them conscionable however it’s done.