California music accessories brand Gruv Gear is proud to feature Bassist Kenny Butcher. Kenny is part of a family of prominent world-class musicians that heartily endorse Gruv Gear products.
I am Kenny Butcher and I am from Ontario, Canada. I was named after my dad and my middle name after my grandfather. I grew up in a small house with my parents and my younger brother.
I guess most people would call me friendly. When I was in the stroller, my mom always said I’d pull myself as far forward as I could and say “hello” to everyone I could see. When I was growing up I was always trying to experiment and find out how things worked. From the time I could walk I was always taking things apart so I could fix them again. I was always fascinated by electronics and everything to do with electricity, physics and science. I also loved to draw and paint. I would sit for hours drawing out landscapes that I had seen in my head.
By the time I was grade 3, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and auditory processing problems and was called a “Learning Disabled” student. Come to think of it, it’s a rather condescending title to give a child. I still to this day flip number around, especially in the translation from sight to word or vice versa. Needless to say I struggled with reading, writing and of course math. To cope I became shy and I guess in many ways a little introverted. One time I had a frustrated teacher say, “You’ll never amount to anything you know! When I was set to enter High School, I hated school and couldn’t wait to be done. It was that summer, before my freshman year of High School, when my life would be changed by music. It was by chance that I had seen a guitar sitting in the local music store called, Erie Music, and I bought it. I wanted to learn everything I could about it and so I began to study this complex language of notes and Hertz, cents and semi-tones. What I didn’t know was that music would re-map my brain and unlock my potential.
As I started to study music, I realized that I could actually retain the information. I also started to realize how easy math could be if I just put it to a scale. Suddenly things that I had struggled with before became easier. When I started High School my marks were 50s, but when I finished my marks were in the 80s. I took several years of guitar lessons and I was fortunate enough to have some really great teachers. My first teacher was a Jazz major, my second new blues and my third Bob Boisclare, became a close friend that I still cherish today. Bob encouraged me to start teaching and I realized how I could share my passion for music with others who struggled to learn.
I went to college for music and later did a bunch of math and physics courses. I ended up getting top of my class for math; go figure! Music was the tool that I used to unlock my brain and I’m very thankful for that. Some of my other passions include, physical fitness, judo, flying planes and of course people.
I first heard of Gruv Gear in 2012 when I was shown a Fretwrap. This sparked my interest, so I decided to find more information about this company.
I would recommend these products anyone on the move or playing a groove.
About Gruv Gear:
Gruv Gear exists to bring innovative and well-thought out products to creative professionals and beyond, including career musicians, DJs, photographers, filmmakers, mobile producers and more. The company is on- track not only to become a premium lifestyle accessories brand in the Music/DJ and Photo Industries, which is a small fraction of its potential market, but also expand to a broader range of industries that will increase its global footprint exponentially. To date, Gruv Gear products are sold in 5 continents and shipped directly to adoring fans worldwide.