This month, our Springboard SPOTLIGHT shines on Butch “OddKidOut” Serianni, one of our 2016 Springboard Grant Winners.
Butch “OddKidOut” Serianni
At what age did you begin performing and what inspired you to do so?
My dad saw me air drumming in my car seat when I was 6 years old and asked if I wanted to try out the drums…I said yes! I started playing every day until I began to tour around age 13 and I never stopped. I always loved music and my parents constantly playing all types of genres around me helped inspire me to explore everything and anything musical.
What was the most exciting thing that’s happened to you as you’ve pursued the performing arts?
Playing a show to a big crowd of people at a festival in 2022. It was my first time playing primarily my own songs that I’ve made and also performing them live. Seeing the crowd’s reaction in real time was such a cool experience and to even see other people sing my lyrics to my songs back to me…I can’t quite put the feeling into words.
What are some stumbling blocks you’ve encountered along the way?
I’ve learned that pursuing a career in the arts is not linear, AT ALL. I often call it the spiderweb; there’s a million little things that you do over time that seem meaningless or not important in the moment, but those little strands of experiences often connect and bridge new strands of experiences. And after some time, if you take a step back and look at it all, they make up the whole picture (or the whole spiderweb). So it’s very important to say yes to any and all experiences in the beginning.
Dream big … If you can envision achieving great success in the performing arts, describe what that would that look like?
I often wrestle with what success means to me. It’s a tough question to answer. I’m really happy with where I am in my career right now, but I’m never quite satisfied and I always want more. I think at the end of the day, I just am obsessed with making music and sharing it with the world, and I will never get tired of that.
What’s your favorite genre of music and why?
This is such an impossible question for me to answer. But, if I had to say which genres are most influential to me, it would be 90’s-era Boom Bap Hip-Hop, Post-Hardcore, Indie Rock and Reggae.
Have you ever met a really famous performing artist and if so, who was it and what was your interaction?
Yes I have. I lived with Skrillex for about a year and it was a very educational year to say the least, being around him. I’ve worked with musicians such as Timbaland, Ryan Leslie, San Holo, etc.
Describe what you think would be most the most useful or beneficial thing to you, if given the opportunity to mentored by a successful artist?
So I did get to experience this actually, per the answer above. I lived with Skrillex and I spent so much time just watching and absorbing his process and the way his creative mind works. I’ve realized that no mentor can truly “put you on”…they can show you the road map and help you, but it comes down to you to make your career happen. Your mentor should just help guide you towards where you should be, and that’s exactly what Skrillex did for me and I’m eternally grateful for that.
As a performing artist, what stands in the way of fulfilling your dreams?
I think the thing that has held me back and still does as I grow my career, is just loose funds to spend on making my show bigger and better. As you climb up the ladder, you have to reinvest a lot of the money you make back into what you’re doing, but you also have to pay rent. So it just takes time. If that wasn’t an issue, things would definitely move faster.
If you could have lunch with an A-list performing artist, who would that be?
Sting. I love Sting so much.
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? 🙂
I don’t think my music would fit in Carnegie Hall lol. But, if they wanted to do an EDM show and get their faces ripped off, I would do it in a second!!
Favorite Musician: Such a hard question. A few include Flying Lotus, Frank Sinatra, Aphex Twin, Stewart Copeland
Favorite Musical Instrument: Drums 🙂
Favorite Actor: Chris Farley
Favorite Actress: Margot Robbie
Favorite Comedian: Sebastian Maniscalco
Favorite Dancer: I don’t really know any 🙁
Favorite Movie: Inception
Favorite Show: Shark Tank
If you couldn’t be a performing artist, what would you like to do?
Die.
Biography
Butch “OddKidOut” Serianni a West Philadelphia-based drummer and producer attending Drexel University. He has been drumming since the age of 6, accumulating renown in the Philadelphia music scene for his prodigious talents. The young virtuoso has also become a famous figure in the international digital media space for his drumming, production, and MPC skills. At the age of 11, Butch joined Philadelphia’s acclaimed School of Rock (five years ahead of the typical age for admission). Two years later he began touring locally as a drummer for rockers John Eddie and Jeffrey Gaines. He has worked with Grammy Award-winning producer David Ivory, soul singer Jaguar Wright, and members of Digable Planets, among others, and in 2016 enjoyed fresh press coverage from Instagram’s official account and music blog (@Instagram and @Music). He also signed deals with Adidas Asia, Chevy, HypeBeast, K-Swiss and an Artist Partnership with Native Instruments. OddKidOut released his autobiographical EP on his own label, OddKidOut Records, LLC, on March 11th, 2016 — a triumphant debut that features past, present, and future Philadelphia legends as vocal guests.
Signed to AWAL/Kobalt, OddKidOut recently released a new EP, Full Circle, now available on all music sites everywhere. According to Butch Serianni, “The Foundation’s grant allowed us to fine tune this project and make it sound the best possible, and to reach the largest number of people possible. I am eternally thankful for their help.”
After his debut release, with his knack for songs that are crafted with a Dilla-like flow and vigor, Butch attracted the attention of several iconic producers in 2018, including Skrillex, who convinced him to move to California to work with him. OddKidOut then released the Solstice EP on OWSLA, which incorporates samples from across the label’s discography and is now partnering with BeatStars which is an on-line marketplace whereby musicians can sell their music.
