Australia native John Butler has come a long way since his days as a street performer in Freemantle, Western Australia. Now the leading man of The John Butler Trio, he's coming a little further - across the world, to be exact.

Atlantans can catch the trio's captivating sound at the Variety Playhouse on Tuesday, with opening act Tristan Prettyman.

The John Butler Trio is touring to promote their hit American debut, Sunrise Over Sea. The band received international attention with the release of the single, "Zebra." The song quickly became a crowd favorite at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June.

Butler and his band began playing the streets of Australia in 1996, growing more popular ever since. Though they've only been touring the States for the past three years, Butler attributes their success to starting off in a smaller music market.

"Australia only has 27 million people, so starting out there really made it easy for our fans to see us and hear about us," Butler said in an interview with the Wheel. "There aren't as many bands or radio stations as in the United States, so once word had spread, it was easier to get noticed."

Butler's original trio went through a few changes, with two different bassists and a drummer all leaving to start their own bands. Ultimately, Butler thought it was best to break up and took six months off to make time for his new baby girl. During that time, Butler composed a considerable amount of what became Sunrise, and formed a new trio with his brother-in-law, Nicky Bomba, on drums and acclaimed musician Shannon Birchall on bass.

The new trio recorded their album in Melbourne's Woodstock Studios. The record opened at No. 1 on the Australian charts - quite a feat for an independently released, produced and financially-backed group. Some expected Butler to adopt a bigger band, but Butler said he's content with his trio.

"I tried a quartet once, but it just didn't work," he said. "The trio leaves space to expose the large sonic range that I use when I play the guitar."

The talented trio transcends genres to create its sound, mixing blues, reggae, rock, funk, folk and hip-hop. This eclectic blend of musical elements has been key to their initial success in Australia and now the rest of the world. Their last album went double-platinum in 10 weeks, winning "Best Male Artist," "Best Indie Release" and "Best Blues & Roots Album" at the Australian Record Industry Association awards.

The John Butler Trio has built its name off live performances that can be described as nothing less than exceptional.

"It's very important for us to be able to connect with human beings," Butler said. "Putting out that energy for the audience and feeding off of their energy - it's what we love to do."

Throughout his career, Butler has been a shining example of what can happen when you are true to the music. He's not nervous that his newfound celebrity will compromise his creativity or commercialize his sound.

"The biggest thing for me has been maintaining integrity for myself as an artist," he said. "I started off independently, and before I would sign to any label, I made sure I had 100 percent creative control over my music, from the sound to publicity and posters."

The way things are going, Butler certainly seems to be in control - and that's a good thing.