Bucktooth and Neal Pawley

Interview with Neal Pawley
Performance Review of Buck "Tooth" Johnson

by Suzie O’Kane

April 8th & May 9th, 2002

I first heard Neal Pawley playing trombone —exceptionally — during his stint with a local funk band. A native of Sheffield, England, Neal explained, "I came here originally as a bass player, but ended up one way or another, doing other things. I have my own band, but it’s entirely different from this (type of music). We have a CD out. The band’s called Buck Tooth Johnson."

Buck Tooth Johnson? (Now that’s a name!) I picked up the CD. And I was sold. "Buck Tooth Johnson" is a formidable up and coming blues-based band. Their first disc, entitled "Two Tooth Minimum", is available through the indie-artist website, CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com), where visitors can find reviews, listen to, and purchase the cd on-line.

The music falls somewhere in the realm of "Stylistic Anomaly"; that emerging genre inhabited by musicians experimenting and combining the best of every musical style, and turning out something entirely new. Self-described as an "American roots band", Buck moves the listener through musical storylines, with a combination of blues, rock, surf, roots and folk music.

Currently playing a series of local gigs and with a new recording project in the works, I spent an afternoon talking with Neal, a founding member of the band.

But, first things first. Buck’s number-one-rule: "no hype"; a musical philosophy reflected immediately in the band’s name. "Buck Tooth Johnson" exists in name only; a "figurehead" through which all band members contribute an expressive element, collectively and equally.

"We’re focused on playing. The music is the object. You know, some guys truly just want to play. Our band is a purely creative outlet, and we’re lucky to have good musicians. We’re not into all the peripheral stuff… all the ego… That’s just a stage show and it doesn’t make the music any better."

How did you all come together?

"The band has been together for about three years. I was playing with the drummer, Marco Giovino’s band, called ‘Gumbo Ya Ya’, which was basically a New Orleans type rhythm and blues band. I played in that band on trombone. Then a jam came up one night where some musicians were needed for a back-up band, and I wanted a chance to get back to playing bass. Marco and I played, and it really just evolved from there. We started writing some tunes together, then we asked Steve Tarshis, who was also in Gumbo to play guitar. We wanted a two-guitar band; two guitars, bass and drums. Originally, the concept was to have the guitarists do an interaction of parts, rather than one guy playing only chords and the other playing only lead. We thought it would add artistic variety. We wanted to create a different sound by changing the usual lead-singer-with back-up-band format. So Steve came in, and Kerryn Tolhurst was the next guy. Kerryn is a great lap steel player and mandolin player. It’s worked out well, because everyone brings a different (musical) aspect. We all react to one another’s playing; to one another’s variations, and it results in a very new sound. In fact, on the new cd, we also have Rob Clores playing accordion, organ and Wurlitzer."

Your first cd, ‘Two Tooth Minimum’ consisted of all original compositions. I really liked the fact that I wasn’t able to "label it", stylistically. The critical references I’ve noted have been to Bob Dylan and Tom Waites, and that style is certainly expressed; yet, Buck’s music is unique in itself.

"Yeah we’re working inside of that genre; American folk and roots music. As I’ve said, I don’t really consider myself a singer. My voice is just like another instrument; another sound. And the result is music created by artists who are confident enough in the genre to experiment. It’s mostly original stuff. There’s one tune that we cover on it, which is Muddy Waters’ ‘Can’t be Satisfied’.

What can people expect from a live performance?

"Well, again, it’s mostly original tunes, but occasionally we’ll add cover; maybe a couple of Dylan tunes or Tom Waites. We do some Stones… But we don’t cover in the traditional sense. We take a song and do it in our own way. For example, we did a version of Springsteen’s ‘Sheri Darling’, but we did it in a minor key, and (did it) like a slow Bolero. If we can finely tune some of it and play around, we can make it very original!"

Where can people come out to hear you?

We’re playing locally about two-three gigs a month. We’re booked up at Stanhope House in New Jersey on June 29th. We’ve got a couple of gigs booked at the Cutting Room in New York City. I think in June, also, we’re scheduled to play at a new club called the Blue Room in New Jersey. We’re going up to Boston next week, and then we’ll be looking into hooking up with a (music) cruise thing, which will be nice.

Do you post a schedule on your website?
We’ve just got our website up and running (www.bucktoothjohnson.com). There are so many promotional details you have to take care of to create a buzz. We’ve been participating in a lot of showcases to get exposure. We did the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference in Austin back in March. Next week, we’re doing another one in Boston, the "NEMO", where unsigned bands can play just to promote themselves. You make contacts with agents, promoters, other musicians… We did one in Canada, too, the North By Northeast Music Festival and Conference (NXNE) in Toronto."
***
There’s an all-important facet of spontaneity that one only experiences when hearing music performed live. To that end, I took myself out to hear Buck Tooth Johnson’s performance at the Cutting Room, New York City, on May 9th.

Now pay attention… because Buck will always have you standing just a little off balance. The unusual blend of material leaves you unsure which way the mood will turn… but it will turn. You might start out surfing, "Pulp Fiction"- style, ("Where’s Buck?") when the atmosphere undergoes a sudden change, and you’re on a Greyhound bus headed for a tangle with gamblers, gangsters and a bout of some very hard luck (Trouble). Not out of the fire yet, you find yourself waking up in the hangover-dregs of one serious all-nighter (She Ain’t Coming Over No More). With such a variety of "flavors", you could well be hearing five or six different bands… Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Tom Waites, (Okay, then, Captain Beefheart!)… nevertheless, the style belongs to none other than Buck.

With Neal Pawley’s solid bass playing and lead vocals that range from down-and-raunchy to break-your-heart-gentle, dueling lead riffs between guitarists John Putnam and Steve Tarshis, as well as Tarshis’ outstanding slide work, along with Marco Giovino’s unique drumming style, they are no doubt, all very able musicians.

A short meeting with the band after the show allowed me an opportunity to collect the usual "personnel essentials": Guitarist Steve Tarshis, an alumnus of Berklee College of Music, authored 2 guitar instruction books and is a member of the faculty of The New School, New York City.

In addition to co-founding Buck Tooth Johnson, drummer Marco Giovino, plays in the GE Smith Band and collaborates in the composition of Buck’s original material. He formerly headed the band, "Gumbo YaYa".

Singer / songwriter / producer, Kerryn Tolhurst, formerly with the Adderley Smith Blues Band, appears on Buck’s soon-to-be released cd. He is also a former founding member and primary songwriter of the Australian country-rock band, "The Dingoes". His record production efforts are divided between the US and Australia.

Rob Clores (keyboardist also playing on the upcoming cd), worked with John Popper (Blues Travelers), Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and Chris Barron (Spin Doctors). He currently plays keyboards in the off-Broadway Musical, "Love Janis".

John Putnam is the most recent member of the band, in what has been a succession of nearly 15 "second" guitarists! He, together with Jon Herrington (of Steely Dan) and GE Smith (of Saturday Night Live, Hall & Oates and Bob Dylan) alternate to fill the second-guitarist spot.

Okay, no surprises; I said they were good. But something beyond technical expertise is at work bringing about their distinctive sound. Consistently handing off the lead from one to the next band member results in alchemy of instrument, craftsmanship, and artistry, that together yield an entirely new musical identity: Buck ‘Tooth’ Johnson.

Be sure to check your E*Blues Newsletter and Buck’s website at
www.bucktoothjohnson.com for upcoming gigs and cd-release information from this emerging, independent, and highly