The Buttertones

The Buttertones are a rock band formed in Los Angeles. Bassist Sean Redman met lead vocalist Richard Araiza and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Modeste “Cobi” Cobián at music school in 2011. The three officially formed the band in 2012, and went on to meet lead guitarist Dakota Böttcher in 2014, then saxophonist/keyboardist London Guzmån in 2015.

Araiza says that the name originated when he was eating a bagel with butter, saw the word ‘tone,’ and thought that it would be a suitable name for the five. The name proves fitting as the their music draws upon and blends multiple genres, including surf rock, garage rock, doo-wop, and post-punk rock. The band also note that their sound is influenced by movies, as they tend to describe their albums with genres such as horror, thriller, and drama, as opposed to traditional music genres.

The Buttertones made their debut in 2013 with a self-titled 8-track compilation of surf-rock numbers released as a cassette. In August 2015, the band released a small four-track album, Everything’s Alright, which featured a cover of Ritchie Valens “La Bamba.” Only two months later, American Brunch was released.

2017 truly saw the group gain popularity with the release of Gravedigging on March 31. The contrast between songs like I Ran Away, which explored more of the ‘50’s doo wop sound, and Two-Headed Shark, which went back to their garage/surf rock origins, show the band living up to their name. Although each song was purposefully distinguished from the next, the sound and overall theme of the album remained unified.

The buttertones continued in May 2018 with the release of Midnight in a Moonless Dream, featuring one of their most popular songs, Darling, I Need Time But Don’t Really Know Why.

After placing a temporary hold on music due to a medical scare concerning Cobián’s eye, in April of 2020, the band released Jazzhound, described by Araiza as perhaps being the “darkest” of them all, lyrically. This album also saw the departure of former lead guitarist, Dakota Böttcher and Cobi’s transition from drummer to lead guitar, as a result. The drum parts were, however, still written by Cobi and played by session musician Paul Doyle. The newest member, Grant Snyder, is currently filling Cobi’s former position as drummer.