Photo: John Vettese
No one can make the drums sing like Dante Bucci. The songwriter, percussionist, creative collaborator and Philadelphia music fixture was found dead in his Roxboro home on Wednesday. He was 34 years old.
A systems analyst at Drexel University by day, Butch has gained local and regional recognition as a master of the hang drum, a unique UFO-shaped instrument that sounds and feels similar to a steel drum. The percussive yet melodic instrument has allowed Butch to write and perform songs virtually as a one-man band, with two drums balanced on his lap. His latest album, Kinesthesia, was released in October 2013, but he’s been developing this unique style for years, first performing it at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 2010 and releasing his debut album, Reminiscence, in 2008.
“He was a master of unique and unusual instruments,” recalls Philadelphia singer-songwriter Mutulu Onaral, with whom Butch collaborated regularly. “He could take any instrument, tinker with it, and make it groove and sound good in 30 minutes. That was especially evident with the hang drum. He took the hang drum to an incredible level and what he could do with it.”
Onarrall describes Butch as “honest, sincere and good-natured” and has been friends with him for the past 15 years. The two met while studying and singing in an a capella group at Drexel University and bonded through their involvement in the Philadelphia music community. In addition to his own musical endeavors, Butch has collaborated with other artists on the Philadelphia scene as a singer and percussionist. Over the years, he has worked with Amos Lee, Kufu Knotts and Laura Mann, among others.
In a post on their Facebook page, XPN’s Helen Leicht wrote, “Dante Bucci, you will surely be missed. The Philadelphia community will always remember you. Thank you for sharing your talent and being there whenever we needed to share your music. We will remember you tomorrow at the Philadelphia Local Showcase Folk Festival.”
News of Butch’s passing has come as a huge shock to the Philadelphia Folk Festival community. “This was his favorite time of the year,” Onarall said. He’d been a part of the festival ever since they’d become friends, not just as a performer but as a member of the community. Last week, Butch posted a video he’d found on YouTube of his first folk festival in 2001. A camper’s video happened to show him playing the didgeridoo at the campsite and during a song circle.
“He camped and he volunteered,” Onarallu said. “He was an integral part of it.”
Folk festival programmist and promoter Jesse Lundy played with Butch in Brian Flanagan’s band; the two had been friends for about 12 years. “Losing Dante is just as tragic as losing Alex Chilton at SXSW, especially given his involvement in the PFF community,” Lundy said. “We’re all in a place where we can grieve, remember and pay tribute together, which is so important for healing.”
Onarall’s show on Saturday was originally scheduled as a trio with guitarist Jeremy Dyen. “We’re going to do a duo show, and he’ll be there in spirit,” he said. Butch is also scheduled to play with other bands over the weekend, and there’s talk of a memorial service for him at the festival’s campsite, but Onarall said there are no concrete details yet. We’ll update this post as more information becomes available.
“He was the kind of person you just knew you could rely on when times were tough,” Onarallu recalls. “Our show will be a tribute to him.”
Personally, I will remember Butch as the confident performer with long dark hair and a sound never heard before who opened the main stage at the Folk Festival in 2010, as the guy who serenaded WXPN’s Street Musician series at 30th Street Station on a breezy afternoon last April with his cool sounds, as a regular in our studio during Jean Shay’s Sunday night shows, and as an integral part of the Philadelphia folk community, and I will miss him.
UPDATE: Butch’s funeral service will be held from 5-9pm Sunday at Burns Funeral Home, 1514 Woodbourne Road in Levittown. The funeral on Monday will begin with an hour-long memorial service at 9:30am and will be held at Queen of Peace Church, 820 North Hills Avenue in Ardsley. Donations in Butch’s name may be made to Musicians on Call.
Dante Bucci busking at 30th Street Station (WXPN FM via Vimeo).
Butch onstage at Folk Fest 2010 | Photo by John Bettese
