Australian rockers Buffalo first formed in 1971. Mixing the glory and beauty of the blues with the tenacity and rage of rock and roll, the band released a slew of albums that would become massively influential to the heavy underground. Often described as proto-metal, singer Dave Tice instead believes that Buffalo was more of a blues band than anything else. This year, Ripple Records released a live album of Dave and an all-star selection of Australian musicians performing Buffalo’s seminal album Volcanic Rock. In a conversation with Dave, we discussed his roots, the blues, record labels, the modern music scene, and his reminiscences of what it was like forming a band in the 1970s. Check it out and enjoy.
Dave, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I’m a big fan. Let’s start from the very beginning. What was your first musical memory? What music changed your life the first time you heard it? What music still excites you that you’ve been listening to for decades?
Hi Blake, it’s my pleasure mate. My first musical memories were listening to BBC radio on my parents’ battery radio which sat on the mantelpiece at our house in Lincolnshire. I would have been just a toddler I suppose and didn’t pay much attention to it, probably “show tunes” and crooners. In my early teens we started getting programs from Radio Luxembourg which was an off-shore station probably located somewhere in Europe; they played a lot of the early Pop music by guys like Cliff Richard, Tommy Steel, and girls like Helen Shapiro. Frankly not interesting to me, but we did start hearing Beatles stuff by the start of the ’60s. It was OK but didn’t really grab my attention. My first real epiphany happened when I happened to catch a TV show at a friend’s house and saw the Rolling Stones perform “Not Fade Away” on a Pop show. I would have been about twelve and a half and I liked the rawness of it, and that’s always been my preference. A driving beat and rawness with a fair amount of abandon. When the Tice family arrived in Australia we lived for 18 months in a migrant hostel and I met a bunch of English kids that came from urban areas of England and they had small record collections of English bands like The Yardbirds, Eric Burdon’s Animals, Them, and of course the Stones, I discovered where a lot of their songs originated and developed a lifelong love of the Blues.
According to my research, Buffalo was first formed in 1971. You yourself have had a career spanning several decades. What have you noticed in terms of the change to the music business? One of the things I specifically had in mind was the emergence of underground labels such as Ripple that may not have had a shot to succeed in the 70s.
Well I think it’s obvious that there are a lot of independent labels around now. There were hardly any when I started recording; we were signed to Phonogram in Australia and released on their Vertigo label. At that time it was every band’s ambition to have a deal with a major company but the truth is that contracts were heavily weighted in the company’s favor and the majority of bands finished up owing the company rather than making any money from their records. The point is that the music business has evolved and rather than being centrally run by a few large companies that dictated the market and ignored underground acts, there is so much variety now, and smaller labels to accommodate specific genres. Ripple is a case in point. They are enthusiasts focused on a specific style and support bands that fit their philosophy. The traditional labels were all focused on Pop music, they wanted hits and if an act didn’t deliver hits very quickly and consistently they were soon consigned to the back room. Companies like Ripple are more interested in music than the bottom line. The current Buffalo (revisited) live album would never have seen the light of day without Ripple’s enthusiasm for the music.
As you say, Buffalo formed in 1971, although Pete Wells and I had been playing in various bands in Brisbane prior to that. Pete and I were most interested in playing Blues but Brisbane at that time wasn’t the place to do it, way too conservative. We formed a band called Head and relocated to Sydney where we expected there would be more acceptance for a Blues band. This would have been early 1970. That band didn’t last long in Sydney. The drummer and lead guitarist soon departed and Pete and I recruited John Baxter on lead guitar along with Alan Milano to make a two singer line-up and Peter Leighton on drums. We were still trying to be a Blues band but Sydney agents would not book a band called “Head” and even in Sydney blues was not the flavor of the day. We eventually changed the name to Buffalo when an agent told us he’d book us if we had a name beginning with B, because bands beginning with B were successful e.g.. Beatles, Beach Boys.
You’re cited by many bands in what has been dubbed the heavy underground (stoner rock, doom, etc.) as an influence. On Dead Forever… you had the warning to “Play this album LOUD.” How do you think volume affects the impact of heavy music? Do you see yourself as part of the history of heavy music or do you see yourself as more of a blues rocker?
As for the question of my influence on the genres you mention, I’m afraid it’s not my place to comment on that, these sorts of things are up to others to suggest. In many ways I think it’s a result of timing. When Buffalo were performing and recording there weren’t many bands like us - we were outcasts in many ways. I sometimes wonder how we ever managed to get picked up by a record company because we didn’t fit any of their requirements. We were just obstinate bastards who did what we wanted in the way we felt comfortable. Buffalo were regularly called “before their time”; perhaps we’re now of THIS time. Whenever the “legend” label is bandied about I tend to think it’s mostly due to how long we’ve been around. You know….shit, is he still alive????
Why record a live album now? Why not go into the studio? Is this a statement that you value live music more than a studio recording, for example, or were you more wanting to capture a specific moment in time that could be juxtaposed in a favorable light with some of the fantastic albums you’ve produced in your career?
Frankly I’ve always valued live music more than recorded music. There’s nowhere to hide when you play live, you can’t go back and fix anything, you have to live with it. If you aren’t competent you’ll be found out. It’s a scary place to be, but also very exciting. Buffalo made 5 albums and mostly they were recorded pretty much live. We were a live band and regularly did between 8 and 12 gigs a week. Most of the songs we recorded were written on stage and honed every night as we gigged. To my mind breaking down a band into its parts and recording them individually wrecks the sound of a bunch of musicians playing together. It’s the unique blend of the members that creates a special band sound and feel. That can’t be synthesized.
But I must say that this live album was not planned in any way, I assembled the line up from some of Australia’s best Rock players specifically to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Volcanic Rock album’s release and asked the production crew to record the show just so we’d all have a memento of the night. It’s only on 4 tracks so there was no opportunity to fix or mess with it. I knew that the band would play great because we’d spent time rehearsing and getting it right and I wanted all the players to have a memory they could be proud of, never dreaming that it would ever get a public airing. Ripple initially approached me to ask if it might be possible to re-issue Buffalo’s 5 original albums. That wasn’t possible and I sent a sample of the live stuff to Todd Severin just for his own listening pleasure really. I was blown away when he expressed a wish to put out an album.
Why do you think Buffalo assumed its place in the annals of heavy music and especially in the history of Australian heavy music? What do you think has connected with the fans the most?
I think it has a lot to do with credibility. We were always uncompromising and stuck to our guns against much opposition, Australia has a long history of supporting the underdog and celebrating outlaws. Australians also like hearing the truth and like their music to have attitude. I think we fit that mold rather well. Along with those aspects is that our music is not driven by fashion or fads, it’s not associated with a specific time, we weren’t one hit wonders; in fact we were NO hit wonders.
How has it been working with Ripple and seeing your live album take off the way it has? Were you approached by the label or did you approach them about releasing a live album? What differences have you noticed in terms of working with an underground label in 2022 versus working with a label like Vertigo in the 1970s?
I think I’ve pretty much covered how the Ripple association came about, but I must mention Mike Wilkerson’s influence as well. Mike introduced me to the Ripple crew and that was a big help. To be honest I’m amazed that this is happening, I never imagined that so many years later an American label would be interested in issuing a live album of Buffalo songs. It’s been a great pleasure dealing with Todd and his people. Not at all like my experiences with record companies before - their enthusiasm for the music is an inspiration. To me this is vindication and a great honor.
I must admit I don’t explore the music you mention, I’ve never really been a big follower of any one genre apart from Blues. I do sample stuff from the Ripple catalog more as a matter of curiosity really. My mind is too full of the music I want to be making or am making now, I don’t have time to spend listening to music as a rule. I guess it’s sort of like any job, I do it and when I’m not I prefer to leave it and relax doing other things. When the carpenter finishes his day he doesn’t go home and build a cabinet in his spare time. I can appreciate all kinds of music but at the core it’s Blues that floats my boat.
If it is as you suggest, I’ve been an influence on vocal stylings in any way, then I must gratefully accept that as a compliment. But truthfully I’ve never thought I had done that. I just did what came naturally.
What’s next for you? Do you anticipate putting out any more Buffalo related material whether that’s new material or represses of some of your seminal albums?
My next big project is an attempt to make it to 80. Once upon a time I thought live fast, die young and make a good looking corpse, but I outlived that idea; then I noticed that many of my colleagues had left the stage, so to speak, and I thought damn it’s gonna get lonely if I keep this up. Now I just wanna hang around long enough to piss everyone off.
I have no plans for new Buffalo material, although I may do a few more shows playing those songs while I’m still able. Since I returned to Australia after 7 years in England I made it my mission to become a guitarist and although it’s been hard work I think I’m almost one now. I perform regularly in my trio, play a lot of Blues and more recent original songs and enjoy it very much. There is another set of songs “in the can” from the same show where we recorded the Volcanic Rock set, a selection of songs from Buffalo’s 1st and 3rd albums and Todd has already expressed an interest in putting that stuff out next year.
You know Blake, I love what I do. Making music has been my life and it’s supported me and kept me interested for over 50 years. When I started on this journey I hoped it would be a lifetime trip but didn’t really think it would be. But here I am 71 years old and still playing gigs; I have almost 20 albums in my catalog in various Rock and Blues styles and now against all expectations find myself with an album of my music hitting the shops in the USA. It’s quite extraordinary. I’ve been blessed. As I often say about music: “it ain’t always put food on the table but it’s always fed my soul.”
-Osiris
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