By Jamie A. Cooley, Studio M staff //
Musician Alex Toth is mostly known as the trumpeter, songwriter and backing vocalist for the Brooklyn-based indie band Rubblebucket, but he’s doing much more. Among other things, Toth is working on releasing a solo project next year.
Currently, Toth has two other music outlets: new-age punk band Alexander F and now his solo musical project, which he refers to as the moniker Tōth.
Musician Alex Toth.
Toth’s deep-rooted background in jazz trumpet has branched into much more as he expands his quirky realm of creativeness.
“I like having different outlets, because it allows me to not have to cram everything into one project,” he says.
With Tōth, Alex says that he was inspired by a John Lennon quote “Playing an instrument that you are unfamiliar with forces you to be more creative.”
“So I picked up a guitar,” Toth says, adding, “And I don’t play guitar; I’m a jazz trumpet player.”
Toth’s solo project is a stripped-down musical set mostly involving just him, his voice and guitar. “I’ve always been in bands, but now I’m solo and that’s a little scary.”
Tōth’s most recent song, “Copilot,” was released last month via Alex Toth’s YouTube channel. Filmed and recorded by Kenneth Edwards at the Schoolhouse in Brooklyn, the video for “Copilot” could be said to capture what Tōth is, being that it’s a raw showcase of Alex singing with a guitar with what sounds like orchestrated strings in the background.
“[Kenneth Edwards] reached out to me and said he wanted to shoot me, and I said yes. I think it’s genuine when people discover you and reach out to you and want to collaborate, Toth remembers.”
Alex’s other side project, Alexander F, reveals his more punk side, unlike anything he has created thus far. Alexander F shows a bit of Toth’s personality through his quirky, intricate lyrics and energetic, rambunctious performances.
Alexander F’s video “Swimmers” is an eccentric collaboration of punk music and ballerinas as Alex dances around in a tutu and red lipstick.
Fader magazine described “Swimmers” as “a loud, proud, ecstatic anthem for the weirdness that is being alive and human.” and this is accurate, as Toth’s lyrics nor music videos fall into the box of ordinariness.
According to Alex, this band began after he had left a silent retreat where he was unable to use his phone. On the silent retreat, Alex recalled “having all of these songs stuck in his head but not being able to record them.” After the retreat, he began writing and performed the songs locally, gaining a positive feedback.
Alex is in the process of working on new music for Rubblebucket with lead singer Kal Traver, new Alexander F tunes and of course new music for Tōth.
“Alexander F just happened,” he said. “And taking time off from touring has helped me to be able to create more.”
Jamie A. Cooley is a senior majoring in journalism at Middle Tennessee State University.
Studio M, a project of the College of Media and Entertainment at MTSU, allows student journalists to be published statewide and nationwide. It’s made possible through grants and donations from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Tennessean and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
