Donna the Buffalo on tour in the west

Very nice article about Donna the Buffalo by Jim Harrington in today’s San Jose Mercury News. An excerpt:

“Our music is . . . not easily pegged,” says vocalist-guitarist Jeb Puryear, 38, from his home near Ithaca, N.Y. “In fact, I have a hard time explaining what we do. It’s not like our sound is very unusual. In some ways it’s very basic, and in other ways it’s kind of different.”

Drawing on everything from Cajun and country music and reggae to bluegrass, the band is sometimes described as “a melting pot.” But “we can’t stand that description” either, says Nevins, who plays fiddle, accordion, acoustic guitar and scrub board and does vocals. “It makes you sound like this hodgepodge, eclectic mess, and we are really way more direct and focused than that. . . . What we like to call our music is original American dance music.”

Country, rock, reggae, zydeco, old-time – it’s a powerful combination. I had a long talk with Jeb a few years ago, and when I suggested that DTB’s sound wasn’t about instrumental virtuosity, he interrupted me and said, “That’s good, because we don’t have much.” He want on to note that the band emerged from the old-timey music scene in Ithaca, New York, where the emphasis is on the collective groove rather than individual virtuosity. It’s very true that they don’t have any flashy solos, but that doesn’t seem to bother anybody on stage or in the audience; their extended “jams” provide an excellent vehicle for both kinetic and spiritual meditation.

That’s one of the things I liked about the Grateful Dead: they’d give you a song with some powerful ideas and then take off on a collective exploratory mission that provided a fine space in which to ruminate on the philosophical question.

I get that same feeling when listening to Donna the Buffalo: ain’t no place I’d rather be than right here, right now, thinkin’ it through with my butt and my heart and my mind.

Update: Michael Marlitt emails this report from Portland, Oregon:

Portland was another great show. Only a couple hundred showed up so the balcony of the former porn house was closed off and you could walk to the front with no trouble at all. There are about 15-20 feet between the stage and the seats, so there was plenty of dance room for all who were so inclined. Sound quality was superb (I’m told Seattle wasn’t that great).

This was my first ‘post-Jim’ show (last I’d seen was Grassroots 2004) so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d heard cd’s but had my doubts. All doubts were erased about 20 seconds into the show. Kathy Ziegler has very nicely filled out any holes left by Jim’s departure and Bill Reynolds’ bass is a perfect fit for Tom Gilbert’s drum line. All night Tara and Jeb seemed to be in perfect synch and willing to stretch things out. Ring of Fire was tight and sweet, Forty Days and Forty Nights was incendiary, Conscious Evolution (which I gather was the encore in Seattle the night before) was stretched beautifully mid-set, a gorgeous Funky Side, a moving Killing a Man, ah the list goes on. I honestly can’t say there was a weak point except leaving and thinking of all the songs they left unplayed! I’m purposely skirting any strict set list because you at shows upcoming should have some surprises waiting and, honestly, I can’t remember very well…

I keep thinking that some day we’ll all look back at these days and think how very lucky we were to see Donna in such laid back venues with family and friends. The best un-kept secret in music today!