DONNA THE BUFFALO
''TONIGHT, TOMORROW AND YESTERDAY''
JUNE 18 2013
53:25
1. All Aboard /4:23
2. Don't Know What We've Got /2:40
3. Working On That /5:47
4. I Love My Tribe /2:46
5. Tonight, Tomorrow And Yesterday /3:38
6. One Day At A Time /4:08
7. Love Time /4:08
8. No Reason Why /3:01
9. I See How You Are /4:07
10. I Can Fly /2:46
11. Ms. Parsley /4:07
12. Why You Wanna Leave Me /4:33
13. Real Love /3:55
14. Spinning World /3:26
David McCracken /Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond)
Tara Nevins /Accordion, Fiddle, Guitar (Acoustic), Scrubboard, Tambourine, Vocals
Jeb Puryear /Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Mark Raudabaugh /Drums
Kyle Spark /Bass, Vocal Harmony
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
It's tempting to call Donna the Buffalo an old-time string band -- that old-time ensemble sensibility is certainly at the heart of the group, and they play constantly at all those summer festivals -- but it's a label that won't really stretch far enough to cover what this long-running band actually does. They mix Cajun, zydeco, and reggae rhythms into a kind of modern pop-folk-roots-Americana that draws its strength from seeming to sound like it's from everywhere at once, yet still sounding like it comes straight from some Appalachian summer hoedown, even if the group is from Ithaca, New York and electric guitar riffs mingle in with the fiddle, accordion, and washboard reels. This set, the group's tenth album, and their first in five years, highlights everything this consistent band does, and it has a warm, live-sounding production sound (the album was co-produced by the band and Robert Hunter) that stems from live analog recording sessions in a rustic church in Enfield, New York. The end result is one of Donna the Buffalo's best outings, with several solid tracks, including the opener, "All Aboard," a Cajun shuffle that expands in the middle to include a spoken word sermon that ends as a call to personal and political awareness; the fun "I Love My Tribe," which is a bouncy little tribute to the band's many committed fans (dubbed "the Herd"); the funky "Love Time," driven by a mad circus reggae rhythm; and the set's closer, "Spinning World," a swampy and joyous-sounding piece of garage zydeco that places responsibility for the state of this world clearly at everyone's feet. This is what 21st century Americana sounds like, a little bit of this and that from anywhere wrapped up into a poignant, jamming dance reel, a place where the past and history meet easily in the immediate now and everybody feels like dancing.
BIOGRAPHY
by Heather Phares
Rootsy folk-rock sextet Donna the Buffalo formed in 1987 in Ithaca, NY. The group's three vocalists -- Tara Nevins, who also plays fiddle, guitar, and accordion; guitarist Jeb Puryear; and keyboardist Joe Thrift -- add another layer of diversity to the group's eclectic and often socially conscious sound. Guitarist Jim Miller, drummer Tom Gilbert, and bassist Jed Greenberg complete the ensemble. Donna the Buffalo started touring almost immediately after they formed, and they continue to do extensively. The group is a regular attraction at festivals like Merlefest and Telluride, and has also shared the stage with likeminded artists such as 10,000 Maniacs, Los Lobos, and Rusted Root.
Nearly concurrent with the start of their touring, Donna the Buffalo began releasing albums. Their debut, 1989's The White Tape, was recorded and released by the band itself; for their following album, The Red Tape, they enlisted their friend Mitch Easter to produce. Finding time to record when their busy touring schedule allowed, Donna the Buffalo released a self-titled album in 1993, following it with 1996's The Ones You Love, 1998's Rockin' in the Weary Land, and 2000's Positive Friction. The band released Live from the American Ballroom in 2002, followed by a string of records that included Wait Til Spring (with Jim Lauderdale), Life's a Ride, Red Tape, and Silverlined. Nevins also released a solo album, Mule to Ride, in 1999. Five years after 2008's Silverlined, the band returned with another studio album, Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday, recording mostly live to anlogue in an old church.
DoWnLoAd
''TONIGHT, TOMORROW AND YESTERDAY''
JUNE 18 2013
53:25
1. All Aboard /4:23
2. Don't Know What We've Got /2:40
3. Working On That /5:47
4. I Love My Tribe /2:46
5. Tonight, Tomorrow And Yesterday /3:38
6. One Day At A Time /4:08
7. Love Time /4:08
8. No Reason Why /3:01
9. I See How You Are /4:07
10. I Can Fly /2:46
11. Ms. Parsley /4:07
12. Why You Wanna Leave Me /4:33
13. Real Love /3:55
14. Spinning World /3:26
David McCracken /Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond)
Tara Nevins /Accordion, Fiddle, Guitar (Acoustic), Scrubboard, Tambourine, Vocals
Jeb Puryear /Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Mark Raudabaugh /Drums
Kyle Spark /Bass, Vocal Harmony
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
It's tempting to call Donna the Buffalo an old-time string band -- that old-time ensemble sensibility is certainly at the heart of the group, and they play constantly at all those summer festivals -- but it's a label that won't really stretch far enough to cover what this long-running band actually does. They mix Cajun, zydeco, and reggae rhythms into a kind of modern pop-folk-roots-Americana that draws its strength from seeming to sound like it's from everywhere at once, yet still sounding like it comes straight from some Appalachian summer hoedown, even if the group is from Ithaca, New York and electric guitar riffs mingle in with the fiddle, accordion, and washboard reels. This set, the group's tenth album, and their first in five years, highlights everything this consistent band does, and it has a warm, live-sounding production sound (the album was co-produced by the band and Robert Hunter) that stems from live analog recording sessions in a rustic church in Enfield, New York. The end result is one of Donna the Buffalo's best outings, with several solid tracks, including the opener, "All Aboard," a Cajun shuffle that expands in the middle to include a spoken word sermon that ends as a call to personal and political awareness; the fun "I Love My Tribe," which is a bouncy little tribute to the band's many committed fans (dubbed "the Herd"); the funky "Love Time," driven by a mad circus reggae rhythm; and the set's closer, "Spinning World," a swampy and joyous-sounding piece of garage zydeco that places responsibility for the state of this world clearly at everyone's feet. This is what 21st century Americana sounds like, a little bit of this and that from anywhere wrapped up into a poignant, jamming dance reel, a place where the past and history meet easily in the immediate now and everybody feels like dancing.
BIOGRAPHY
by Heather Phares
Rootsy folk-rock sextet Donna the Buffalo formed in 1987 in Ithaca, NY. The group's three vocalists -- Tara Nevins, who also plays fiddle, guitar, and accordion; guitarist Jeb Puryear; and keyboardist Joe Thrift -- add another layer of diversity to the group's eclectic and often socially conscious sound. Guitarist Jim Miller, drummer Tom Gilbert, and bassist Jed Greenberg complete the ensemble. Donna the Buffalo started touring almost immediately after they formed, and they continue to do extensively. The group is a regular attraction at festivals like Merlefest and Telluride, and has also shared the stage with likeminded artists such as 10,000 Maniacs, Los Lobos, and Rusted Root.
Nearly concurrent with the start of their touring, Donna the Buffalo began releasing albums. Their debut, 1989's The White Tape, was recorded and released by the band itself; for their following album, The Red Tape, they enlisted their friend Mitch Easter to produce. Finding time to record when their busy touring schedule allowed, Donna the Buffalo released a self-titled album in 1993, following it with 1996's The Ones You Love, 1998's Rockin' in the Weary Land, and 2000's Positive Friction. The band released Live from the American Ballroom in 2002, followed by a string of records that included Wait Til Spring (with Jim Lauderdale), Life's a Ride, Red Tape, and Silverlined. Nevins also released a solo album, Mule to Ride, in 1999. Five years after 2008's Silverlined, the band returned with another studio album, Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday, recording mostly live to anlogue in an old church.
DoWnLoAd
