Help Donna the Buffalo Get a New Bus! Perform with the Band, House Concerts, Tickets

Help Donna the Buffalo Get a New Bus!
Perform with the Band, House Concerts, Tickets

More information → www.gofundme.com/donnathebuffalo

Trumansburg, NY — One of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America for since 1989, Donna the Buffalo has created a community environment at their shows through their distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. Donna the Buffalo is a band for the people that is accessible, positive, and memorable. With roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric American mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country, Donna’s music often contains social and moral responsibility as core beliefs, and they are just simply fun to get out and celebrate life with.

Donna the Buffalo is founding members Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins joined by David McCracken, Kyle Spark, and Mark Raudabaugh. “It’s been really fun with this lineup,” Puryear says. “You get to the point where you’re playing on a really high level, things are clicking and it’s like turning on the key to a really good car. It just goes.”

After over a decade of service and after delivering the band safely to over a thousand gigs, it is time to retire their beloved purple Eagle tour bus. Being on the road for over 25 years, the band spends nearly half the year on the bus. At this point they cannot continue doing what they do without buying a new bus.

They put 1 million miles on the original engine traveling from coast to coast; from their home in Trumansburg on down to Suwannee, from MerleFest to Mcdowell Mountain, from Blue Heron to Grand Targhee, and every fine venue in between. Over mountains, through valleys, across plains, and desert, our bus has enabled Donna the Buffalo to share their music with you all.

In the last 6 months they have replaced the engine twice. At this point, with yet another round of mechanical issues due to the bus’s age, they are struggling to make it to their shows. The time has come. Jeb Puryear says, “We have no choice but to buy a new bus.”

Owning and maintaining a bus is no small feat. Jeb, along with the bands driver Loi Cao, Jordy Risk, and many others through the years have worked extremely hard to maintain the bus and keep everyone safe on the road. Tara says, “We appreciate everyone’s devotion, love, and hard greasy grueling work to keep us in our purple bus on the road all of these years.”

“We love our bus and we are sad to see it go” All of the band agrees saying, “We have wonderful memories with you all because of that bus. We will carry this love on to the new bus.”

The band’s manager, Ben Greenberg, has started a GoFundMe page to help make it happen→ www.gofundme.com/donnathebuffalo. All money raised will be used directly towards the purchase of the new bus. They have been shopping steadily and we have found one that they are very excited about.

From the moment the band posted the campaign to social media, within 24 hours over 20k was raised. Tara says, “We are feeling the love so strongly! I can’t even express how much we appreciate this. We are feeling incredible gratitude and love! And it’s only the beginning! Thank you so very much from all of us! This means so much to us! We are sending you love back big time! We can get there, I hope we can! We can’t wait to drive in our new bus out west down south, up north, and east! Love and thank you to all! I know we can do this!”

Levels of donations range from $25 for a signed copy of their next studio album when released to house concerts with Tara and Jeb to performing a song with the band and a lifetime guest list for two. They have been in the studio a handful of days already this year and are planning on returning this winter to lay down more track. More news will be forthcoming about the next studio release. There are also a couple of Herd Getaway Lottery entry levels for one person or a couple for the possibility of winning a weekend on the bus with the band, a private meet & greet and cocktails with Tara and Jeb including show tickets, a private songwriting session with Tara and Jeb, dinner and cocktails for two with Tara and Jeb, guest list for a year or two for two people, box seta, t-shirts, mugs, hats, a weekend on the bus. All of the levels are named after songs that have become fan favorites over the years.

“We thank you all for your continued support, love, and friendship. It means the world to us. We can’t do this without you and we can’t thank you enough. Peace and Love Always,” Donna the Buffalo.

For more information and tour dates, please visit www.donnathebuffalo.com
facebook.com/donnathebuffalo and twitter.com/donnathebuffalo

 

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Donna the Buffalo Announce Florida New Years Run & Winter Tour

Donna the Buffalo. Photo by Matthew Coburn.

Donna the Buffalo Announce Florida New Years Run & Winter Tour

Donna Celebrates New Years in Florida with shows in Tampa, Key West Boca Raton and more
Winter Dates Announced Throughout the East

“Donna The Buffalo is from central New York state, not Louisiana, but this widely loved quintet has woven that joyful, hip-shaking zydeco pulse into the DNA of its sound, and leaders Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins have wrapped that core vibe with hopeful, mellow lyrics.” –Music City Roots, Craig Havighurst

Donna the Buffalo just passed the marker as their 25th year as a band and have proven to be a consistent purveyor of American music. What’s the recipe? To be sure, it’s infused with more spices than you’ll find at a Cajun cookout by way of a southern-fried, rockin’ country old-time jamboree. “For the dizzying array of styles and genres with which they work, Donna The Buffalo maintain a surprising level of consistency. The New York-based band has played around with folk, zydeco, and many other musical ideas over the course of their 25-year career, but they retain a sharp focus that has helped them create some truly lasting music,” writes Elmore Magazine.

Donna the Buffalo will be celebrating the New Year in Florida starting with three nights at Skippers in Tampa (12/30/14- 1/1/15) and three days of shows at the Green Parrot in Key West (1/2-4), followed by shows in Boca Raton, Orlando, and Valdosta before making their way up for further shows in Atlanta and Raleigh. They pick back up again towards the end of January with shows in Asheville, NC and Falls Church, VA. February brings the band to Charlotteville, VA; Saranac Lake, NY; Ardmore PA and then back down to Florida to Miami for the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival. Stay tuned to DonnaTheBuffalo.com for additional Winter Dates.

Donna the Buffalo is Jeb Puryear (vocals, electric guitar) and Tara Nevins (vocals, guitar, fiddle, accordion, scrubboard) joined by David McCracken (Hammond organ, Honer Clavinet & piano), Kyle Spark (bass) and Mark Raudabaugh (drums). “It’s been really fun with this lineup,” Puryear says. “You get to the point where you’re playing on a really high level, things are clicking and it’s like turning on the key to a really good car. It just goes.”

“You have to do just what you want to do, and everyone likes different things,” Nevins says. “Both Jeb and I come from this background of old-time fiddle music, which is very natural, very real, very under-produced, and all about coming from the gut—flying by the seat of your pants. So we have that in us, too.”

Donna the Buffalo debuted their first studio album in five years Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday, in the spring of 2013 via Sugar Hill Records. All Music Guide says the album, “highlights everything this consistent band does, and it has a warm, live-sounding production… 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.”

The group draws its inspiration from a cherished part of the American heritage: the old-time music festivals of the south that drew entire towns and counties together. “Those festivals were so explosive, and the community and the feeling of people being with each other, that’s the feeling we were shooting for in our music,” Puryear says. “Donna the Buffalo is an extension of the joy we’ve found.”

Over the years, the band has also built a following that proudly calls itself The Herd, along with a well-deserved reputation for crafting social narratives and slipstream grooves without equal. To merely call this “roots music” does it disservice, for the roots nurtured by Puryear and Nevins run wild, deep and strong—a tribute to how much Donna the Buffalo marries musical trailblazing and tradition.

“It’s a great feeling to promote such a feeling of community, like you’re really part of something that’s happening, like a movement or a positive force…” Nevins says, “All those people that come and follow you and you recognize them and you become friends with them — you’re all moving along for the same purpose. It is powerful. It’s very powerful, actually.”

Donna the Buffalo has toured the nation for over twenty five years with an ever-evolving grassroots sound and plans to keep on doing so for many years to come.

Take a look at their offical music videos:
“Working On That” -> http://bit.ly/1eXPofS
“I Love My Tribe” -> http://bit.ly/1i9fy9Q

Donna the Buffalo On Tour
11/13 Thu – Narrows Center For the Arts – Fall River, MA
11/14 Fri – Lake Placid Center for the Arts – Lake Placid, NY #
11/15 Sat – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY #
12/4 Thu – Infinity Hall – Norfolk, CT
12/5 Fri – State Theater – Ithaca, NY *
12/6 Sat – Jay Peak Resort – Jay, VT *
12/7 Sun – The Egg – Hart Theatre – Albany, NY *
12/12 Fri – Ziggys By The Sea – Wilmington, NC &
12/13 Sat – Ziggy’s – Winston-Salem, NC >
12/30/14- 1/1/15 Tue-Thu – Skipper’s Smokehouse – Tampa, FL
1/2-4/15 Fri-Sun – Green Parrot – Key West, FL
1/6 Tue – The Funky Biscuit – Boca Raton, FL
1/7 Wed – The Social – Orlando, FL
1/8 Thu – Lucky’s – Valdosta, GA
1/9 Fri – Red Clay Music Foundry – Duluth, GA
1/10 Sat – The Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC <
1/23 Fri – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC <
1/24 Sat – The State Theatre – Falls Church, VA <
1/29 Thu – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA %
1/31 Sat – The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
2/6 Fri – Mauch Chunk Opera House – Jim Thorpe, PA
2/7 Sat – The Jefferson Theater – Charlottesville, VA <
2/12 Thu -The Waterhole Winter Carnival – Saranac Lake, NY
2/19-22 Thu- Sun – Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival – Miami, FL
2/27 Fri – Neighborhood Theater – Charlotte, NC
3/20 Fri – City Winery – Nashville, TN
4/16-19 Thu-Sun – Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival – Silk Hope, NC
4/23-25 Thu-Sat – MerleFest – Wilkesboro, NC
7/3-5 Fri-Sun – Great Blue Heron Music Festival – Sherman, NY

* w/ Hot Tuna
^ w/ Boy = Girl
# w/ The Falconers
& w/ The Deluge
> w/ Rock n Roll Attoms
< w/ Driftwood
$ w/ Big Leg Emma
% w/ Ekoostik Hookah

For more information and tour dates, please visit www.donnathebuffalo.com
facebook.com/donnathebuffalo and twitter.com/donnathebuffalo

Donna the Buffalo. Photo by Matthew Coburn.

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Living the Festival Dream: One GrassRoots Festival Per Season…

Living the Festival Dream: One GrassRoots Festival Per Season
To every season, there is a GrassRoots Festival…

2013 GrassRoots Festival Dates:
Feb 21-24 –Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance – Miami, FL
April 18-21 – Shakori Hills Spring GrassRoots Fest– Pittsboro, NC
July 18-21 – Finger Lakes GrassRoots Fest – Trumansburg, NY
October 10-13 – Shakori Hills Fall GrassRoots Fest – Pittsboro, NC

It begins…

About 22 years ago, Ithaca-based band Donna the Buffalo and some of their friends saw a void in their community.  AIDS was a new and deadly disease and people were uneducated about it and how to prevent it.  As artists do, they decided to use their art to spread the word and make a difference – they created a festival. In the summer of 1991, The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival was held on the fairgrounds on the edge of the small town of Trumansburg, NY.  Folks danced, listened to great music, created and witnessed art, met up with old friends, found new ones, and shared ideas.  The festival was a hit, and the profits went to AIDSwork of Tompkins County to help spread the word about the terrible, yet preventable, disease.

Since then, the not-for-profit festival in NY has grown continuously and has given funding to socially and environmentally responsible organizations including: Doctors Without Borders,  Musicians For World Harmony, Ithaca Free Clinic, Ithaca Ballet, Hospicare of Tompkins County, Boy Scouts Of America, LACS Katrina Relief Group and more.  Not just another music festival, GrassRoots became synonymous with not only being the region’s premiere music event but a community that cares about each other and the world around them and are passionate about music and culture in a very human way.

The acts on the bill have not always been pop-darlings or the coolest “hit” of the year, they are artists with a conscience, who have something to give the audience that lasts longer than the moment in which songs are heard.  Featured genres include: World, Roots Rock, Americana, Bluegrass, Latin, Old-time, Zydeco, Cajun, Blues, Folk, Country, Hip Hop and Jazz.  World music heroes like Africa’s Hugh Massekela, Oliver Mtukudzi, Seun Kuti (accompanied by his father Fela’s band Egypt 80), and Tinariwen; Reggae pioneers like Burning Spear and Toots & The Maytals; Hip Hop social activists Arrested Development; Folk and Country greats Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams, and Old Crow Medicine Show; Latin artists Maraca Y Otra Vision and Sierra Maestra, Native Americans Keith Secola and Deer Clan Singers; and others The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ani DiFranco and Rickie Lee Jones all have graced the GrassRoots Festival stages. Artists that make a difference, that educate and feed the soul.

The journey continues…

In 2003 a group of organizers from the New York festival, including GrassRoots Festival Organization founder Jordan Puryear, decided that they had such a great thing going, they should share it with as many people as possible.  With a vision for a GrassRoots for every season the organization moved south to central North Carolina.  The region is well known for its music, from its history of Old-time, Bluegrass, and Folk music to a thriving indie college scene; here was a perfect atmosphere in which to create another GrassRoots Festival.  They discovered a 75-acre old farmstead outside of Chapel Hill and on Earth Day weekend of April 2003, the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance was born.  Four days of music, dance and art in a green, idyllic setting.

The Spring and Fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots festivals, from their inception, reached out and included local non-profit and advocacy groups and helped present their missions to audiences.  Shakori Hills also presents a safe and friendly place that is very welcoming to families.  Sara Waters, festival co-coordinator shares, “The kids’ area is outstanding, with activities from crafts to learning how to play instruments, kid-focused bands, and storytelling, to making masks and painting umbrellas for peace, there’s even a festival-wide game of capture the flag and a parade consisting of giant, ornate puppets and any number of percussion instruments.”

There are four stages, including two in large outdoor fields, a more intimate cabaret tent and a large, 10,000 square foot dance tent.  Some of the artists who have performed at Shakori Hills include: Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Avett Brothers, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Oliver Mtukudzi, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Sam Bush, Rusted Root, Nickel Creek, Richie Havens, Ralph Stanley, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Nnenna Freelon.

As with the New York festival, there is a Healing Arts area with Yoga, Tai-chi, massage and  movement workshops.  At Shakori Hills there is also a “Sustainability Fair” where area pioneers in Earth friendly technologies and practices come to share and present their ideas. “Attendees can camp out and stay for all four days or just come in for an afternoon.  Everyone finds something here that they are interested in. They may come for a favorite band and find they have a new love of  Zydeco dancing or an interest in gardening or biodiesel,” Waters recounts.

A new adventure…

With their newest motto (taken from a fortune cookie) at heart– “If at first you succeed, try something harder.” –the organizers packed up and moved south yet again.  Historic Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami, Florida is now the home to the third, and winter season, Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance.  When asked about what was behind the creation of the southern-most GrassRoots Festival, Puryear says, “Well, it is a dream come true!  Creating four seasons of GrassRoots Festivals was an idea inspired by the turn of the century mark in 2000 and us wanting to do something really great.”

Like it’s big sisters, the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival has adapted to the local culture, celebrating it and learning from it.  The festival organization has spent time not only planning a festival, but becoming familiar with the local community, finding out what the festival can bring to the table that might be missing or underestimated locally.  The GrassRoots festivals not only add to their surroundings, but they strive to make it so the event becomes a place for the local community to celebrate itself, unite in understanding as well as in fun.

The first Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival featured among others: Chaka Khan, Del McCoury, Arrested Development, Suenalo, Locos Por Juana, Keith Frank & His Soileau Zydeco Band, Jahfe and Donna The Buffalo.

Why this dream and what it means…

The GrassRoots festivals uphold their belief in education as much as fun, in sharing as much as taking a break from the everyday world.  Waters comments on the overall dream: “The idea is to have a wonderful experience and then take that out into the world, continue what you have learned and help others to learn it as well.”   Puryear speaks about what happens in the Dance Tent of all four festivals–how there, “the artists and the audience are on the same level, sharing in something very simple yet quite profound, the movement of the body and the communication music portrays without words.  The people, both artist and audience, sharing the music, breathing the same air, dancing on the same floor, kicking up some dust, become one.”

Written by Sara Waters.

2013 GrassRoots Festival Dates:
Feb 21-24 –Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music & D ance – Miami, FL
April 18-21 – Shakori Hills Spring GrassRoots Fest– Pittsboro, NC
July 18-21 – Finger Lakes GrassRoots Fest – Trumansburg, NY
October 10-13 – Shakori Hills Fall GrassRoots Fest – Pittsboro, NC

GrassRoots festival websites:
http://www.grassrootsfest.org
http://www.shakorihillsgrassroots.org
http://www.virginiakeygrassroots.org

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Donna the Buffalo Kicks Off Fall Tour, Travels West, and Adopts a Buffalo!!

Donna The Buffalo Kicks Off Their Fall Tour This Weekend & Then Travels West

Donna the Buffalo kicks off for their Fall tour this weekend starting with the last festival of the season at Magnolia Fest in Live Oak, Florida! Then the band makes their way to the west coast for the first time in a few years with stops in Mobile, New Orleans, Austin, Albuquerque and Flagstaff before few shows in southern California. Then they head north and link up with David Gans for four shows in the Bay Area after which they make their way to Eugene and Portland and finish up the tour in Seattle before heading back east.

7 Day South Florida New Year’s Eve Run

Donna the Buffalo is answering The Herd’s call to come south with a seven-day New Years Eve run in South Florida which includes a night at Revolution in Ft Lauderdale, three nights at Skippers in Tampa and three nights at the Green Parrot in Key West.

Finally There is a Buffalo Named Donna!
SAVE THE BUFFALO ~ ADOPT A BUFFALO!

DtB has launched a campaign to help relocate over 140 wild bison from a private ranch in Montana to their native lands on the Wyoming Wind River Reservation. The band presented the following idea to the National Wildlife Federation and they loved it! It costs just $50.00 to move one of these bison back to its native land.

What DtB proposed is a “SAVE THE BUFFALO” campaign where if you donate $50.00 you will essentially “ADOPT A BUFFALO” and the bison will be NAMED AFTER YOU! (Or your child, or loved one, anyone you want actually). Donna The Buffalo started the campaign and have now saved and adopted a buffalo… and named it Donna. They are calling on The Herd for support as well. More information here: http://wp.me/pxjHY-1LY

Donna the Buffalo on Tour
Sat-Sun  10/20-21  Live Oak, FL  MagnoliaFest
Tue 10/23   Mobile, AL   Alabama Music Box
Wed 10/24  New Orleans, LA  One Eyed Jacks
Sat 10/27   Austin, TX   Lambert’s
Mon 10/29   Albuquerque, NM   The Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall
Tue 10/30   Flagstaff, AZ   Orpheum Theatre *w/ Sihasin (Jeneda & Clayson of Blackfire)
Wed 10/31  Los Angeles, CA  The Mint
Thu 11/1  San Diego, CA   Winston’s
Fri 11/2   Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s
Sat 11/3   San Francisco, CA Slim’s *w/ David Gans
Sun 11/4   Santa Cruz, CA   Moe’s Alley *w/ David Gans
Mon 11/5  Mill Valley, CA   Sweetwater Music Hall *w/ David Gans
Wed 11/7   Sebastopol, CA   Hopmonk Tavern *w/ David Gans
Thu 11/8   Eugene, OR   WOW Hall
Fri 11/9   Portland, OR   Doug Fir Lounge
Sat 11/10   Seattle, WA   Tractor Tavern
Fri 11/23   Jamestown, NY  Crystal Ballroom
Sat 11/24   Pittsburgh, PA   The Rex Theater *w/ Tiger Maple Stringband!
Thu 11/29   Towsen, MD   Recher Theater
Sat 12/1   Winston-Salem, NC   Ziggy’s
Wed 12/21   Rochester, NY   Water Street Music Hall *w/ Sim Redmond
Fri 12/28   Ft. Lauderdale, FL  Revolution
Sat- Mon 12/29-31   Tampa, FL  Skipper’s Smokehouse
Wed-Fri, 1/ 2-4, 2012  Key West, FL  Green Parrot

www.donnathebuffalo.com

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Finally There is a Buffalo Named Donna! SAVE THE BUFFALO ~ ADOPT A BUFFALO!

Calling all Herd!  There is a situation calling for help and we are perfect for the job!

Yellowstone bison return to Fort Peck Reservation in Montana – Photo by Ted Wood

Finally There is a Buffalo Named Donna!

SAVE THE BUFFALO ~ ADOPT A BUFFALO!

National Wildlife Federation has an amazing opportunity to help relocate over 140 wild bison from a private ranch in Montana, to their native lands on the Wyoming Wind River Reservation. The Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation have already expressed their desire to accept these magnificent creatures. This could provide the bison with hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat to thrive on as a wide-ranging herd. You can read more about it here: http://blog.nwf.org/2012/09/wind-river-tribes-unite-to-return-yellowstone-bison-to-their-native-homeland/

We, in Donna the Buffalo, along with you The Herd can help make this happen! How perfect Donna the Buffalo and The Herd helping make possible this restoration of 140 Bison to their native land!

Yellowstone Bison in the quarantine pasture in Gardiner, Montana – Photo by Ted Wood

We presented the following idea to the National Wildlife Federation and they loved it! It costs just $50.00 to move one of these Bison back to its native land. What we proposed is a “SAVE THE BUFFALO” campaign where if you donate $50.00 you will essentially “ADOPT A BUFFALO” and the Bison will be NAMED AFTER YOU! (Or your child, or loved one, anyone you want actually). You will receive a certificate from the National Wildlife Federation saying so!

We’ve started the campaign and have now saved and adopted a buffalo! What fun there’s finally a buffalo named Donna!!

We hope you join us in this endeavor. Our goal is to accomplish this by election day on Tuesday, November 6th! Montana will be electing a new Governor who may or may not be partial to the welfare of these bison!

To Save and Adopt Your Buffalo:
Send a check for $50.00, made out to The National Wildlife Federation, to the address below. Be sure to include your name and address written clearly on a piece of paper with the name you wish to give the Buffalo.

Send to:
Wildlife Management
P.O. Box 287
Trumansburg, NY  14886

Or:

Donate via PayPal at Wildlifemanagement@aol.com. BEFORE pressing the SEND MONEY button make sure to scroll down further to  “Email to recipient”. Enter your personal message including your name, address and what you would like to name the buffalo!
https://www.paypal.com/home

Lets save the buffalo!

Love and Peace,
Tara, Jeb, Mark, David, and Kyle

About Donna the Buffalo:
Donna the Buffalo’s feel-good, groove-oriented, danceable and often socially conscious music all began over twenty years ago with roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric Americana mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. Donna the Buffalo is known for touring the country remaining fiercely independent as one of the industry’s most diverse roots-music bands and has “earned a reputation as one of the most respected, eclectic and hardest-working acts today,” praises Encore.

Donna the Buffalo has been working on a 10th album with Puryear on guitar, Nevins on fiddle, guitar, accordion, and scrubboard, keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Kyle Spark, drummer Mark Raudabaugh.
More info at: www.donnathebuffalo.com.

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Donna the Buffalo’s 2012 Fall, Winter and NYE Tour Announced!

Photo by John D Kurc.

Have you Herd? Donna the Buffalo will be traveling the country this fall and winter! Sounding better than ever, they have been in the studio this spring and summer working on a 10th album and will be performing new songs, along with the old favorites, up and down the East coast before heading out West for the first time in a few years. Donna the Buffalo is Jeb Puryear on guitar and vocals; Tara Nevins on fiddle, guitar, accordion, scrubboard and vocals; keyboardist Dave McCracken; bassist Kyle Spark; and drummer Mark Raudabaugh.

LISTEN to an interview on Eternal Jamnation with Tara Nevins about the upcoming album, their fall tour, the Grassroots Festivals & more!

Donna the Buffalo’s feel-good, groove-oriented, danceable and often socially conscious music all began over twenty years ago with roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric Americana mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. The band is known for touring the country and remaining fiercely independent as one of the industry’s most diverse roots-music bands and has “earned a reputation as one of the most respected, eclectic and hardest-working acts today,” praises Encore.

They embark on an almost non-stop tour through the end of 2012 starting at Rhythm and Roots in Rhode Island followed by shows in Pennsylvania, The Dark Star Jubilee in Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont this September before heading back down to North Carolina for their fall Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in early October. Then they trek back up to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland before returning to Live Oak, Florida for Magnolia Fest in late October.

They’ll be bringing The Herd out West starting with shows in Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before a host of shows throughout California the first week of November. They complete the West Coast tour in Eugene, Portland, and Seattle and and then make their way back East.

Donna The Buffalo cap off the year celebrating in Florida with shows in Ft. Lauderdale and a three night New Year’s Eve run at Skipper’s in Tampa!  Stay tuned to facebook.com/donnathebuffalo and twitter.com/donnathebuffalo for updates, photos, and videos throughout the tour!

MoBoogie’s Video of the band performing
Tara’s new song “I Love My Tribe” at The Bluebird in Denver

Donna The Buffalo on Tour Fall & early Winter 2012:

Fri 9/21   Stanhope, NJ   Stanhope House
Sat 9/22  Syracuse, NY  Westcott Theatre *w/ Keller Williams
Sun 9/23   Williamsville, NY   Club Infinity
Thu 9/27   Collinsville, CT  Live @ Bridge Street Live
Fri 9/28   Saratoga Springs, NY  The Putnam Den
Sat 9/29  Burlington, VT  Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Thu-Sun 10/4-7   Pittsboro, NC   Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival
Thu 10/11   Towsen, MD   Recher Theater
Fri 10/12   Jim Thorpe, PA   Mauch Chunk Opera House
Sat 10/13   Morgantown, WV  123 Pleasant Street
Sat-Sun  10/20-21   Live Oak, FL   Magnolia Fest
Tue 10/23   Mobile, AL   Alabama Music Box
Wed 10/24  New Orleans, LA  One Eyed Jacks
Sat 10/27   Austin, TX   Lambert’s
Mon 10/29   Albuquerque, NM   The Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall
Tue 10/30   Flagstaff, AZ   Orpheum Theatre
Wed 10/31  Los Angeles, CA  The Mint
Thu 11/1   San Diego, CA   Winston’s
Fri 11/2   Pioneertown, CA   Pappy and Harriet’s
Sat 11/3   San Francisco, CA   Slim’s
Sun 11/4   Santa Cruz, CA   Moe’s Alley
Mon 11/5   Mill Valley, CA   Sweetwater Music Hall
Wed 11/7   Sebastopol, CA   Hopmonk Tavern
Thu 11/8   Eugene, OR   WOW Hall
Fri 11/9   Portland, OR   Doug Fir Lounge
Sat 11/10   Seattle, WA   Tractor Tavern
Fri 11/23   Jamestown, NY  Crystal Ballroom *w/ Big Leg Emma
Sat 11/24   Pittsburgh, PA   The Rex Theater
Sat 12/1   Winston-Salem, NC   Ziggy’s
Wed 12/21   Rochester, NY   Water Street Music Hall *w/ Sim Redmond
Fri 12/28   Ft. Lauderdale   Revolution
Sat- Mon 12/29-31   Tampa, FL  Skipper’s Smokehouse
Wed-Fri, Jan 2-4, 2012  Key West, FL  The Green Parrot

More shows tbd…
Stay tuned to www.donnathebuffalo.com

WATCH a documentary made by The Herd: “Have Buffalo, Will Travel”

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Donna the Buffalo continues to stampede with the Herd this winter!

“With more than 20 years of experience, impeccable musicianship, and uplifting, heady music, Donna the Buffalo has become one of the premier Americana and roots-rock outfits on the eastern seaboard, if not the whole country.” ~ Ryan Whirty, Rochester City Paper

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Donna the Buffalo continues to stampede with the Herd this winter! They will be traveling through North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama before heading back up north to West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York before making the trek back down to Florida for the Inagural Virginia Key Grassroots Festival the 2nd weekend of February!

Travis Newbill wrote an awesome live review from Donna The Buffalo’s recent show at Revolution Live in Ft Lauderdale on Jan 9th! Some excerpts are below.

Donna’s groove is infectious, hypnotic and wholesome, subtly incorporating trance, reggae, and pop qualities into a sound which is Americana first and foremost. It is rootsy music offered by deep, sensitive players. At times they could be described as Mazzy Star, sped up and minus the echo, with an emphasis on allowing grooves to develop, peak, and come to rest.

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tara Nevins has the presence of an Americana shaman. Whether she is zoning with the tambourine, violin, washboard, accordion, guitar, or singing, she is visibly tapping into mystical energy, and inviting all those willing into that vast space. Ditto guitarist Jeb Puryear, whose eyes roll involuntarily into the back of his head while the rest of his body surrenders as well–possessed by the groove with jaw agape.

The band was locked in from start to finish Friday night while delivering their sweetly melodic songs and jamming extensively. The crowd was locked in as well. The audience was equal parts bluegrass, Grateful Dead, and reggae people — all friendly spirits. It is no wonder why this band has such a dedicated following. There is no other band that this writer has come across that does quite what they do. And they do it with a humble confidence and great joy. Click here for the full review in the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.

Photo credits: Full band shot by John D Kurc.  Jeb Puryear by Gene Martin. Tara Nevins and Kyle Spark by Rich Orris.

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DtB on the radio this winter:

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Sun, Jan 15th; between 6-8pm EST — WQFS in Greensboro, NC — Interview with Tara on “Hangin’ with Higgs”. (also doing a ticket giveaway!)

Tue, Jan 17th; 6-8pm EST — WMNF in Tampa, FL — Jeb Puryear Co-Hosts & plays Virginia Key GrassRoots Fest DJ with DJ Ed Greene on “Freak Show” Listen to the Poscast!

Thu, Jan 19th; 4pm EST — WQFS in Greensboro, NC — Duo session with Jeb & Tara on David Wright’s program “The Caravan” (also doing a ticket giveaway!)

Fri, Jan 20th; 5pm EST — WDVX in Knoxville — Jeb & Tara duo session with Tony Lawson in the “Features at 5”

Sat, Jan 21st; between 4 and 6pm — 98.1 The River in Asheville — Jeb & Tara duo session with Aaron LaFalce in “Studio AVL”

Sat, Jan 21st; in the 5pm EST hour — WCOM in Carborro, NC — Tara Nevins interviews on Tom Arnell’s “Placeholder Show”

Sun, Jan 22nd; starts around 7pm EST — Kix Country in Port Charles, FL — Studio session and interview with Jeb who will also play DJ with Virginia Key GrassRoots Fest Music on Larry’s Timko’s show “Down Home Cookin'”

Sat, Jan 28th; — time tba  WWVU (U92 fm) in Morgantown, WV — Jeb and Tara duo session with Carly Parana’s “Alternate Routes”

Sun, Feb 5th; 2pm WLRN in Miami, FL — Interview with Jeb Puryear and Emma Hewitt about the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival with Michael Stock on “Folk & Acoustic Music”

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DtB on tour this winter:

Thu, Jan 19, 2012 – Greensboro, NC – The Blind Tiger – w/ Woody Pines
Fri, Jan 20, 2012- Knoxville, TN – The Bijou Theatre – w/ Woody Pines
Sat, Jan 21, 2012 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel – w/ Woody Pines
Sun, Jan 22, 2012 – Huntsville, AL – Crossroads Café – w/ Woody Pines
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 – Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay Theatre – w/ Woody Pines
Wed, Jan 25, 2012 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley – w/ Wooten Brothers
Thu, Jan 26, 2012 – Carrboro, NC – The Cat’s Cradle – w/ Woody Pines
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 – Falls Church, VA – The State Theatre
Sat, Jan 28, 2012 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant Street
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 – West Chester, PA – The Note – w/ Mason Porter
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 – Buffalo, NY – The Tralf
Sat, Feb 4, 2012 – Utica, NY – Uptown Theatre
Sat-Sun, Feb 10-12, 2012 – Miami, FL – Virginia Key Grassroots Festival
Fri, March 23, 2012 – Charleston, SC – The Pour House
Sat-Sun, March 24-25,2012 – Live Oak, FL – Suwanee Springfest
Sun, March 22, 2012 – Atlanta, GA – Sweetwater 420 Festival
Thu-Sat, April 26-28, 2012 – Wilkesboro, NC – Merlefest

More shows tbd…
Stay tuned to www.donnatehbuffalo.com

 

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Herd Review of Tara Nevins’ North Shore Point House Concert

Tara Nevins (with Carol Elizabeth Jones)

North Shore Point House Concert

Norfolk, VA

June 11, 2011

Review by Paul Roberge of the Herd

After a restful few days at the beach, Mags and I decided to extend our vacation by a day and make the trek to Norfolk to catch the house concert with Tara Nevins.  Mapquest fixed the driving distance from Holden Beach, NC (south of Wilmington) to Norfolk at 318 miles, but the actual distance turned out to be more like 352 miles, and we got caught in a long stretch of stop-and-roll traffic, thanks to construction.  Happily, the drive time from Norfolk to Durham is under four hours, and so the trip home tomorrow shouldn’t be so bad.

The concert was held in the back yard of a private home in a very cool, older neighborhood in the northern part of the city, in the general vicinity of the navy base.  There was a small stage — a riser, actually — with a tent, off to the side that could be placed over it in case of rain.  Folding chairs were set up for about 120 people, and it looked like all but a few were taken.  Some people spread blankets to the sides of the seated area and had picnics.  The host, Jim Morrison, also provided beer and water for his guests, though many people brought their own.  There were a number of Donna the Buffalo fans in attendance, though the overwhelming majority seemed to be local music aficionados who enjoy the house concert scene and who are interested in hearing new sounds.  Unfortunately, a storm front rolled in just before the show got under way.  The cool breeze was a relief, but menacing skies provided a backdrop against which the the first half of the show was performed.  Finally, some sprinkles, placement of the tent over the performers, then more serious raindrops, then the downpour.  Some people sought shelter in the garage, others in the house; still others called it a night.  Jim brought out plastic bags for the instruments and moved the show into his home.  Tara and Carol Elizabeth set up in his spacious living room and performed without amplification.  People sat on the floor and stood, spilling out into the dining room.  Somehow, this worked just fine.

This turned out to be a very special evening indeed, both for the intimacy of a house concert and for the opportunity to see Tara perform in her own right.  Musically, the concert was a melange of old time, material from Tara’s recent release, Wood and Stone, and some Donna the Buffalo favorites. Tara’s musicianship is peerless, and she is also a most engaging raconteuse.  I came away with a new appreciation for and admiration of this remarkable talent and very special person.  A heartfelt thanks to our host, Jim Morrison, for sponsoring this event and for inviting us into his home.  My daughter had it right when she said that this is an evening that we shall always remember fondly.  No question about it.  This was a beautiful experience.

Paul R.

[Also, check out this review of the show by host Jim Morrison and find out more about the evolution of house concerts as well: Magic moments: a decade of house-concerts]

Photo by Maggie Roberge. Reposted here with permission.

Photo by Maggie Roberge. Reposted here with permission.

Tara Nevins, fiddle, guitar, vocals

Carol Elizabeth Jones, guitar, backing vocals, lead vocal on “Chilly Winds,” “The North Country,” and “Half Way to Nowhere”

Set List

Start: 8.15pm

I

Breaking up Christmas

Wood and Stone

What Money Cannot Buy

Chilly Winds

The North Country

Stars Fell on Alabama

Locket and Key

Nothing Really

Sugar Hill

Snowbird

You’re still Driving that Truck (interrupted by thunder storm; show stopped at 9.18pm)

II (show restarted indoors at 9.40pm)

Lee Highway Blues

You’re still Driving that Truck

No Place like the Right Time

Polecat Blues

All I ever Needed

You’ve Got it All

Half Way to Nowhere

Cotton Eye Joe

Family Picture

Train 45

John Henry

Finish: 10.43pm

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“Music Changes Lives” Interview with Jeb Puryear for Donna the Buffalo’s Vail, CO Show

Donna The Buffalo plays Vail tonight as the first of three shows in their Colorado run.  Here’s a great interview with Jeb Puryear in the Vail Daily. Make sure to click the link to read the complete article.

Donna the Buffalo returns to Vail: New York-based Americana band returns to the Sandbar Thursday to the delight of local fans

By Caramie Schnell, www.vaildaily.com

During a concert, a good one, there’s a point when the musicians, the audience and the music all connect.

“It’s similar to a whole school of fish in the water that all turn to the left at the same time,” said Jeb Puryear, a guitarist/singer/songwriter for Donna the Buffalo. “How did they know to do that? At certain times in the night, musically that happens and it’s very cool.”

Jeb Puryear. Photo by John D Kurc.

And while that coupling can be as intense and explosive as lovers coming together for the first time, it doesn’t always happen. But that’s always the goal, Puryear said.

“Our goal collectively is to play some decent music and have that happen and it usually does and it’s really fun. It’s great to be a part of — when the music is all connected, it becomes something and you just follow it.”

. . .   . . .    . . .
One of those fans {that helped make the Vail show happen] is Andrew Zweigbaum, an Eagle-Vail resident who goes by Ziggy. Ziggy first saw the band play at the same venue back in 1997 when it was the Half Moon Saloon.

“I was just walking by and I saw everyone in there dancing and it sounded cool,” he said. “I think the cover was $7, and I thought ‘what the hell’ and it kind of changed my life.”

Since that first show, Ziggy has seen the band play at venues around the country. He estimates he’s seen somewhere around 350 shows, which certainly makes him part of “The Herd” — the fervant, self-named fan base. There’s around 40 members of The Herd flying in from other states for the show, Ziggy said, and a handful of local fans who plan to attend.

So what is it about this soulful Americana band’s Cajun/zydeco/folk/rock-infused sound that speaks so clearly to fans? Well it’s not about the sound exactly, but what that sound encourages.

“They have an infectious dance groove,” Ziggy said. “They get everyone dancing, which is really fun.”

Music ‘presents endless possibilities’

. . .   . . .    . . .

The band is currently working on a new album. They spent a week in Athens, Ga., recording and plan to go back for another week soon to finish it up. It’ll likely be released late summer or early fall.

“I haven’t listened to any of it yet, but I think it’s pretty good,” he said. “We’re trying to up our tempo of making records. It’s been every three years and that’s a little slow for my taste.”

Even though “people don’t buy records anymore,” Puryear said, it’s still important to record them.

“It’s just part of what a band does,” he said. “It kicks you into gear and makes you have to figure some stuff out. Also it does help to get it out there. Just because people don’t buy the record, doesn’t mean they don’t listen to it … if people fall in love with the music, then they’ll come see you and you’ll have a good time together. If someone gets a record and really likes it, it becomes part of their lives and at that point, it doesn’t matter if we make any money off of it or not.”

Puryear believes music changes lives, and despite that, it doesn’t get near the level of respect it merits, he said.

“Music has an ability to let people be more involved with their emotional side, their artistic being,” he said. “Music is a very interesting thing. And it’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is and what makes it great … it presents endless possibilities.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20110413/AE/110419938/1078&ParentProfile=1062

Photo by Jim Gavenus

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Have you Herd? Donna The Buffalo plays Colorado this April

Have you Herd? Donna The Buffalo plays Colorado

Thursday – Saturday: The Sandbar Vail (4-14), The Bluebird Theatre (4-15) and The Fox (4-16)

Whitewater Ramble and The Believers open the evenings

Photo by Jim Gavenus

Sandbar Vail ~ Thursday, April 14th
970-476-4314
2161 North Frontge Road
Vail, Co 81657

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Bluebird Theater ~ Friday, April 15th
(303) 377-1666
3317 E. Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80206

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Fox Theatre ~ Saturday, April 16th
(303) 447-0095
1135 13th Street
Boulder, CO 80302

Photo by Richard Allen

Donna the Buffalo’s feel-good, groove-oriented, danceable and often socially conscious music all began over twenty years ago with roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric Americana mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. Donna the Buffalo is known for touring the country remaining fiercely independent as one of the industry’s most diverse roots-music bands and has “earned a reputation as one of the most respected, eclectic and hardest-working acts today,” praises Encore.

The dynamic songwriting tandem of vocalists Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins have penned over 150 songs in their collaboration with DTB and have many more in the making. Although never writing a set list for live show, the Erie Times notes, “they stick to a pattern…usually alternating between Puryear’s rhythmic, Dylan-influenced, guitar-centered songs and Nevins’ breezy, melodic, accordion-driven gems like the folksy Tides of Time and infectious Locket and Key.” As of late, Nevins and Puryear have also been known to perform as a duo on air and at live shows, which is always enjoyable to the fans to hear their favorite DtB songs in stripped down arrangments. The band’s 2008 release Silverlined, on Sugar Hill Records, rose to #8 on the Americana Music Chart and they are heading in studio this spring to work on their 10th album with the current band lineup of Puryear on guitar, Nevins on fiddle, guitar, accordion, and scrubboard, keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Kyle Spark, and drummer Vic Stafford.

Nevins & Larry Cambell. Photo by John D Kurc.

Co-DtB bandleader and American roots traditionalist, Tara Nevins, releases an exploration of her own heritage, musical and otherwise, in Wood and Stone, her first solo album since Mule to Ride in 1999 on Sugar Hill Records. Wood and Stone showcases her ever-evolving repertoire as she journeys both back to her own “roots” and head-long into new territory. Set for a May 3, 2011 release date, the album was produced by Larry Campbell with guests including Levon Helm, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer, Teresa Williams and more.

Donna the Buffalo’s fervent fan base, self-named The Herd, follows the band with zeal and has created a unique and supportive community online and at DTB shows across the nation. Puryear declares, “The main thing I like to say about The Herd is that you don’t have to do anything to be a member. You just have to like a song.” In an interview with The Roanoke Times, Nevins conveys, “It’s a great feeling to promote such a feeling of community, like you’re really part of something that’s happening, like a movement or a positive force…All those people that come and follow you and you recognize them and you become friends with them — you’re all moving along for the same purpose. It is powerful. It’s very powerful, actually.” When asked in an interview with the Weekender in PA what new people should look forward to experiencing at a show, Nevins replied “a really friendly, comfortable crowd, and a real community-oriented, positive experience.”

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The Believers

THE BELIEVERS have a serious love for old school country music. They can’t help it if they were raised on punk rock & metal. Founding members Craig Aspen & Cyd Frazzini formed THE BELIEVERS ten years ago in Seattle amid the Alt. Country- No Depression boom of that time and have been recording and performing ever since. Three albums and a decade later they’ve stayed true to their Country/ Rock /Soul sound that has earned them praise from contemporaries like Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and the BBC Radio’s Bob Harris who declared them simply, “Brilliant.”

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Self-described as “High-Octane Rocky Mountain DanceGrass”, WhiteWater Ramble uses a simple recipe to craft it’s sound – bluegrass instrumentation, add drums, and a boundary-less approach to grassing-up everything from disco house grooves to roots Americana. The Colorado-bred quintet combines the elements of Mandolin, Fiddle, Acoustic Guitar, Upright Bass, Drums and Vocals to explore the musical boundaries of multiple genres to fuel their own mixture of original music and innovative cover song interpretations. Whether playing an intimate encore, acoustic and unplugged in the crowd, or surfing on top of the upright bass, WhiteWater Ramble delivers a powerful and memorable live performance.

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