Infinity Hall

Donna the Buffalo is twenty years young this year and as energized as ever. Their 7th record, SILVERLINED on Sugar Hill Records, builds on Donna the Buffalo's signature sound -- a bedrock of traditional mountain music infused with elements of Cajun, rock, folk, reggae and country. Throughout SILVERLINED, these undulating rhythms carry the original lyrics, and alternating vocals, of founding members Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear along a powerful, mesmerizing current.

Unlike their last record, LIFE' A RIDE, which was recorded in DTB's home studio, (The Tracking Shack, in Perry City, New York) SILVERLINED went many miles, and has many hands in its making. Only one track was recorded in their home studio; two were recorded at Yes Master studio in Nashville, Tennessee, ten at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina, and several vocal tracks were laid down at Sound Cell Studio in Huntsville, Alabama.

SILVERLINED was co-produced with--and engineered by-- New York-based recording engineer Joe Blaney, whose eclectic list of clients includes the diverse talents of Keith Richards, Prince, Blues Traveller, Tom Waits, The Neville Brothers and Rosanne Cash. It was mixed by L.A.'s six-time Grammy winner, Jim Scott, whose long credit list includes Lucinda Williams, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, and The Dixie Chicks. Mastering was handled by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab in Ojai, California.

Rounding out DTB with Nevins (vocals, guitar, fiddle, accordion) and Puryear (vocals guitar) are Vic Stafford, drums, David McCracken, keyboards, Jay Sanders, bass (he recently replaced Bill Reynolds who's off with Band of Horses). SILVERLINED include the talents of such well-known guests as Bela Fleck, Claire Lynch, David Hidalgo and Amy Helm.

The dawn of Donna the Buffalo began in upstate New York in the 80's when Nevins and Puryear were both fervently playing and absorbing old-time Appalachian music but in separate string bands. Back then, Puryear explains, "You went to see whoever was playing old-time music. We were a community still are that shares the same enthusiasms." So when Nevins'
group came to town, his band naturally went to see them. After the show, Puryear's group introduced themselves and after talking music for a while, they all went out to a bar--instruments in tow--and played music together--jamming into the wee hours.

Jeb and I just clicked right away, Nevins recalls. "Besides sharing such a strong bond musically, we shared similar perspectives on life. That initial click has sustained their friendship and collaboration through thick and thin now for two decades.

At first though, the new group was completely acoustic, only played for friends and fellow musicains, and didnt have a name. Eventually, we started to translate some of my material to electric instruments, Nevins explains, "the guitar at first then electric fiddle--and we got really excited about the sound we were creating. Then Jeb started writing songs we added drums--and things just evolved over time."

They were offered a gig at a coffee house in Ithaca and suddenly they had to come up with something to call themselves. As they bantered about names, someone threw out the suggestion, Dawn of the Buffalo. It was misheard.

"What did you say? Donna the Buffalo?"

The hilarity subsided but the name stuck. With that unpretentious, off-beat christening, Donna the Buffalo made its debut as an electrified American band, precipitating what was to become an amazing journey. But back then, the band wasn't sure how their roots-rock sound would go over.

"We had no idea how people would react," Puryear admits, recalling that first gig. "But it turned out we were really well received. It was like removing an invisible curtain between the music and the audience. It was joyous. People danced. They got it."

Thousands of gigs later, audiences are still "getting it." That early interchange of energy and emotion between the band and the audience still comes alive at DTB concerts and makes being at one an unforgettable experience.

Puryear talks almost mystically about these moments, when he says, "time and energy come together that are extra. A spirit enters into the arena,"
he explains, "that flows between the audience and the band it's an experience that is almost better than you could conceive."

Band members agree that SILVERLINED comes closest to caputuring and conveying the essence of that magic. But it's not only Donna the Buffalo's gripping beat that motivates their fans enthusiasm and loyalty; it's the band's underlying idealism.

Donna the Buffalo embodies both the hope-filled spirit of the 60's and 70's and the cautionary tale aspect of those turbulent years. Reminiscent at times of Bob Dylan (Puryear) or Carol King (Nevins), their lyrics embrace ideals of tolerance, peace, love, and justice.

Still faithful to their old-time music community, Nevins says, "There are certain weekends we won't take gigs so we can go back and be with them."
Though DTB still headlines, the Grassroots Festival they began in 1990 as a local way to raise funds for AIDS research, has grown into its own event a huge four-day music-fest where 15,000 attendees are treated to a line-up of some 60 performers artists like Nickel Creek, Arrested Development, Los Lobos, Ralph Stanley, Rickie Lee Jones, The Avett Brothers, Thomas Mapfumo, John Anderson and Patty Loveless.

Even the way Donna the Buffalo tours is a throwback to a walk-gently-on-the-earth era. The whole band, along with their driver and full crew, climbs aboard their old Eagle Bus and it becomes their home away from home. The close quarters and hassles of the road are not always easy to deal with, but they agree that there is a silver lining. "The rewards far, far outweigh the inconveniences," Nevins says. "We're so fortunate to make our living doing something we really love. And we're like family you form close relationships and we have these incredible times together."

With a twenty year tenure to celebrate, a year with one hundred gigs ahead of them, a rockin' new record, and an ever-evolving grass-roots sound backed with style and substance--it looks Donna the Buffalo is riding a cloud that is truly--SILVERLINED.

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