Lord Buffalo

This week, prepare to have your mind blown by the passion and intensity that is folk rock outfit Lord Buffalo. These are just a few samples of the incredible live performance this band delivers. Stunning. - KUTX

Their haunting, harmonious showcase at The Good Music club in October was jaw-dropping. Fans of Fleet Foxes and Radiohead will appreciate how Lord Buffalo's complex folk structures are stretched over deliberate musical landscapes. Their brooding, enchanting live show will have you walking away awe-struck. - Sonic Vault

Lord Buffalo‘s sparse, dark, acoustic-led folk slinks about in the shadows of the Western imagination. It’s the sort of grim, foreboding sound that I’m accustomed to attributing to Appalachia, but Lord Buffalo is from Austin, TX. The band pulls off its vision with a convincing control of atmosphere and the blessing of a low, rough baritone voice to sell the sound of their self-titled EP.

The band puts all their musical efforts to great use in “Sycamore, Pt. 2 (Glass Hills),” where a slowly-pounded drum becomes menacing with repetition under a whirling, churning crescendo of sound. It’s the sound of a revenge Western film, right about the time that the hero decides he’s going to give in to his darker side and do the deed. Then highlight track “Cold Bones” would be the next scene, where he sets out to make the villain pay: the electric guitar pairs with a wailing violin, distant pad synths and more thumping drums to create a majestic, determined, traveling feeling.

But I could be jumping the gun on that one: the eerie fourth track is called “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” and talks about “You, the devil and me.” (It has rhythms that seem to mimic the pace of traveling by horse; or I could be importing that on there, but either way, the song works.) By the time “Face in the Grass” appears, a close listener should be downright worn out from all the activity. And, so kindly, Lord Buffalo obliges with a quiet, weary, almost-reverent tune to close out the set. (How it feels when revenge is done, but isn’t really satisfying, perhaps?)

It’s a downright powerful set, spanning a wide range of emotions. I’m positively thrilled by this EP, and I look forward to what Lord Buffalo has to offer us next. Highly recommended.
- Independent Clauses

It’s a long stretch of prairie ahead of you, and the sun is going down. Twilight has a distinctive beauty to it, but under different circumstances, it can be quite horrific, perhaps triggering a certain panic. You’ve got to hurry before nightfall. Your pace quickens. An owl cries out from an abandoned barn, but you’ve got to keep moving. Before you know it, that house is visible in the distance, that horrible, wretched house from your nightmares. Run down and dilapidated, with broken windows, absolutely no light coming from within. You know it’s haunted. You know that truth like you know your own body, but something is compelling you to move toward it, to get inside, completely against your will. You break into a run. You’re literally racing to the door. The sun has almost disappeared from the sky, shadows falling everywhere. You push the door open with great force, your eyes widened and your pulse rapid.

You’re met…with complete darkness.

Believe it or not, this entire scenario was inspired by the very engaging music of Lord Buffalo, an Austin-based quartet that, for me personally, invokes these incredible, haunted images. Songwriter and vocalist Danny Pruitt describes his band’s music as a cacophony of swirling sound, a big sonic space nurturing a number of contradictions: At once beautiful and ugly, explosively loud then unnervingly quiet, solid but steadily crazier. Yet each of these collected moments of confusion are embraced rather than repelled. This is what keeps the band evolving in the most organic way.

Pruitt paid a visit to the KUT studios to chat with Laurie Gallardo about Lord Buffalo’s creative process, and their live performances, which must be experienced to be believed. It’s mindblowing to see them build such an intense and many times disquieting atmosphere with tremendous passion and conviction.

- Laurie Gallardo - KUT Austin

Something about Lord Buffalo’s eerie, reverb-laden strings and stretched, raspy vocals bear some not-so-subtle vibes of lunacy; blatantly, emotionally off-kilter. Even in a town that embraces those who veer from the norm, Lord Buffalo may be one of the more interesting emerging groups in Austin right now. Oddly enough, they also recently scored a friend’s theatrical interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper (a famous short story about a woman’s slow descent into insanity) and have an EP due out in a week. Go get yourself a copy and see the guys play at their release party with the Black Books at Hotel Vegas on April 7th.

- Erin O’Keefe - The Deli

Daniel Jesse Pruitt is the song­writer and singer of the band Lord Buffalo from Austin, Texas. They released their new EP a month ago.
There is raw pas­sion surg­ing from these songs. (No won­der the strings were lit­er­ally cov­ered with blood.) The vocals are kind of dis­tant and echoey for most of the time, but they sound very direct and urg­ing regard­less. The arrange­ment is beau­ti­fully sparse, enriched with fit­ting sound effects cre­ated by clever manip­u­la­tion of reverb units and gui­tar amps; that’s my guess at least. At the end, all these parts merge into a rather mon­u­men­tal sound­scape that really pulls you in.
The clos­est to this that I’ve ever heard is The Firstborn Is Dead by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, an all-time favorite. It’s great that their legacy is not forgotten. - Quiet Rebel

[Lord Buffalo] recently released their self-titled EP and it is both unsettling and haunting, creating a blend of darkly shrouded Americana as fiddles moan and guitars ominously brood and slash. They have tales to tell, but they’re not for the faint hearted, and only maybe for the broken hearted, but they are most definitely for the dark hearted, and that is why we love them.

Watch and download the brilliant Cold Bones, then go and get the EP from their Bandcamp page here.
- Mad Mackeral

Lord Buffalo is a dark folk band that combines the talents of friends/blood brothers Patrick J. Patterson (Salesman, Hotel Hotel, Hot Pentecostals) Garrett J. Hellman (Los Jeans, Hot P's), Devin James (Salesman, Hot P’s), D. Jesse (Blood Beard, Hot P's) and Brockett Travis Hamilton (Low Lows). As Lord Buffalo they create expansive, acoustic-led folk songs that come with lots of emotion, reverb, and raspy vocals.

Their music often explodes into trembling yowls, canyon echos, great plains field noise, southern gothic admonitions and psychedelic gray matter. The band's debut EP was just released in April, and you can get it on Bandcamp. You can also check out their Daytrotter Session and dig a little deeper with the KUT interview with songwriter and vocalist Danny Pruitt. - Covert Curiousity

When my esteemed colleagues of Austin Music Weekly asked me to assemble my very own top ten list of tunes from their extensive archives, I was flattered and honored. I even approached the task with a bright, shiny attitude. But my, my, my. I wasn't even aware of the dark undertones permeating throughout my selections, and then it slowly began to dawn on me when I stepped back for a moment to observe the pattern. This evolved into one angry playlist – hard, high-volume, flaunting, in your face and refusing to back down. It's got riffs on speed or dragging with demons and excess baggage. It tears across the genre board: Soul, funk, dark dance, searing RAWK, and a tinge of punk; raucous hillbilly stomps in time to Satan's banjo, diggin' down and dirty; tripped up and trippin' out; eerie sonic waves and glaring countenances, as if to say, "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" And so, I leave my audience with this warning: The tracks I've chosen may not necessarily be your cup of tea. More like a tumbler of bourbon. Approach with caution. Then again, you just may enjoy the attitude.

Cowboy and Indian @ Lambert's: "Can't Find A Better Plan"
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys @ Palm Door: "Attitude"
BK & Mr. E @ Club De Ville: "Midnight"
Crooks @ The Continental Club: "Bar Stool"
Whiskey Shivers @ The Scoot Inn: "Whiskey Shivers"
Not In the Face! @ Beerland: "Fire Through Time"
Ume @ Mohawk: "Black Stone"
Scorpion Child @ Red 7: "She Sings, I Kill"
Lord Buffalo @ Trailer Space Records: "The Night Loves the Night"
Mr. Lewis & The Funeral Five @ The Ghost Room: "Running Into A Clothesline"
[Laurie Gallardo is a host and producer at KUT 90.5 FM. We dig her because she reps Austin Music to the Nth degree.] - Austin Music Weekly

When my esteemed colleagues of Austin Music Weekly asked me to assemble my very own top ten list of tunes from their extensive archives, I was flattered and honored. I even approached the task with a bright, shiny attitude. But my, my, my. I wasn't even aware of the dark undertones permeating throughout my selections, and then it slowly began to dawn on me when I stepped back for a moment to observe the pattern. This evolved into one angry playlist – hard, high-volume, flaunting, in your face and refusing to back down. It's got riffs on speed or dragging with demons and excess baggage. It tears across the genre board: Soul, funk, dark dance, searing RAWK, and a tinge of punk; raucous hillbilly stomps in time to Satan's banjo, diggin' down and dirty; tripped up and trippin' out; eerie sonic waves and glaring countenances, as if to say, "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" And so, I leave my audience with this warning: The tracks I've chosen may not necessarily be your cup of tea. More like a tumbler of bourbon. Approach with caution. Then again, you just may enjoy the attitude.

Cowboy and Indian @ Lambert's: "Can't Find A Better Plan"
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys @ Palm Door: "Attitude"
BK & Mr. E @ Club De Ville: "Midnight"
Crooks @ The Continental Club: "Bar Stool"
Whiskey Shivers @ The Scoot Inn: "Whiskey Shivers"
Not In the Face! @ Beerland: "Fire Through Time"
Ume @ Mohawk: "Black Stone"
Scorpion Child @ Red 7: "She Sings, I Kill"
Lord Buffalo @ Trailer Space Records: "The Night Loves the Night"
Mr. Lewis & The Funeral Five @ The Ghost Room: "Running Into A Clothesline"
[Laurie Gallardo is a host and producer at KUT 90.5 FM. We dig her because she reps Austin Music to the Nth degree.] - Austin Music Weekly

Phosphorescent (solo), Boom Forest, Lord Buffalo
Exit/ In, Nashville, TN
01/29/15
Words by: Jacob Ryan (@GonzoWithGusto)
Photos by: Jake Giles Netter

Hopefully you were able to partake in Phosphorescent’s amazing solo, indie Americana auditory excursion at Exit/ In on January 29th, but if you missed out, it’s OK. We have a full recap for you after the break and some nifty photos from contributing photographer Jake Giles Netter. Throw in local alt-folksters Boom Forest and Austin, TX formed ambient indie rockers Lord Buffalo, and it was a night well worth documentation. If you were there, you alllllllready know, but if you don’t believe us, please feel free to have your mind changed after the jump.


We got to the Redbull Sound Select Presents showcase just in time to order a beer, and find a spot in the sizable crowd for the first band, Lord Buffalo. Lead singer D.J. Pruitt had an amazing beard and long, curled, flowing locks; his look matched his Jim James (of My Morning Jacket fame) vocalizing styles. However, their music was much more atmospheric, less rock/jam than MMJ. The violin player added volume and substance to the spaced out instrumental portions of their songs. Strong folk elements were peppered in with an abstract song writing style. They played in three or four song spurts, one flowing into the next, and we were pretty much hooked by the second mini-set of tunes.

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Lord Buffalo. Photo by: Jake Giles Netter.

The crowd, which was continuing to grow, seemed impressed too. By the time they’d finished, I was sure they amassed a sizable amount of new fans, ourselves included. We stepped out for a smoke, and talked about the finer (or less fine) points of Rolling Stone magazine with an intelligent, but slightly-over-the-hill, Widespread Panic “wook”. The conversation took a hard left, and he started in on the whole ‘don’t waste your youth’ bit, so we went back inside.

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Boom Forest. Photo by: Jake Giles Netter.

I’d caught some of Boom Forest‘s warm-up set for a Langhorne Slim show a few months back, but I was eager to see what they’d added to their repertoire since. They came out, just two of them, white face paint blazing. One electric guitar, the other acoustic, and some super chill Bon Iver-ish songs to start. Soon enough they were raving up, frontman/mastermind John Paul Roney, strumming his beautifully battered acoustic like a mad man, hopping around and shaking his hair from side to side. I was super into the intensity of their original song “Shadow of Doubt”, and when they slid into a seamless cover of Radiohead’s “Airbag”, the crowd got way into it. Never underestimate the power of a well timed, AND well performed cover. After they asked the crowd to take a vote, we all settled on one more ‘foot-stomper’ to close it out. Please get hip now, because these local guys have talent in spades.

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Phosphorescent. Photo by: Jake Giles Netter.

Soon enough it was time for the man of the hour, Phosphorescent. I’ve been a fan of his music for awhile, but I was very curious to see what he would do with a whole stage all to himself. He came out to cheers and waved. After saying hello, and thanking everyone for coming, he had to fiddle with his mic stand for a second before getting down to it. Two of his heartbreakingly poignant songs later, and I was starting to feel that religious feeling we all sometimes feel at shows. When something in the music touches you deeply, chills ripple over your skin and you get that funny feeling in your gut. After each breath he took, you could hear a pin drop. The crowd was as quiet as I’d ever heard at Exit/ In. In respect and total awe of one man, and in that one moment we were all sharing.

Well, one man, his classic Fender, some peddles, a badass Vox amp that made his strings sing in chorus, a fog machine and some cool laser lights. He played pretty much everything I, and most diehards, wanted to hear including some deeper cuts like “Wolves” … probably the highlight for me. He also did a super trippy cover of Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down,” looping his own voice, via his gear, into a haunting harmony, and adding heavy guitar distortion too. At one point the track was still on a loop, and he hopped down into the crowd with his mic, stepping up to people at random and letting them sing the simple hook, “Stand my ground/Won’t back down,” for all of us to hear over the PA. Eventually he made his way to me and shoved the microphone into my face. Here it was, my big chance to be ‘famous’ … and I fucking forgot the lyrics.

He gave me that ‘come on man’ look, mouthing the words, and I managed to blurt them out before he moved on. Needless to say, I’ll stick to writing and leave the singing for the pros. He switched to the keys for a song or two, and later, for his encore, he brought out a gal to accompany him on keys while he strummed. They played an awesome Willie Nelson classic, “Hand’s On The Wheel,” which, funny enough, isn’t on an album Phosphorescent did of all Willie songs. They closed with “Song For Zula” and it was pretty much perfect; a wonderful start to 2015. Be sure to check out Jake Giles Netter’s photos below, and if you haven’t already, get Phosphorescent in your life, ASAP. - No Country for New Nashville

It’s not often that current band can dovetail a modern indie-rock aesthetic with distinctly classic rock textures without sounding derivative or stale. It takes special soul to transcend the stereotypes of both, yet every once in a blue moon it happens.

What’s the secret? Some kind of mysterious cosmic/chemical collusion? Or simply pure souls honestly looking for a window to the other side? We may never know, but when you stumble over one of those bands, you’d better pay attention or you’ll miss something bigger than yourself.

Perhaps, just by chance, I may have come across one of those bands. You see, the name turned my head — all too close to one of those current, trendy acts (who actually does live up to the hype) — but before I could dismiss it, I heard just enough to turn again. Somewhere between Southwestern ghosts, Southern gothic, and Jim Morrison’s shaman mystic, they grabbed me.

It’s a band from Austin. Sort of. With Oklahoma ties. Yet, it’s something that sounds distinctly unlike either. The name? Lord Buffalo. Part Southwest mystique, part indie cool – and yes, maybe a little too close to Lord Huron for comfort, but once you listen, you’ll forget that.

So what’s their story? In catching up with lead singer Daniel Jesse Pruitt, he shared “We’ve been around since 2012, with this project, but I’ve been playing with most of them for longer than that.”

After starting in Stillwater along with guitarist Garrett Jeffrey Hellman, the two moved to Austin in 07/08 trying to build a new project. As Pruitt explained, The Hot Pentecostals fell apart when the drummer moved and I was playing solo. I got Garrett to back me up and Patrick (John Patterson, on violin) started sitting in.”

Add Devin James Fry, a singer/songwriter and bassist from The Hot Pentecostals joined the mix, playing a minimal drum and toms setup. When the group hit the studio to record its self-titled debut EP, it left spaciousness in its sound, but also brought in Brockett Travis Hamilton to play pedal steel and add a bit of ambience. After joining the band for the CD release, he became a member, stepping in and playing a bass Rhoades keyboard to fill out the band’s live sound.

LBuffalo3“It’s not traditional,” Pruitt admits. “I think our sound comes from us all having different backgrounds, but it’s got its teeth in folk and psychedelic rock: that’s kind of been the evolution.”

When discussing the sonic dynamics, Pruitt shared that “We’ve got a very different sound, but that’s because a couple of the guys aren’t playing their normal instruments. I think it’s good to have people stretching themselves and not be settled into anything. It allows — or maybe makes us — keep being creative. It opens things up wider when we pull ourselves.”

“We do get the question “What do you call that?’” he admitted. “To me, a lot of it is coming out of folk, but they way we play it is markedly louder and more intense. And a lot of us love psychedelic and noise rock, so we’re sort of mixing it together.”

When reflecting on the music itself, Pruitt shard that “In the past, I was thinking about it too much. This time it’s very natural. It’s very much a collaborative, team process. We don’t come in with songs or parts, instead we spend hours building chord progressions and see how it works itself out. That allows us to explore new territory.”

Even though the music can be hard to explain or describe, the band has received a strong response, especially when it hit the East coast in January and although audiences may not know tem initially, the band has been winning over fans with its distinct sound and unique live show.

After releasing a five song EP in 2012, the band returned to the studio in May of 2013 wit Danny Reisch at the helm to produce the dual-sided 7” single, “Mene Mene Tekel Upharshin’/Black Mesa”.

“We’re really happy with the results,” Pruitt offered. “That really came out of having established what we were doing. It’s much more like what our live show is like…”

At the moment, Lord Buffalo rolls through Tulsa on a short run that takes the band through Texas and into Oklahoma and Arkansas before returning home to Austin. After less than a 2 week break, the band will be playing an official showcase (and a handful of parties) at SXSW, then head back to the studio with Danny Reisch again with the goal of coming out with four or five new songs in late April or early May, then returning again at the end of the summer to record four or five more.

“We’ve been doing a lot of extra rehearsing and writing, moving in that direction,” Pruitt stated. “Our goal is to release the first round as an EP and then have a full-length done by the end of 2014.”

So long as the band keeps on the trajectory it is headed, it will be something I continue to look for. No, it’s not something you hear every day, but the band has something going on that’s haunting and a little unsettling, yet comfortably familiar. Maybe it’s a momentary reaction, but when I hear it, I can’t help but embrace it. You can rest assured I’ll seek the band out while in Austin for SXSW, but tonight I’ll look for a sonic haunting while the group is in Tulsa to see if they can recreate the magic live.

Lord Buffalo plays at The Vanguard in Tulsa on Thursday, February 27, spreading it’s haunting Southwestern infused psychedelic/folk spell on a short tour as the band tunes up for SXSW. Tickets are only $7 at the door and the band will go on around 10pm. Even if you don’t catch them now, you can sample the sonic tapestry and download the band’s recent catalog via Bandcamp, by going HERE. Do yourself a favor: give them a couple listens and see if you’re not stirred as well. - Gary Hizer

Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, and every single night of the week, all over town, you can find local bands doing their thing. To highlight some of the great talent you should be out there supporting, we will discuss five local bands you should be listening to, and share a new list every week.

Read below to discover 5 local bands you should be listening to this week. To check out Volume 8, featuring American Sharks, Jesse Woods, Brown Sabbath and more, click here.

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bands WEEK 9-02

LORD BUFFALO

What: A quartet that expertly blends elements of dark folk and psych rock to create an indelible brand of brooding, gothic Americana. The band is comprised of Brockett Travis Hamilton (bass rhodes, keys, pedal steel, banjo), Daniel Jesse Pruitt (rhythm guitars, lead vocs), Garrett Jeffrey Hellman (lead guitars), and Patrick John Patterson (violins). The debut EP from Lord Buffalo arrived in 2012, followed in 2013 by the Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin / Black Mesa 7″. Take a listen on Daytrotter, KUTX, Bandcamp, and Violinist.

When: Their next local show is Saturday, December 6th at The Mohawk.

“Something about Lord Buffalo’s eerie, reverb-laden strings and stretched, raspy vocals bear some not-so-subtle vibes of lunacy; blatantly, emotionally off-kilter. Even in a town that embraces those who veer from the norm, Lord Buffalo may be one of the more interesting emerging groups in Austin right now.” – Deli Magazine

“Lord Buffalo’s sparse, dark, acoustic-led folk slinks about in the shadows of the Western imagination. It’s the sort of grim, foreboding sound that I’m accustomed to attributing to Appalachia, but Lord Buffalo is from Austin, TX. ” – Independent Clauses - Do512 Blog

Reviewed by Timothy Ferguson (The Red Plastic Buddha)

A new group from Austin, Lord Buffalo, has a new 7” out on Black Castle Collective.
Unlike many of the neo psych groups hailing from Austin, these fellows compliment the standard instrumentation of guitar, bass, keys and drums with a more folk- friendly selection of instruments (banjo, pedal steel and violin). The result is a more cinematic listening experience. Maybe it’s a Texas thing, but this is the sound of huge vistas, big skies and the vast emptiness in the pit of a condemned man’s soul.
The two songs on their new single are called "Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin" and "Black Mesa"
Comparing this to the groups 2012 EP, the new single seems a far more concentrated affair. Although their sound certainly still evokes dark desert nights, there’s something less personal in the intent of the new material. It’s like the sun is rising at long last and the introspection of the previous songs has turned outward to face the coming battle.
The title "Mene Mene Tekely Upharsin" comes from the Book of Daniel in the Bible, referencing the message written on the palace wall the night Babylon fell. There is a definite sense of foreboding here, delivered over a pounding war dance rhythm. In the words of singer Daniel Jesse Pruitt, the song is about that moment of no going back, when “the shit’s about to get real”. One might get a sense of The Black Angels here, but the sound feels far removed from the new lords of psychedelia. Perhaps that is a result of the band focusing on creating moods based on live performances and short form releases. Both the EP and this new single have consistent themes running throughout and have no problems standing on their own merits.
On the B-side, "Black Mesa", Pruitt’s Bono-esque vocal delivery is complimented by a very unexpected violin and slide guitar sweep that (oddly enough) reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot’s "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" or even something Celtic in origin. It seems odd to reference both the U2 front man and the Canadian troubadour Lightfoot in the review of a talented modern band, but I think that the fact that Lord Buffalo even suggests these two sounds is a testament to their strength and potential. There’s a definite intelligence and courage to this music, and I for one am encouraged for their future.

Available as a 7" or digital download here: - Active Listener

Lord Buffalo, O'Conqueror, Wiretree, Emily Bell
Lamberts, Jan. 3
Has a star been born in Emily Bell? Showcasing the right amount of vocal grain and enough charisma to corral loquacious Lamberts clientele, Bell and her fivepiece band banged out a spunky set of swampy roots pop and slinky sexabilly that predicts a quick rise through the River City ranks. Guitar pop treasure Wiretree had a relatively quiet 2014, the band's braintrust producing a child instead of an album. This triumphant set of classics and new tunes promises a loud 2015. O'Conqueror brought a full-bodied live presence driven by haunted, restless psychedelia. The predominance of slow tempos and tribal percussion started to grind, but the group's introduction of groove on the final numbers kicked into an inspired gear. Lord Buffalo climaxed the night with spacey folk-rock swirling on loud/soft dynamics, Wurlitzer bass, and violin drone. Like a small town preacher, D.J. Pruitt related tales in which truth meant less than the magic conjured in the telling. A spooky, epic take on Roky Erickson's "Two Headed Dog" clarified the band's focus better than any Americana awards ever will. - the Austin Chronicle

While every Lord Buffalo song is structured around sustaining a specific mood and atmosphere, the group’s most recent release “Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin” is perhaps the most extreme atmospheric build-up they’ve committed themselves to, from the way its intro seemingly isolates John Cale’s legendary single note piano line for “I Wanna Be Your Dog” only to throw it into a song that provides a glimpse of a bizarro world where Can was fronted by a deranged cowboy instead of a trippy Japanese busker. “Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin” is a repetitive dirge, full of phantom choral figures punching holes through its sonic cloth and sinister break downs that prove quieter moments are almost always far scarier than loud ones. It’s either something you’re game for or you aren’t, but as far as Lord Buffalo is concerned, this is the new dark future of freak Americana. – Nick Hanover - OVRLD