Donna the Buffalo celebrates 20 years
Band to perform Friday at MerleFest

Donna the Buffalo is 20 years young this year and as energized as ever.

Their seventh record, Silverlined, which was released on July 8, 2008 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.

The dawn of Donna the Buffalo began in upstate New York in the 80’s when found members Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear were both fervently playing and absorbing old-time Appalachian music but in separate string bands.

Back then, Puryear said, “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 said. “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 musicians, and didn’t have a name.

“Eventually, we started to translate some of my material to electric instruments,” Nevins said, “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 admitted, 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 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 capturing 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 ’60s and ’70s and the cautionary tale aspect of those turbulent years.

Reminiscent at times of Bob Dylan (Puryear) or Carole King (Nevins), their lyrics embrace ideals of tolerance, peace, love, and justice.

Though they are very different composers, the DTB spirit carries over into the songs and the yin/yang element of the Nevins/Puryear duo is a dichotomy that works.As drummer Tom Gilbert said, “Tara and Jeb are very complimentary. Jeb’s noted for his riffs and bridges. His lyrics address sociopolitical topics and sometimes touch on the darker side of life. Tara is known more for her catchy hook lines and beautiful melodies. Her lyrics tend to be more intimate and concise.”

Puryear agrees he’s usually more topical. “I cram more words in. Tara’s songs are more lyrical but we play off each other very well.”“And we’ve each used some personal subject matter on Silverlined,” Nevins pointed out. “Even Jeb’s material, which often speaks to the universal, stems a little more from personal experience on this new record. And the guest artists make Silverlined special too,” she added. “Something unpredictable to our sound happens on every song.”Donna the Buffalo will perform on MerleFest’s Hillside Stage at on Friday, April 24, at 5 p.m., and also at the Friday Night Dance on the Dance Stage at 10 p.m.