Donna the Buffalo News & Rumors

March 2007 Jeb To Release A Solo CD? A rumor that allegedly received confirmation at Springfest from a source close to the band has Jeb Puryear recording his first solo CD and releasing it sometime later this year, along with Donna the Buffalo's next CD. While tracks for DtB's next release have already been recorded, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the Jeb project. Smart money says while DtB's next CD will come out in late 2007, we'll enjoy another New Year's Eve show in St. Pete before Jeb's disc sees the light of day. Remember, you heard it here first. (posted 3/30/07)

First Photos From Springfest: Thursday, 3/22/07 With Richie Stearns One of the most pleasant surprises of this year's Suwannee Springfest came on the very first night, as former DtB keyboardist Richie Stearns joined the band on banjo (left). Richie came out for It's Just Me, Hollywood Dream, and Baghdad Children, then took a break for a few songs before returning for Mr. King. Without Richie, the set also included If There's Love (last played 8/21/04) and When Love Comes Around (last played 8/21/06). Little did anyone know that the band was able to embark on an entire festival's worth of shows with only one repeated song. John Yust gives us 16 photos of DtB playing on 3/22/06 in Live Oak, Fl. These are just the first batch of many, many photos from this fest John was kind enough to share with DonnaFans.com that I'll be posting in the next few days. Thanks, John! (posted 3/29/07)

Best News From Springfest: Virtually No Repeats If there was any possible downside to seeing Donna the Buffalo play multiple sets at a festival, it used to be that you'd hear many of the same songs two or three times. But at this year's Suwannee Springfest in Live Oak, FL, that simply wasn't the case. Performing four sets in as many days, there was only one repeat--Positive Friction--and it was played for the second time during Sunday's grand finale, with several guests. DtB dug deep into their repertoire and shared the stage with many friends at various points during this fest, including Richie Stearns, Jim Lauderdale, the Avett Brothers, David Gans, Peter Rowan, and others, although Dave McCracken was not there. Check out the setlists at www.donnabase.com. Word from those in attendance says the festival was simply perfect. Photos of this event are started to circulate, and I hope to be able to post a bunch very soon. Thanks to all who shared this info! (updated 3/27/07)

Dave McCracken Likely To Play At Springfest Dave McCracken, who filled in for regular Donna the Buffalo keyboardist Kathy Ziegler last year and has sat in with the band a few times since then, is probably going to be at the Suwannee Springfest, which takes place 3/22-3/25 in Live Oak, FL and includes DtB on all four days. Look for Dave to not only sit in with DtB, but also to possibly play with David Gans, a longtime supporter of Donna the Buffalo who will perform three sets at this Fest. Gans and McCracken recently played a gig together in NC that was well-received. (posted 3/21/07) Just Added: Review Of 3/17/07 Falls Church, VA Donna the Buffalo celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a return to the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA, which is not that far outside of Washington, DC. The band has played this venue eight times since 2001. DonnaFan Larry Franklin was at this most recent show, and in his review of DtB performing on 3/17/07 in Falls Church, VA he describes the gig as a "fun, happy-energy night," adding that several songs were flat-out picture perfect, and jazz-rock version of Hit the Groove that Jeb and Bill did as a duet for the encore was "sublime." Thanks so much for the detailed account, Larry! (posted 3/19/07)

New Photos: 3/15/07 Teaneck, NJ On Thursday, 3/16, Donna the Buffalo came back to Mexicali Blues Cafe in Teaneck, NJ to play for an enthusiastic Garden State crowd. The highlight for me was the very last song, There You Are, which Jeb played solo after a very heartfelt request from a friend of a friend. Jeb and Tara had just finished a smokin' Funkyside as a duet when this fan motioned for Jeb to pick up a napkin on which she'd written the request. He did so, and decided to play it, performing it pretty much directly to her as she swayed in front of him. I shot a dozen photos of DtB playing in Teaneck, NJ on 3/15/07, including a few of Jeb and Tara while they were laying down one of the funkiest Funkysides ever (left). I'll post a review of this show soon. (posted 3/16/07)

More Photos From Birmingham, AL 2/8/07 John Yust did all of Donna the Buffalo's recent run of the southeast, and generously shares with us a dozen photos of DtB playing on 2/8/07 at the Workplay Theatre in Birmingham, AL. John's shots include a bunch of really good ones of Tara, and are an addition to the three photos of this same show from Jane Mauldin that I'd previously posted. This was the show that featured Jeb and Kathy doing Me & Depression as a duet for part of the encore. Thanks for the photos, John! (posted 3/12/07) Updated DtB SongBase On HaveYouHerd.com Statistics fans, pay attention: Dwight Holmes has updated his DtB SongBase on HaveYouHerd.com. The database, which is available as both a web page and a downloadable Excel file, is at www.haveyouherd.com/DTBsongbase. The SongBase contains a wealth of information about DtB songs, including first time played, last time played, times played in 2006, average number times played per year, days since the last known rendition, and much more. The SongBase was updated for all shows up until 2/7/07, and Dwight will be updating it regularly. Thank you, Dwight, for putting together this valuable resource, and thanks to Rand and Carol for hosting it. (posted 3/12/07)

B&P Offer: Jeb With Jim Lauderdale, 1/19/07 New York NY When Jeb Puryear sat in with Jim Lauderdale for Jim's set at Banjo Jim's in New York, NY on 1/19/07, it may well have been the first time these two longtime musical friends played an entire gig as a duet (check out Paul Livingstone's photos from that night). Jeb's appearance was announced just days before the gig but that didn't prevent a small contingent of the Herd from making the trek to NYC. Steve Andrew was among those in attendance, and he came home with a soundboard recording of this rare performance. Thanks to Madtaper Gary, I'm happy to offer this as a B&P--email me at fans@donnafans.com and I'll give you the details. Thanks so much to Steve and Gary for making this show available! (posted 3/7/07)

New Photos: Birmingham, AL 2/10/07 On Saturday, 2/10/07, Donna the Buffalo played in Birmingham, AL for the second time in three days. On Thursday, they'd played at the Workplay Theatre; this show was at the Crossroads Cafe. John Yust was there, and shares with us 16 photos of DtB performing on 2/10/07 in Birmingham, AL. John managed to grab a shot of the "mystery performer" (he's the one at far left in this photo). Apparently, the gentleman who opened for DtB came back out onstage with his acoustic guitar and joined Donna for four of the five songs of the encore: Revelation Two-Step, I Don't Need a Riddle, There You Are, and Part Time Lover. If anyone can confirm who he was, send me an email at fans@donnafans.com, and I'll post his name here. Thanks for the photos, John! (posted 3/4/07)

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