Donna the Buffalo News & Rumors

February 2008

Just Added: Photos From Delray Beach, FL 2/8/08
In early February Donna the Buffalo headed down to Florida for just two gigs: Friday, 2/8, at the Garlic Fest in Delray Beach and Saturday, 2/9, at the Freebird in Jacksonville. Even though the Garlic Fest schedule originally called for them to play only a 90-minute set, the band turned in a solid 2.5-hour performance heavy on fan favorites such as Positive Friction, Tide of Time, Blue Sky, Family Picture, Conscious Evolution, and Funkyside. They also played the Tara song Wood and Stone, which has been in the rotation since 12/30/07; before that, the song had been performed only once, when they debuted it on 1/1/07. Aeric Moskowitz very generously shares with us 12 photos of DtB playing in Delray Beach, FL on 2/8/08. Thanks, Aeric! A recording of this performance is already available for download from the Live Music Archive. (posted 2/24/08)
Special Message From Kathy Ziegler
On Saturday, 2/16, DtB keyboardist Kathy Ziegler performed her last gig as a full-time member of the band. At this show, which took place at Castaways in Ithaca, NY, Kathy Z was given a gift from the Herd consisting of handmade items and cash. She asked that we pass along the following message:

"Dearest HERD!!! WHO ARE YOU???????!!!!! You must be some of the finest people on Earth and I am continually blown away by your generosity and kindness. The money that you collected for my send off just completely blew me away. It comes at a time when we (my family and I) can really use it......we are attempting an adventure that we can barely afford, but then dreams are always paid for aren't they? I have to say, the frame means just as much to me as the money enclosed....I will always have that as a reminder of the wonderful people I have met along the way and it is beautiful. I left Saturday feeling very loved and like my choice to try new things was given a big old nod of approval. Thank-you. I want to tell you that making music is the thing that makes my life happen. Without an audience there to appreciate it, the give and take is not complete. We should be thanking all of you for being dedicated listeners and spending your time basically allowing us to thrive. So. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. This has been an amazing chapter in my life and I'm looking forward to putting more time to some of my other musical endeavors as well as visiting you all on occasion in the future. Please stay in touch!! With love and fondness....Kathy Z. (posted 2/22/08)
New Photos: Jeb & Friends, 2/1/08, Ithaca, NY
On Friday, 2/1/08, Donna the Buffalo's Jeb Puryear and a long list of other Ithaca-area musicians performed at Barack the Vote, a concert/rally in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama. The show, which took place at the State Theatre, included the Sim Redmond Band, Aidan Makepeace, Terry Burns, Ron Kristy, Richie Stearns, Uniit Caruyo, Kevin Kinsella, Michelle Berry, Crow Greenspun, Hank Roberts, and Samite. Val Williams was there that night and shares with us 10 photos of Jeb & Friends playing on 2/1/08 in Ithaca, NY. Among the highlights were the DtB tunes Conscious Evolution, These Are Better Days, and Push Comes to Shove, as well as Change is a Natural Thing (with Kevin Kinsella), and Baghdad Children (with Richie Stearns). Tim Anderson has generously made his matrix recording of this show available as a free MP download. To get it, go to www.funkyside.com, and click on Free Downloads. Thanks, Tim! Thanks, Val! (posted 2/18/08)
Get Ready To Party With DtB And Keith Frank!
A large contingent of the Herd is headed to Geneva, NY for Donna the Buffalo’s performance on Friday, 2/15 at the Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY. This event, which will also feature Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band, will be a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina relief; for more information on this effort, visit www.hws.edu/academics/service. Tickets cost $17 ($9 for students) and are available from the Smith box office (315-781-5483; www.thesmith.org) or at the door. If you can't make it in person, this show will be webcast (video and audio) on http://webcast.haveyouherd.com, broadcast live on WEOS 89.7 FM and 90.3 FM in Geneva and 88.1 FM in Ithaca, and audio streamed at www.weos.org, all starting at approximately 8 p.m. EST. (posted 2/14/08)
Coming This Weekend: Kathy Ziegler's Final Two Shows?
Most likely, Donna the Buffalo keyboardist Kathy Ziegler's last two shows with the band will take place on 2/15 in Geneva, NY and 2/16 in Ithaca, NY. Kathy Z, who first played with DtB in 2000 and has been a full-time member since 2002, is expecting her second child, and in an interview with an Ithaca newspaper a few months ago she said she and her family were moving out of the United States. Her role will almost certainly be filled by Dave McCracken, who played keys for DtB for several months when Kathy was on maternity leave in Spring 2006. McCracken has been manning the soundboard for the band for a while; no word yet on who'll do that once he's playing keys. After this coming weekend, Donna the Buffalo's next shows will be at Suwannee Springfest in Live Oak, FL 3/28 through 3/30. Best of luck and many thanks to Kathy Ziegler for all of the good times she's given us! (posted 2/13/08)
New Review: 2/9/08 Jacksonville, FL
The first review of a Donna the Buffalo show in 2008 comes from a new contributor. Hambone Sparklewell declined to provide any personal information, but submitted the most poetic review this site has had the pleasure to host. While some might struggle to fully grasp his stream-of-consciousness style, those of us with a more than passing familiarity with the band will recognize exactly what Mr. Sparklewell is talking about--and it's clear he's no newcomer to seeing DtB perform. Check out his review of Donna the Buffalo playing the Freebird Cafe in Jacksonville, FL on 2/9/08, which I've posted unedited, exactly as written, and see if you agree. Thanks, Hambone! And check back soon for photos from this show. (posted 2/11/08)
Photos From The Final Night Of The Cruise
On Saturday, 1/12/08, Donna the Buffalo played the last of their five gigs on the Rhythms at Sea cruise on the Norewegian Dawn, which set sail from Miami on 1/6 and returned 1/13 after stops in Samana, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Great Stirrup Cay. The night was billed as a Pajama Party, complete with a contest judged by Jeb; if you want to see photos of that, you'll have to look elsewhere. As expected, the band turned in a fine performance on the last night, continuing to break out rare tunes such as Front Porch (last played 6/16/04, Ithaca, NY), Noonday Train (11/18/04, Millvale, PA), and Look to the Future (1/6/04, Key West, FL). All of the band's sets on this cruise were recorded and will eventually be circulated, most likely as both audio and video. In the meantime, Robert Chrismer kindly shares with us 12 photos of DtB's set on Norewegian Dawn on 1/12/08. All told, Robert has provided DonnaFans.com with 60 awesome photos from the cruise. Thank you Robert!! (posted 2/9/08)

Tonight's Show In Jacksonville Beach Will Be Webcast!
Donna the Buffalo's show on Saturday, 2/9/08 at the Freebird Cafe in Jacksonville Beach, FL will be webcast on HaveYouHerd Radio. This will be an audio-only webcast starting at approximately 9 p.m. EST, and the HaveYouHerd chat room will be open. HaveYouHerd also recently webcast the Barrack the Vote event on 2/1/08 in Ithaca, NY. This event included performances by the Jeb Puryear Band, Sim Redmond Band, and many others. You can view an archived copy of that webcast at http://webcast.haveyouherd.com/archive/Barack-the-Vote-with-Jeb-Puryear-02-1-2008.cfm. Thanks to all of the fans who make these webcasts possible! (posted 2/9/08)
DtB In Feb: Two Shows In FL, Then
Two Shows With Keith Frank
Donna the Buffalo will spend the first two weekends of February playing to some of the band's most rabid fans (in Florida) and then with one of their most beloved musical friends (Keith Frank). The first of the two FL shows will take place on Friday, 2/8 at the Garlic Fest in Delray Beach. This event will include a Garlic Chef Competition, a Garlic Oasis Bar, a set of DtB, and other bands. On Saturday, 2/9, the band will head up to Jacksonville Beach for a show at the Freebird Cafe, a venue they've played 10 times since 2000. The following weekend, DtB will return to The Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY for the first time since Halloween 1997. This show, which will take place on Friday, 2/15, will also feature a very special appearance by Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. Tickets cost $17 or $9 with student ID and can be purchased online at www.thesmith.org. The next night, Saturday, 2/16, DtB will again share the bill with Keith Frank, this time at Castaways in Ithaca, NY. (posted 2/6/08)
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