DonnaFans.com logo

July 2009

More Floydfest Photos

7/25/09 Floydfest, Floyd, VA

Kimmy Tiedemann was in attendence at Donna the Buffalo's recent set at Floydfest and kindly provide us with 9 photos of DtB playing on 7/25/09 in Floyd, VA. Her images include some before-and-after shots of the rain storm that erupted during the set; by late in the set the sun was once again shining, in plenty of time for Christian Dugas of the Duhks to sit in on scrubboard for the Hot Tamale Baby encore. "What a beautful festival," Kimmy said. "Floyd is just sooo gorgeous!" For a detailed description of the band's performance, check out Paul Roberge's Floydfest review. Thanks for the photos, Kimmy! (posted 7/28/09)

Donna The Buffalo Is Coming To Colorado, Montana In August

A handful of dates recently have been added to Donna the Buffalo's tour schedule, including a pair of shows in Colorado. DtB will perform on Wed. 8/26 and Thur. 8/27 at Owsley's Golden Road in Denver. On 8/29, the band will headline the River City Roots Festival in Missoula, MT. This will be DtB's first-ever performance in Montana.
(posted 7/28/09)

DtB's Saturday GrassRoots Set Is Available For Download

Thanks to taper Kevin Hook (capnhook), a recording of Donna the Buffalo's performance on Sat. 7/18/09 at the GrassRoots Festival in Trumansburg, NY is available from the Live Music Archive at www.archive.org/details/donna2009-07-18.LSD2.minime.flac16. This show, which started at midnight and lasted until 2 am, is perhaps most notable because banjo player Bela Fleck sat in for two songs: Locket & Key (Bela plays this song on DtB's most recent CD, Silverlined) and a stellar version of Mystic Water. Thanks for the recording, Kevin! (posted 7/28/09)

First Report From Floydfest

7/25/09 Floydfest, Floyd, VA

Donna the Buffalo's appearance at Floydfest this year consisted of just one set, but it was quite a memorable one. Paul Roberge explains: "The weather report for 7/25 indicated no rain in the forecast, and the sudden storm caught most of us by surprise. As the band launched into 40 Days & 40 Nights, 'it rained and rained like cats and dogs.'" After quickly overcoming some weather-related equipment issues, DtB prevailed and turned in a hits-heavy set that included Tides of Time, Mystic Water, Blue Sky (after the rain stopped, naturally), and Funky Side. As Paul explains in his review of DtB's performance on 7/25/09 in Floyd, VA, after the rain stopped, a rainbow formed over the stage. "It was one of those fleeting moments that stays with you," Paul wrote. Luckily, Paul's daugher, Maggie, had camera in hand and shares with us 4 photos of DtB at Floydfest, including several with the aforementioned rainbow in the background. Thanks, Roberges! I have more photos of Floydfest that I'll post soon. (posted 7/27/09)

More Photos From GrassRoots!

GrassRoots Festival, Trumansburg, NY

Coverage of Donna the Buffalo's performances at the GrassRoots Festival continues with photos of current and past members of DtB sitting in with other groups and each other, as well as guests joining the band for the big Sunday night finale. Frequent DonnaFans.com contribution John Yust shares with us a dozen photos of DtB and friends peforming at GrassRoots, including shots of Jeb and former DtB drummer Tom Gilbert backing the Believers, Jeb sitting in with Keith Secola, Saturday morning's set by Jeb & Them, and much of the action from Sunday night, such as the impromptu cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean (right); links to two videos of this performance appear below. First-time DonnaFans.com contributor John Bahlinger provides 9 photos of DtB from GrassRoots, including a great shot of Tara from Sunday, as well as one of yours truly and friends enjoying the festival. Thanks so much for the photos, guys! (posted 7/25/09)

Just Added: 29 Photos From GrassRoots, Trumansburg, NY

GrassRoots Festival, Trumansburg, NY

Our first batch of photos from Donna the Buffao's recent performances at the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance comes from no less than three photographers, two of whom are kindly sharing their images with DonnaFans.com for the first time. Longtime contributor Greg Cotterill provides us with 10 photos of Donna the Buffalo performing on Thursday, 7/16/09. His photos include shots of the beloved tapers' section, as well as what was probably the largest-ever Thursday GrassRoots crowd. Michelle Perkins generously shares with us 11 photos of DtB from throughout the festival. Her images include some beautiful portrait-style shots, and one of Jeb playing with banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck--who performed his own set, a set with Oumou Sangare, and sat in with the Horse Flies and Alash Ensemble for a wild version of Cluck Old Hen, which you can watch here. And finally, Paula Martin offers up 8 photos of DtB playing on Saturday, 7/18/09. Paul took these shot from the rail, which for DtB's Saturday night set is traditionally a difficult place to get to, never mind take photos from; Paula did a a superb job. Thanks so much to all three of you for making the effort to document these sets, and for sharing your handiwork with DonnaFans.com. (posted 7/23/09)

Donna the Buffalo Covers Michael Jackson's Billie Jean At GrassRoots!


One of the many highlights of Donna the Buffalo's festival-closing set at GrassRoots on Sunday, 7/19, was an unrehearsed cover of the Michael Jackson song Billie Jean. Thanks to some sharp fans, you can see not one but two videos of this performance on YouTube. The first is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiWrniWUAL0 and the second is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P9G83vN29E. More details from this festival, and plenty of photos, are on their way. (posted 7/22/09)

First Report From GrassRoots!

7/18/09 Happiness Parade, GrassRoots Festival, Trumansburg, NY


Donna the Buffalo turned in four outstanding performances during what many are calling the most musically diverse GrassRoots festival ever; the event took place in Trumansburg, NY 7/16 - 7/19. Starting almost promptly at 7 pm, the band's Thursday night infield stage set began with It's A New Day, which according to Donnabase hadn't been played since New Year's Eve. A large crowd saw the band work its way through a set that included I Dont Need a Riddle, It's Love Time, Positive Friction, and a Conscious Evolution closer, for which Jeb played his Kent guitar. On Friday night, DtB played a energetic set with Jim Lauderdale that include most of the tunes from Wait Til Spring and more. Highlights included Slow Motion Trouble, Halfway Down, and a new Jeb Puryear/Jim Lauderdale creation called Except For That One Time.

Saturday began with a performance by Jeb and Them, a band that consisted of Jeb, Tom Gilbert on drums, Sim Redmond on bass, Uniit on vocals and acoustic guitar for one song, and Hank Roberts on cello. This group's set included Do It For Love, Killing A Man, and Nashville Christmas, whic thanks to Tim Anderson you can listen to here. Saturday night Donna played to a jam-packed infield for a set that started at midnight and lasted until 2 am. This performance featured the new Jeb song Ding Dang Dong, Family Picture, Funkyside, The Ones You Love, and Bela Fleck sitting in for Locket & Key and Mystic Water.

On Sunday, the band concluded the 19th Annual GrassRoots with a guest-filled set that included Tom Gilbert on Locket & Key and Garden of Eden, Ribbons & Bows with Richie Stearns, and much, much more. I'll post photos and reviews of this fantastic event soon; in the meantime, you can read the updates I posted throughout the first three days of GrassRoots at www.twitter.com/donnafans. If you'd like to share your impressions or photos from GrassRoots, send them to: fans@donnafans.com. (posted 7/20/09)

Follow DonnaFans.com On Twitter For Live Updates From GrassRoots

DonnaFans on Twitter


Starting around 6 pm Thur night 7/16, I'll be posting to Twitter updates from the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, NY. You can follow these updates from www.twitter.com/donnafans. I'll be tweeting from the Fairgrounds on Thur. 7/16, Fri. 7/17, and possibly part of Sat. 7/18. I'll post highlights, setlists, webcast info (if applicable), etc. Beside Donna the Buffalo, if there's a specific band or set you want to hear about, let me know and I'll do my best: fans@donnafans.com.
(posted 7/14/09)


Just Added: Ribfest Review & Photos

7/11/09 Ribfest, Fletcher, NC

North Carolina loves Donna the Buffalo, and judging from the way the band plays whenever they're in NC, the feeling is mutual. The most recent stop took place on Saturday, 7/11/09, at Ribfest in Fletcher, NC, just outside of Asheville. DtB performed a handful of new songs at this show, including the Jeb Puryear song Ding Dang Dong (debuted 7/4/09 at the Great Blue Heron Festival), a cover of Keith Frank's Why Do You Want to Leave Me (also debuted 7/4/09), and a new Jeb ballad titled To Have and to Hold, which made its debut at this show. "I think what made this such a pleasant evening was that the show felt like a reunion of friends--the band, band family and associates, and so many fine folks in this Herd -- in the cool evening air of the North Carolina mountains, with mist and fog rolling in to heighten the effect," writes Paul Roberge in his review of Donna the Buffalo's show on 7/11/09 in Fletcher, NC. Frequent DonnaFans.com contributor Kimmy Tiedemann also was at this show, and kindly shares with us 9 photos of the band performing on 7/11/09. Her shots include the flowers and balloons presented to Tara to mark her birthday; the crowd also sang her Happy Birthday between songs. Thanks so much, Paul and Kimmy, for the words and photos! (posted 7/13/09)

New Photos: Great Blue Heron Festival

7/5/09 Songwriter's Circle, Great Blue Heron Fest, Sherman, NY

The 2009 edition of the Great Blue Heron Festival in Sherman, NY--which many fans call their favorite due to its intimate, family-friendly vibe--took place 7/3 - 7/5/09. For Donna the Buffalo, the event started on Friday (technically Saturday morning) with a late-night set by the band's zydeco alter ego, Buffalo Zydeco. DtB also had the headlining slots on both Saturday and Sunday nights. Larry Franklin was at this year's Great Blue Heron, and his 12 photos of Donna the Buffalo performing in Sherman, NY 7/3 through 7/5/09 captured all of the action, including Jeb at Sunday morning's Songwriters Circle (left) as well as Sunday night's performance of the Lou Reed song Walk on the Wild Side with special guests Craig Aspen and Cyd Frazzini, aka the Believers. Thanks to Jim Burns, you can see 3 minutes of this musical highlight at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnOFJFm8lkQ. DtB and the Believers had performed this song together once before, on 2/7/09 at the Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY. Other special moments from this festival include the debut on Saturday of a new Jeb Puryear song Ding Dang Dong. Check out the lyrics. Thanks to Capn Hook, you already can listen to and download DtB's 7/4/09 set from the Live Music Archive at www.archive.org/details/donna2009-07-04.LSD2.minime.flac16. Thanks, everyone, for making the photos, video, and recording available so quickly! (posted 7/11/09)

Download The Mountain Aid Show

Thanks to Capnhook, a recording of Donna the Buffalo's performance on 6/20/09 at Mountain Aid in Silk Hope, NC is now available. You can download this show from the Live Music Archive at www.archive.org/details/donna2009-06-20.LSD2.minime.flac16. This show is perhaps most notable for the band's performance of Walk The Way The Wind Blows with Kathy Mattera. Thanks for recording and uploading this show, Capn!
(posted 7/3/09)

News & Rumors Archives »