May 2010
Just Added: Photos of Preston Frank, DtB From Rochester, NY 5/21/10
It's somewhat cliche to describe a gig as "historic," but Donna the Buffalo's recent performance at the Lilac Festival in Rochester, NY more than lived up to that superlative. This was mainly due to the presence of zydeco legend Mr. Preston Frank, who opened the show with a group of musical friends known as Big Daddy Zydeco (left), which featured DtB's Jeb Puryear on guitar, creole fiddler Ed Poullard, former DtB members Tom Gilbert on drums and Jed Greenberg on bass, and Ward Puryear on scrub. This might have been the first time Jeb, Tom, and Jed performed together since Jed left DtB in October 2003. After this, DtB came out for a high-energy set that included You're Breaking My Heart (with Ward Puryear on scrubboard), Love and Gasoline, It's Love Time, and a set-closing, four-alarm version of Hot Tamale Baby, for which Preston Frank sat in on vocals and accordion while Ward Puryear returned on scrub. All of this action was captured by two of DonnaFans.com's dedicated contributors. Greg Cotterill shares with us 6 photos of Big Daddy Zydeco and 12 of Donna the Buffalo performing on 5/21/10, and John Miklasz kindly provides 7 photos from the same show, including shots of Preston and Ward sitting in with DtB. Thanks for the photos, guys! (posted 5/26/10)
First Photos From Edinboro Art & Music Festival
On Thursday, 5/13/10, Donna the Buffalo returned to Edinboro, PA for that city's Art & Music Festival; the band first performed at this fest last year. New DonnaFans.com contributor Cal Robinson said it was "a very good set--great time had by all" and kindly provides us with 9 photos of DtB playing on 5/13/10 in Edinboro, PA. Cal's images include several close-up shots of individual band members, plus a particularly interesting photo of Jeb and Kyle. Lori Sands wrote that the set included Off To Dreamland, Way Back When, Positive Friction, Sailing (by request), Me and Depression, Beauty Within, Love and Gasoline, Blue Sky, Ring of Fire, Wood and Stone, Silverlined, Locket and Key, Family Picture, Mystic Water, No Place Like the Right Time, and Another World into Revolution for the encore. Thanks for the photos and words, guys! (posted 5/19/10)
New Photos: MerleFest, 4/30/10 Wilkesboro, NC
A new DonnaFans.com contributor who wishes to be known only as Old Milwaukee Folkie has generously shared with us 11 photos of Donna the Buffalo performing on 4/30/10 at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC. Old Milwaukee's images include a shot that shows the size of the politely seated crowd at this always-popular fest, one of Tara that the photographer tastefully photoshopped for artistic effect, and a few of the band sharing the stage with Jim Lauderdale. I haven't received many details of the band's performance at this gig, so if you were there, send me the scoop: fans@donnafans.com. Thanks for the photos, Old Milwaukee Folkie! (posted 5/14/10)
Video From 5/6/10 Chattanooga, TN
Mike Poole has just posted a sweet 9-minute video of Donna the Buffalo's encore from on 5/6/10 at Rhythm & Brews, Chattanooga, TN. Mike's video includes the end part of There Must Be done by Jeb and Tara as a duet, the band and crowd singing Happy Birthday to Jordy, and a super-jammy Everyday to conclude the show. The band's set on this night featured several seldom-heard gems, including Wood and Stone, Look to the Future, and All the Time, which was played by request and according to Donnabase.com may have been last performed on 1/12/08 on the cruise on the Norwegian Dawn. Be sure to check out the rest of Mike's blog, http://suchabigparade.blogspot.com, as he's got some simply stunning photos of DtB and other artists from past gigs. Thanks for sharing, Mike! (posted 5/8/10) Just Added: Photos From Shakori Hills GrassRoots
Leaving after their set on Friday, 4/23/10, Donna the Buffalo drove directly from Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette, LA to Silk Hope, NC for the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival. The band's performances at this fest were accented by top-shelf special guests. On Saturday, 4/24/10, banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck sat in for several tunes. Among the musicians to join in on Sunday's "Donna and friends" set were former Led Zeppelin member John Paul Jones, who sat in on bass (for If You Only Could and The Ones You Love), keyboards (for Voice in My Head), and mandolin (for I'll Be Gone). A few terrific shots of John Paul Jones onstage with the band are among Gary Pudvan's 12 photos of DtB performing on 4/25/10 in Silk Hope, NC. Other guests on Sunday included Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen, Chris O'Neill, Nate Lee, Preston Frank, Kelley Breiding, Nick McMillian, Paige Lindsey, and Abigail Washburn. Thanks to John Bischman, you can download a matrix recording of the all-star set from www.archive.org/details/donna2010-04-25.matrix. Thanks for the photos, Gary! (posted 5/4/10) 