Customer Reviews

Live From the American Ballroom

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Combine musicians extremely skilled in all forms of American roots music, plug them in to make a mostly electric band, add psychedelic garage band Lowery organ sounds, stir with lyrics that touch on various eternal truths, and you get a conscious dance party from this upstate NY that has been playing together for more than 12 years called Donna the Buffalo. Multi-instrumentalist Tara Nevins adds much to the ever-changing sound of the group as she switches between fiddle, accordion, rubboard and acoustic guitar, as well as vocals, which she alternates especially with guitarists Jeb Puryear and Jim Miller. Fans have been waiting a long time for Donna to put out a live recording, and this double album captures the intoxicating rhythmic vibrations of their live shows. Live from the American Ballroom was recorded on the band's spring tour, and shows their affection for driving, zydeco-fueled grooves. The musicians rip through rollicking renditions of "Riddle of the Universe" and "America," and they splash some spicy Southwest Louisiana riffs into "Tides of Time." They soar into rocketing Bo Diddley beats during a lengthy work out of "Conscious Evolution, and then downshift into their old-timey roots on the song's bouncy ending. Two tracks really stand out on the album, and they come from totally different musical planets. The band cooks up a mesmerizing groove at the beginning of "Ancient Arms," and rides the sweeping melodies all the way to the song's closing notes. While this tune showcases the majestic beauty of their music, the group reveals a more adventurous side during "Push Comes To Shove." The exploratory edginess of this improvisational number is radically different from their usual stuff, and it transported me back to the psychedelic jams of the late 1960's (they are in fact one of the favorite band of deadheads, in fact they also have an avid following called "The Herd). You can't miss with this CD.

I really, really like Donna the B. This is the band that brought me out of my post Garcia blues, the first band that wrote songs that were so engaging I played the discs over and over again. I wore out, literally, Positive Friction and bought a second copy. This double live LP is less good, but still definitely worth owning. The recording is a little lifeless from a technical standpoint, but then it's live, and maybe they didn't have the best sound that day. Or those days. But be that as it may, this is wonderful, happy jam music, highly recommended. I know they aren't the Dead, not by a mile, nor do they wish to be, but this music made me perk up my ears when nothing else did.

Okay, so what exactly is Donna the Buffalo? First off, there's no one in the band named Donna. Don't ask. So, what is their music like? Well, think of it as kind of like Bob Dylan meets Bob Marley somewhere between the mountains of Appalachia and the swamps of Louisiana. Still confused? Good. Just listen to the music. It speaks for itself. Even better, go see them live. The infectuous energy of their live performances cannot adequately be captured on a CD.

So, about this specific recording... It's great for what it is, which is a live sampler from their 2002 tour. Or was it 2001? They all kind of run together after awhile. The thing is, Donna the Buffalo is a taper-friendly band and there are live recordings of literally hundreds of shows circulating on the Web and many of them have more life and energy to them than this one. So if you want to support the band with your dollars (always a good thing) then buy this recording or one (or more) of their excellent studio CDs. Otherwise, well, happy browsing...

"Donna the what?" That was the first thing I said when I heard this band was playing locally at the Blue Point Brewery's "Blues & Brews Festival" this past August. All the suspicions about the band simply vanished after they warmed up the crowd for the Grateful Dead's latest incarnation. Donna the Buffalo's country-rock and zydeco blend of music was infectiously fun to listen to and very similar to the performances on this cd. I keep both discs from this live collection in my car's 3 cd rotation as I am constantly hearing nuances I didn't hear before. All of the players in the band are well proportioned in the mix, which I would say is startlingly clear.

This is a timeless cd that ranks in my favorites with "Get Your Ya-ya-s Out", "Live at Leeds",and "The Band of Gypsys" which capture some of the finest moments in live playing by any rock band.

This is really a great mix and captures the fun and energy of Donna The Buffalo. Definite buy.

If you're a Deadhead you should love Donna the Buffalo. This is a great jam band with wonderful musicians that play really well together and enjoy each other's company. Apparently they are huge on the East Coast, but have yet to make it out here to the Left Coast.
Great energy, good vocals and a wonderful crowd presence make this a "must have" for those who enjoy this genre of music.

Donna The Buffalo provides a young-blooded backcountry twist to the American South. Their new double-album "Live From The American Ballroom" illustrates their ability to capture an audience, and shows how an accordion and washboard can truly make a band unique. "Live" was recorded during Donna The Buffalo's spring tour of 2001, incorporating country melodies and rhythms against rock and a touch of Zydeco. "Ancient Arms" and "Come To Life" stand alone against the rest of the album. The lineup features Jim Miller on guitar/banjo, Richie Stearns on organ, Jed Greenberg on bass, and Tom Gilbert on drums. Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear take care of writing the material, adding their expertise on guitar and fiddle/washboards respectively. "Live Form The American Ballroom" will satisfy the hayseed hippie in anyone regardless of age. The band's official website lays the foundation for the music, providing links to their mp3's and breakdowns of the equipment and set materials. Check it out at www.donnathebuffalo.com

Donna The Buffalo is good times music. No matter what your mood, put on some DTB and you're gonna smile and feel like shufflin' around the floor. In particular, Tara Nevins is a fine fiddler and a singer in a vein similar to a young Emmylou Harris.

DTB are some of the best songwriters in the jamband scene, they write songs with great hooks and they can sure mine a beat. Unfortunately, what doesn't come across as their strong suit on this release is their relatively limited ability to stretch out and jam. If you're looking for great instruemental solos, this one is likely to leave you lacking.

Normally, I prefer live releases over studio discs by any given artist on any given day, but this one just didn't do it for me. DTB has three excellent(!) studio releases in "Rockin' In the Weary Land", "Positive Friction", and "Life's a Ride", all of which get more listens (and smiles!) from me than this one.

Sure, listening to this you can tell the audience was having a party - but their studio albums will have you dancin' and grinnin' even more than this one.

The music of DTB absolutely WILL make you happy, but I'd start with their other releases first. 2 1/2 stars.

I was at Bonnaroo when I first heard the sounds of the acordian as I was passing by one of the many stages, I asked who it was and becuase of the busy schedule of the festival could not stick around so I later came to buy the CD here on Amazon and was not as impressed I was was hoping.I will give them some credit on thier instrumentation, the acordian, wash board and fiddle, all played by Nevans,acompanied by keys drums bass and two guitars, give the group some flavor, but they don't do much with it. The melody lines are bouncy and cheerful for the most part but they never go anywhere with the jams, and you end up getting only the repetitive arodian melodies stuck in your head wich might also be due to poor mastering.Nevans vocals are sweet sounding but almost too sweet, a mix between Sarah Mclachan and Edie Brickell, which is good i just have a hard time rocking out to such a sweet female voice. As far as the other lead vocalist which I think is one of the guitar players, he has kind of a Bob Dylan sounding voice but again isn't mixed well and is just plain hard to understand. Don't get me wrong, seeing them live could very well be a good time and as far as the CD goes will be good backround music to beer and cards on a Saturday night, but unless I hear something different coming from the buffalo this will be the last CD of donna's I buy.