Donna the Buffalo comes into its own with ‘Silverlined’

By John Benson

Formed 20 years ago, folk-based act Donna the Buffalo has pretty much existed in the margins before its 2008 album “Silverlined” reached No. 8 on the Americana music chart.

For bandleaders Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear, it’s been quite a career, which began at a time before Americana music was not only accepted but understood by the masses.

“The fact that there’s an Americana genre that’s getting more and more recognition now is pretty cool,” said Nevins, calling from upstate New York. “I guess it sort of gives you a place to be, which is a really good thing when journalists write about the band. It used to be hard for people to describe us because they were kind of like, ‘Wow, what is Donna the Buffalo? They’re a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but where do they fit in? They’re not really a rock band. They’re not a pop band. What are they?’”

Though in the past, the act has tinkered with its hybrid sound of folk, reggae, Cajun, zydeco, rock and country, Nevins acknowledges Donna the Buffalo actually focused on making “Silverlined” something different.

“We worked with different producers,” Nevins said. “It’s probably one of our better productions as far as recording goes. And stylistically, it’s really just sort of Donna the Buffalo evolving. The body of songs lend themselves to a certain sound, and we had a lot of guests — Bela Fleck and David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and Clara Lynch and Amy Helm — on the record. We’re really just a very Americana folk-rock band.

“I guess the song on the record that got attention was ‘Locket and Key.’ We actually got to make our very first music video with that song. It’s on GAC (Great American County), so that was very exciting, very fun and a very new thing for us. I’m constantly hearing people say they hear that song when they’re in the grocery store.”

Fans attending the act’s Sunday show at Kent Stage can expect to hear plenty of “Silverlined” material, as well as old favorites and even a new track or two. Nevins said one unreleased song, which has been getting stage time, is the upbeat “Lovetime.” Though there is no time frame for the release of a new CD, 2010 finds the act quite busy, touring with Little Feat and also marking the 20-year anniversary of the Grass Roots Festival, which they helped start.

Nevins also added that in the concert experience, Donna the Buffalo not only transcends age but also unites people in unexpected ways.

“Our demographic is huge and vast,” Nevins said. “It’s from 6-year-olds to 55-year-olds. Also, college students love us. Families come out all together. It bridges the generation gap. I can tell you that anyone that really loves music should come out, and anyone who loves to dance and feel good should come.”

Ah, so that means no cynics allowed?

“Hey, no, cynics can come too,” Nevins said with a laugh. “We’ll give them something to smile about.”