Buffalo Killers
Encyclopedia
Buffalo Killers are an American rock
band comprising guitar
ist and vocalist Andrew Gabbard, bass guitar
ist and vocalist Zachary Gabbard and drum
mer Joseph Sebaali. The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio
, in 2006 following the dissolution of Thee Shams
, of which the trio were members. Buffalo Killers were quickly signed by Alive Records
and their self-titled debut album was released in October 2006; Buffalo Killers drew the attention of Chris Robinson, who invited the band to open a string of dates for The Black Crowes
in 2007. Buffalo Killers' second album, Let It Ride, was produced by Dan Auerbach
of The Black Keys
and released in July 2008.
-playing father, who taught them to play the instrument at an early age. Zach recalls growing up "listening to Neil Young
, The Grateful Dead, CSNY and New Riders of the Purple Sage
from as long back as I can remember." With access to their father's record
collection and musical instruments, Zach says he and his brother were "groomed" to make a career of playing music. Zach formed the garage rock
band Thee Shams
in 1999; the five-piece band included the other two future members of Buffalo Killers. Thee Shams released four albums on four record labels before the Gabbard brothers broke up the band in late 2005. "In the end it was broke and the road only made it worse", said Zach, adding, "It was best to move on, take a break and re-evaluate the situation". In early 2006, the Gabbard brothers recruited Sebaali to plays drum
s (he had played keyboard
s in Thee Shams) and formed Buffalo Killers. The new band's sound was a "more polished version" of Thee Shams' minimalist garage rock, but "still rooted in that great sweaty and swampy blues-rock inspired by '60s garage rock psychedelia", wrote Rick Bird of The Cincinnati Post
. Other reviewers compared the band to Blue Cheer
, Mountain
and The Rolling Stones
.
and recorded a five-song demo with producer John Curley. Though the band intended to release the demo independently, Zach sent copies to record labels on a lark. Less than a week later the band received a call from Alive Records
; the label "liked the recordings so much that they wanted to release them as they were", according to Zach. Alive Records subsequently signed Buffalo Killers, who scrambled to write and record five more songs to flesh out an LP. The album, Buffalo Killers
, was released on October 10, 2006. Chris Robinson heard the album and invited the band to open a string of dates for The Black Crowes
in 2007. Buffalo Killers had just finished booking their own tour, but then their booking agent "started calling me back frantically" recalled Zach. "He said that The Crowes had called and invited us on the whole fall tour. I was like, 'Well, cancel all that other shit.'"
While on tour with The Black Crowes, Buffalo Killers wrote half of what would become Let It Ride
. The band entered the studio, with Black Keys
guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach
serving as producer, immediately following the tour. The recording session took "only a few days", according to Auerbach, who downplayed his role in making the album. "These are the kind of guys that don't need a lot of help when it comes to making records or sparking their imagination." Auerbach felt his most important contribution was in capturing "the raw live sound of this band". A concert tour, on which Buffalo Killers opened for The Black Keys, preceded the July 22, 2008, release of Let It Ride. A bonus live CD, sourced from a fan's bootleg, was included in a limited edition vinyl pressing of the album. The inclusion was made (even though the bootleg "sounds like shit", said Zach) to show that the band can play live and is not studio-enhanced. Another tour opening for The Black Crowes followed in November.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band comprising guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and vocalist Andrew Gabbard, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist and vocalist Zachary Gabbard and drum
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
mer Joseph Sebaali. The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, in 2006 following the dissolution of Thee Shams
Thee Shams
Thee Shams was a garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, consisting of Zachary Gabbard, Andrew Gabbard, Joey Sebaali, Max Bender, and Keith Fox. They were signed to Mississippi's Fat Possum Records and also released records on Shake It Records and several other small labels. Many of Thee Sham's...
, of which the trio were members. Buffalo Killers were quickly signed by Alive Records
Alive Records
Alive Naturalsound Records – also known simply as Alive Records – started in 1994 in Los Angeles, California, by Patrick Boissel, is an independent record label specializing in garage rock, punk blues, garage punk, psychedelic rock, power pop and blues-rock music. It grew out of Boissel's...
and their self-titled debut album was released in October 2006; Buffalo Killers drew the attention of Chris Robinson, who invited the band to open a string of dates for The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
in 2007. Buffalo Killers' second album, Let It Ride, was produced by Dan Auerbach
Dan Auerbach
Daniel Quine Auerbach is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. He is married to Stephanie Gonis, with whom he has a daughter, Sadie Little Auerbach, born in 2008.- Childhood and early...
of The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
and released in July 2008.
Early years and formation
Andrew and Zachary Gabbard grew up in a musical household with a guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
-playing father, who taught them to play the instrument at an early age. Zach recalls growing up "listening to Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, The Grateful Dead, CSNY and New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
from as long back as I can remember." With access to their father's record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
collection and musical instruments, Zach says he and his brother were "groomed" to make a career of playing music. Zach formed the garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band Thee Shams
Thee Shams
Thee Shams was a garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, consisting of Zachary Gabbard, Andrew Gabbard, Joey Sebaali, Max Bender, and Keith Fox. They were signed to Mississippi's Fat Possum Records and also released records on Shake It Records and several other small labels. Many of Thee Sham's...
in 1999; the five-piece band included the other two future members of Buffalo Killers. Thee Shams released four albums on four record labels before the Gabbard brothers broke up the band in late 2005. "In the end it was broke and the road only made it worse", said Zach, adding, "It was best to move on, take a break and re-evaluate the situation". In early 2006, the Gabbard brothers recruited Sebaali to plays drum
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s (he had played keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s in Thee Shams) and formed Buffalo Killers. The new band's sound was a "more polished version" of Thee Shams' minimalist garage rock, but "still rooted in that great sweaty and swampy blues-rock inspired by '60s garage rock psychedelia", wrote Rick Bird of The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Distributed in Northern Kentucky as The Kentucky Post, it was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Since the 1980s, its editorial stance was usually conservative. The Post published its final...
. Other reviewers compared the band to Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
, Mountain
Mountain (band)
Mountain is an American hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 before reuniting in 1974 and remaining active until today...
and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
.
Buffalo Killers–present
Shortly after the band's formation, Buffalo Killers began gigging throughout OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and recorded a five-song demo with producer John Curley. Though the band intended to release the demo independently, Zach sent copies to record labels on a lark. Less than a week later the band received a call from Alive Records
Alive Records
Alive Naturalsound Records – also known simply as Alive Records – started in 1994 in Los Angeles, California, by Patrick Boissel, is an independent record label specializing in garage rock, punk blues, garage punk, psychedelic rock, power pop and blues-rock music. It grew out of Boissel's...
; the label "liked the recordings so much that they wanted to release them as they were", according to Zach. Alive Records subsequently signed Buffalo Killers, who scrambled to write and record five more songs to flesh out an LP. The album, Buffalo Killers
Buffalo Killers (album)
Buffalo Killers is the debut studio album by American blues-rock band Buffalo Killers. It was released in October 2006 on Alive Naturalsound Records as a Compact Disc and a limited edition LP with yellow, swirled vinyl.-Track listing:...
, was released on October 10, 2006. Chris Robinson heard the album and invited the band to open a string of dates for The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
in 2007. Buffalo Killers had just finished booking their own tour, but then their booking agent "started calling me back frantically" recalled Zach. "He said that The Crowes had called and invited us on the whole fall tour. I was like, 'Well, cancel all that other shit.'"
While on tour with The Black Crowes, Buffalo Killers wrote half of what would become Let It Ride
Let It Ride (Buffalo Killers album)
Let It Ride is the second studio album by American blues-rock band Buffalo Killers. It was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and released in July 2008 on Alive Naturalsound Records...
. The band entered the studio, with Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach
Dan Auerbach
Daniel Quine Auerbach is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. He is married to Stephanie Gonis, with whom he has a daughter, Sadie Little Auerbach, born in 2008.- Childhood and early...
serving as producer, immediately following the tour. The recording session took "only a few days", according to Auerbach, who downplayed his role in making the album. "These are the kind of guys that don't need a lot of help when it comes to making records or sparking their imagination." Auerbach felt his most important contribution was in capturing "the raw live sound of this band". A concert tour, on which Buffalo Killers opened for The Black Keys, preceded the July 22, 2008, release of Let It Ride. A bonus live CD, sourced from a fan's bootleg, was included in a limited edition vinyl pressing of the album. The inclusion was made (even though the bootleg "sounds like shit", said Zach) to show that the band can play live and is not studio-enhanced. Another tour opening for The Black Crowes followed in November.
Discography
- Buffalo KillersBuffalo Killers (album)Buffalo Killers is the debut studio album by American blues-rock band Buffalo Killers. It was released in October 2006 on Alive Naturalsound Records as a Compact Disc and a limited edition LP with yellow, swirled vinyl.-Track listing:...
(2006) - Let It RideLet It Ride (Buffalo Killers album)Let It Ride is the second studio album by American blues-rock band Buffalo Killers. It was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and released in July 2008 on Alive Naturalsound Records...
(2008) - 33 (Buffalo Killers album)3 is the third studio album by American blues-rock band Buffalo Killers. It was released on August 2, 2011, on Alive Naturalsound Records...
(2011)
Members
- Andrew Gabbard – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals - Zachary Gabbard – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals - Joseph Sebaali – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....