A lot is being made of the fact that Buffalo Nichols is Fat Possum Records' first solo blues artist in over twenty years. The Houston born but Milwaukee raised artist has this amazing brand of blues. His latest single, "Back On Top," showcases his vocals and guitar playing. Vocally, Nichols is truly a unique gem. He has this soft and ultra smooth singing voice. It's really pleasant. As in, he could easily be winning nationally televised singing reality shows. But, then we get his guitar playing. In direct opposition to his voice, Nichols is playing a feedback heavy blues guitar. This vintage guitar sound mixed with his smooth, soulful vocals creates this amazing blend you're going to adore.
You can listen to "Back On Top" below. Buffalo Nichols' self-titled debut album is due out October 15 on Fat Possum Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Buffalo Nichols, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
10/2/21 - St Louis, MO – The Pageant*
10/4/21 - Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium*
10/6/21 - Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue*
10/8/21 - Chicago, IL – The Vic*
10/9/21 - St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre*
10/10/21 - Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre*
10/12/21 - Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre*
10/14/21 - Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall*
10/15/21 - Pittsburgh, PA – Mr Smalls*
10/16/21 - Cleveland, OH – House of Blues*
10/19/21 - Detroit, MI – Majestic*
10/21/21 - Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre*
10/22/21 - Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing*
10/23/21 - Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit*
11/3/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/4/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/5/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/6/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/8/21 - Wilmington, DE – The Queen*
11/10/21 - Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat*
11/11/21 - Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall*
11/12/21 - Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*
11/13/21 - Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*
11/15/21 - Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Room*
I first discovered Buffalo Nichols opening for Drive-By Truckers just before lockdown in February 2020. Opening for the gigantic sound of DBT's rock show as a blues/folk artist is daunting, but he had the crowd sucked in for his entire set. I remember trying to find releases from him, but they were few and far between. I don't believe I was even able to find a social media presence. Finally, Buffalo Nichols is releasing his debut album in October.
"Lost & Lonesome" is the first single, and it's a must listen. The Austin, TX based Carl "Buffalo" Nichols has crafted a sparse, melancholy blues song. While a lot of mainstream blues music focuses heavily on guitar, on "Lost & Lonesome" the focus is Nichols' voice and lyrics. It's an interesting choice, since Nichols' voice is hardly a traditional one. On this song he's speak-singing in a raspy voice that wouldn't get him very far on any network singing show. But that's what makes his music work. Nothing about this is traditional, and it's endlessly captivating. "Lost & Lonesome" may be rooted in traditional blues, but it doesn't sound like what you would consider traditional.
Buffalo Nichols says of his new song:
“‘Lost & Lonesome’ was inspired by years of traveling alone, wandering city streets looking for a place to call home maybe for a night, maybe forever. It takes you back to those moments in life when you must leave home either physically or figuratively—going somewhere unfamiliar and on your own. The soundtrack to a wandering soul. An ode to loneliness. When you see a wandering soul, all you can do is wonder how they got there. This song gives a glimpse into the mind of that traveler looking for a friend and a place to call home.”
You can listen to "Lost & Lonesome" below. Buffalo Nichols will be releasing his self-titled debut album on October 15 via Fat Possum Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Buffalo Nichols, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
7/28/21 - Spring Green, WI – Shitty Barn
7/30/21 - Chicago, IL – Hideout Patio
7/31/21 - Milwaukee WI – The Back Room @ Colectivo
8/1/21 - Sheboygan, WI – Tellen Sculpture Garden
8/5/21 - Appleton, WI – Mile of Music Fest
8/6/21 - Appleton, WI – Mile of Music Fest
8/7/21 - Madison, WI – Sugar Maple Festival
8/14/21 - Gruene, TX – River Rodeo
8/18/21 - New Braunfels, TX – Gruene Hall#
8/21/21 - Austin, TX - Continental Club^
10/2/21 - St Louis, MO – The Pageant*
10/4/21 - Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium*
10/6/21 - Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue*
10/8/21 - Chicago, IL – The Vic*
10/9/21 - St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre*
10/10/21 - Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre*
10/12/21 - Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre*
10/14/21 - Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall*
10/15/21 - Pittsburgh, PA – Mr Smalls*
10/16/21 - Cleveland, OH – House of Blues*
10/19/21 - Detroit, MI – Majestic*
10/21/21 - Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre*
10/22/21 - Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing*
10/23/21 - Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit*
11/3/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/4/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/5/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/6/21 - Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl*
11/8/21 - Wilmington, DE – The Queen*
11/10/21 - Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat*
11/11/21 - Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall*
11/12/21 - Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*
11/13/21 - Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*
11/15/21 - Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Room*
We should all be past the whole disco sucks nonsense at this point. If you're not, you're going to miss out on the sheer beauty of the latest from The Weather Station. Tamara Lineman's project has released "Parking Lot," and it's a quiet and soft disco song. Quiet and disco don't normally go together, but "Parking Lot" fits that description. It's a gorgeous, string heavy song that could have been a lovely little ballad, but it has these soft disco beats underneath the song that propel it. It might not be a party or a club anthem, but you can still dance to it, although it's more of a song that you'd dance to by yourself in your bedroom. (Which makes it the perfect quarantine disco song.)
You can watch the video for "Parking Lot" below. Ignorance is due out February 5 on Fat Possum Records. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on The Weather Station, check out the artist's website.
According to the band, "Athlete" is the most "rock and roll" song off of Why Bonnie's upcoming EP. It's definitely a rock song, but "Athlete" is much more groovy than just being a pure straight up rocker. It has quiet, almost dream-like moments mixed with some heavier psychedelia. It's almost like a dream-pop meets garage rock song, or garage rock light (and I mean that in a good way). It's a song that has beautiful moments mixed with moments that just rock... and are still quite pretty, to be honest. You can watch the video for "Athlete" below. Voice Box, the new EP from Why Bonnie, will be out April 10 on Fat Possum Records. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Why Bonnie, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
Austin's Why Bonnie create some of the most lush and hypnotic dream pop around. Their latest single, "Voice Box," drones on in the best possible way with fuzzy, swirling guitars. What truly makes "Voice Box" stand out among the dream pop revival going on right now is Singer Blair Howerton's voice. I'm not sure if her voice would stand out in another genre of music, but it's perfectly suited to Why Bonnie's style. In fact, her vocals blend with the music in a way that just adds to the hypnotic aspects of "Voice Box." Did the song last a few minutes? Maybe half an hour? That's how sucked into the song you can get, that you just lose sense of time while it's playing. But you'll know you need more. You can watch the video for "Voice Box" below. Why Bonnie's new EP, also called Voice Box, will be out April 10 on Fat Possum. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Why Bonnie, check out their Facebook and Twitter. Current tour dates are below the video.
Wed. March 18 - Austin, TX @ Beerland (High Road Touring Showcase) Sat. March 21 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (Burgermania) Mon. March 23 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge * Wed. March 25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo * Thu. March 26 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill * Sat. March 28 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza * Sun. March 29 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge * Tue. March 31 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court * Thu. April 2 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge * Fri. April 3 - Omaha, NE @ (drips) Sat. April 4 - Iowa City, IA @ Mission Creek Festival Mon. April 6 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry * Tue. April 7 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas * Wed. April 8 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s * Fri. April 10 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Mon. April 13 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight Tue. April 14 - Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s Thu. April 16 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs) Fri. April 17 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk Indoors Sat. April 18 - Dallas, TX @ Ruins Tue. April 21 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Bar Wed. April 22 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub Thu. April 23 - Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary # Fri. April 24 - Toronto, CA @ Baby G # Sat. April 25 - Montreal, QC @ Brasserie # Mon. April 27 - Allston, ,MA @ O’Brien’s Pub Tue. April 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle # Wed. April 29 - Washington, DC @ Pie Shop # Thu. April 30 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall # Fri. May 1 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle (Back Room) # Sat. May 2 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn # Sun. May 3 - Nashville, TN @ DKRMTTR # * = w/ Squirrel Flower # -w/ Kevin Krauter
When I first saw there was a band called American Wrestlers on Fat Possum Records, I instantly knew what they sounded like. It was going to be dirty, bluesy punk, obviously. Apparently I'm old (and we missed their debut album from last year), since that doesn't appear to be Fat Possum's thing anymore. "Give Up," the new song from American Wrestlers, is upbeat and poppy as can be. American Wrestlers was started by Gary McClure after moving from Scotland to St. Louis, MO of all places. The song stops just a few steps away from being twee, and are on the more rockin' side of what is now called dream pop.
American Wrestlers' second album, Goodbye Terrible Youth, is due out November 4 on Fat Possum Records. You can pre-order it here. For more information on American Wrestlers, check them out on Facebook and Twitter. You can listen to "Give Up" below.
