If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Samer Ghani For his latest single, Buffalo Nichols gets stripped down and back to basics. "The Difference" is a heartfelt and stripped down track featuring just Nichols' vocals and guitar. This is how I discovered him opening for Drive-By Truckers a few years back, and it's amazing how compelling he can make just vocals and guitar. It's a simple song that lets you focus more strongly on Nichols' songwriting and guitar playing. "The Difference" is folk with a touch of blues, and is simply irresistible. His upcoming album keeps building with anticipation with every new single, and thankfully we have less than a month to go to hear the whole thing. Buffalo Nichols says that the new single is "...  is “about someone who often mistakes shallow signs of affection for true love and in the end decides a one sided relationship is better than loneliness.”  You can listen to "The Difference" below. The Fatalist is due out September 15 on...

Photo by Samer Ghani Milwaukee's Buffalo Nichols has released a new single that is simply breathtaking. "Love Is All" could be a straightforward folk/blues song, and it would be a fantastic one. Nichols has a certain something to his voice that isn't quite traditionally appealing, but has a certain captivating quality to it, like a J Masic or Neil Young. But, much like those other artists, Nichols' latest single is a complete showcase for his guitar work. Nichols plays spectacularly on "Love Is All," and for most of the song I can't decide if I need to focus more on his vocals or the guitar. It's a great problem to have, and this song is spectacular. Buffalo Nichols says of his new modern protest song: “ In our society the bar is set very low for what is deemed acceptable behavior for men .  It is socially acceptable to be cruel and place financial gain over human kindness so I believe loving and treating someone with respect, fairness and kindne...

Photo by Samer Ghani I first became a Buffalo Nichols fan after seeing him open for Drive-By Truckers. Not many people could keep DBT fans entertained with just a guitar, but Nichols pulled it off. His 2021 self-titled album solidified my fandom, and now he's back with new music. "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" continues his classic blues sound, but adds in a little experimentation. If it was just a straightforward blues song, it would be a spectacular blues song. But Nichols adds in samples of Charley Patton's version of the song, making a timeless classic as modern as it could be. This is a truly unique take on modern blues that still sounds like the most classic version of the genre as possible. Is there another artist that could have pulled this off? Buffalo Nichols says of his new song: “ A traditional song made modern. Which aspects of ‘the Blues’ are essential? Is it a melody? A certain vocabulary? Delivery? Instrumentation? Is this still a blues ...