Last night, Nashvillians from all over congregated 318 Elberta Street to see Sol Cat, Gunther Doug, Buffalo Rodeo, and an unannounced surprise headliner. Perhaps it was due to the surprise headliner, or even the appropriately psychedelic decorations littering the house, but for whatever reason the collective atmosphere at the party was one of anticipation, excitement, and most all, enthusiasm. Music City mingled for about an hour after the doors opened, smoking cigarettes next to the backyard hot dog stand, until Buffalo Rodeo began their set around 9.
Unfortunately for readers unfamiliar with Buffalo Rodeo, they’re one of those bands that are tough to pigeonhole under a specific genre or label, but we’re going to go ahead and try. The Bowling Green, Kentucky natives combine traditional indie rock vocals and guitars with heavily textured ambient influences, prominent drum lines, and just a dash of that prog rock mentality, though even that stroll down adjective lane does not do the band’s sound justice.
Regardless of what classification is applied to Buffalo Rodeo, one thing is for sure: their set kicked ass. All of the shows took place in a cramped room upstairs, which may have been rather hot and uncomfortable but was unquestionably intimate. This intimacy augmented Buffalo Rodeo’s set; as fans crammed up the stairs and into the room, the band grew more excited and played more energetically, which drew more fans, and so on. All in all, this feedback loop helped to introduce many Nashvillians to a stellar new act. Buffalo Rodeo came out with a new EP last april, which you can get via their Bandca