BUFFALO KILLERS - RCRD

Buffalo Killers are from Cincinnati, Ohio, which sounds about 300 miles from where they should be from (123 Main Street, Cincinnati is 271 miles from 123 Main Street, Nashville) but it begins to make sense when you consider the Black Keys are also from Ohio and that bands' bearded front man, Dan Auerbach sat in the producers seat on the Buffalo Killers' Alive debut, Let It Ride. To say that Buffalo Killers sound like the whiskey soaked, seldom groomed older cousins of Kings of Leon is to only consider one aspect of Buffalo Killers. Granted, "Get Together Now," is an undeniable country burner and the video showing the brothers Zachary and Andrew Gabbard and drummer Joseph Seballi on stage, on the road, drinking, smoking and wearing bell-bottoms doesn't do much to make you realize these dudes are more than just dirty country revivalists.

The Let It Ride LP dabbles with the blues and psychedelia as creatively as it re-interprets slide guitar lines. "Let It Ride," shows the band has spent some time with Jimmy Hendrix's Band of Gypsies and there are songs on the LP that show a full soaking in the song-writing of the Grateful Dead, Charlie Parker, Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. Like all good country music, there is a full awareness of the music that has gone before while showing a unabashed willingness to take those rules and fuck with them. Buffalo Killers are on tour now and with the Black Crowes this fall and seem to be on the road to realizing the lyrics to "If I Get Myself Anywhere" - "I'm a travellin man just pushing ahead, if I get myself anywhere bet you I'd rather be dead, if I get myself anywhere. And we're a travellin band looking for a bed, we're not trying to fight you we're just starvin to death, looking for a bed." Amen. - RCRD