BUFFALO KILLERS - Downtown Money Waster

Smoking hot, seductive, slow roasted, and nurtured by the tonal fuzz of Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach, the Buffalo Killers are proving to be the black knights of rock’s new doctrine. They are an outfit that bares the scares of an industry littered with instability at the hands of the decline of record sales, the emergence of the new revolving pop, and the death of rock n’ roll. It is in this environment that rock’s new order thrives. For the Cincinnati, Ohio natives, their brash gritty expulsion of road warrior glory comes at a time when the tradition is in its most dire hour. Their sophomore LP Let It Ride still holds on tight to the influences of Cream, the harmonies of Neil Young and the Beatles, as well as incorporating the slow sustained fuzz of swagger-driven solos.

Recorded in Akron, Ohio and a liner note nod to Black Crowes frontman, Chris Robinson, the recording sports ten songs of oozing rock glory. Even though production credits and the tone of the record come from Auerbach, the song structure is directly influential from that of the Black Crowes. Meaning, the songs, though not longer in 5 minutes in length, linger, relax, and meander in the heart of the groove.

“I cannot sit well / can’t you tell, can’t you tell/ my ears are ringing like bells,” sings Zach Gabbard in the LP’s opener “Get Together Now Today.” It is riff based blues with thick phrases being laid down with the tension tug of molasses. “Let it Ride” follows with the full essence of rock n’ roll combined with the lyrics of slap stick hooks.

Lines like “We are a traveling band / looking for a bed / we are not trying to hurt you / we are just starving to death,” relays the story, while Joseph Sebaali’s drum work is particularly impressive and loose.

Additional song standouts are “Black Paper” and “Take Me Back Home” which reminds me of the Beatles White Album staple, “Yer Blues.”

The record hit streets July 8, 2008. Go buy it. - Downtown Money Waster

BUFFALO KILLERS - Heave Media

Get to Know: Buffalo Killers
The Ohio based Buffalo Killers give a gritty, classic sound.
By: Amy Dittmeier

Who knew Ohio was so cool? Cincinnati has become something more than the home of the largest Oktoberfest in the U.S. with the recent success of Ohio natives Afghan Whigs and the Black Keys. An explosion of aggressive guitars, throbbing drum beats and boogie bass work has come out of the Ohio capital, giving it a couple cool points. The Buffalo Killers, riding the aftershocks of their previous band, are the latest addition to the Midwest fad. The Cincinnati trio, made up of brothers Andrew and Zachary Gabbard and Joseph Sebaali, originally played in the band Thee Shams for almost seven years before creating their new band. Though the band has only been together for two years, they've already gotten some decent gigs opening up for the Black Crowes and the Black Keys. Where Thee Shams was into rough guitar work combined with southern rock, Buffalo Killers bring back the feel of rock and roll that our parents use to get high to in their college dorm rooms. It's a throwback to the days of classic rock but mixed with something new and modern, escaping the niche of a novelty act.

Their self-titled debut is an evolution of their work in Thee Shams. From the slow jam opener "San Martine Des Morelle" to the bluesy garage rock track "Children of War", Buffalo Killers fail to disappoint. Thee Shams' garage rock roots are still evident during Buffalo Killers, however the brothers Gabbard and Sebaali spin off the genre by adding a wah-wah pedal and some major guitar fuzz. Andrew Gabbard's voice rips through the guitar distortion on tracks like "Fit to Breathe" with such force you think he's going to pass out at the end of the song. Their most recent release, Let it Ride, continues where Buffalo Killers left off, with the title track featuring both brothers screaming "Let it ride" backed by Andrew Gabbard's tantalizing guitar and Sebaali's forceful drums.

The featured single "Get Together Now, Today" off of Let it Ride inspires images of driving a vintage Mustang on a dusty highway after a bad break-up. It has less distortion than some of Buffalo Killers' other tracks, but it's stripped down nature makes its message that much more potent. Zachary Gabbard lays down a slinky bass line for Andrew to jam to as he sings, "I do not sit well, can you tell?" It's a great opener for Let it Ride and an even better example of who the Buffalo Killers really are. - Heave Media

BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES - Organ

BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES – A Touch Of Someone Else’s Class (Alive) - Now this time around they got it nailed from the start, filthy dirty analogue organ and spot on drummer. Just the two of them and some filthy dirty organ driven old school blues. They’re from the Southern United States and they say something about being influenced by “piece of shit cars, the criminal justice system, crazyass women and southern religious hypocrisy”. They got the classic blues/soul of John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, R.L Burnside, Seasick Steve, and yeah a bit of White Stripes/Shellac suss on their side along with that righteous organ sound. The whole thing is wholesome and they’re setting down there right there with man from the crossroads on the porch sipping cheap beer and doing it just right. Yep, this is good old punk-ass organ driven analogue blues - smoking, filthy, drenched in soul, over-driven and like they say, they’ll have their way and catch you somewhere on the other side. They got soul, they got moody bits, they got stompin bits and they got gospel and they got it nailed from the start with a touch of someone else’s class in the shape of the filthiest dirtiest stompinest version of Nutbush City Limits you ever did hear. And as for that start of Loose Yourself! Are you sure they didn’t make this album in 1974? Bidin My Time has to be an old jazz soul classic from the 60’s, something off Stax or something, old lost early Otis Reading thing maybe? Can’t be a new song they just wrote? There is a Nina Simone song here and most of it is just nailed down filthy organ driven blues, the kind of thing that makes upstart bands like The Black Keys look like wet behind the ears indie kids in comparison. As cool as f! - Organ