The Future — and Past — of Blues with Buffalo Nichols: The Milwaukee Artist Brings an Urgency and Fresh Take to Classic Blues music.

By Skye Leppo

For music enthusiasts listening to contemporary folk and Americana radio, the name Buffalo Nichols has been a familiar mainstay over the last two years. The musician’s 2021 self-titled debut album, released via Fat Possum records, has rightfully caught the attention of audiophiles and industry execs alike as his exploration of 21st century Blues music delivers a beautiful tapestry that packs a punch in every line. 

The musician’s playing The Abbey Bar in Harrisburg Thursday evening, but spared yours truly a few minutes to catch up via phone earlier this week. The interview below has been edited for clarity and brevity. 

How old were you when you first started playing music?

I’ve been playing music close to 18 years, yeah.

All guitar?

Started on guitar; I’ve been playing music seriously for 15 or 16 years.

 Your website suggested that folk and blues weren’t the first genre you gravitated toward in your musical career, so I was curious about some of the other types of bands you played in. 

I mean right now I’m playing Americana, blues, bluegrass… before that, I played Caribbean, reggae, Latin jazz, also did some West African Music, punk, heavy metal, gospel, R&B — big range (laughs). Pretty much mostly on guitar, sometimes percussion, drums in those bands.

 I read somewhere that you traveled through Africa and Europe quite a bit to fuel your creative process. Can you talk about that a little?

That was around 2008 and 2009 through about 2014, did a lot of traveling, just out of curiosity, became a source of inspiration.

The reason why I gravitate towards blues was seeing, especially in Senegal and Poland and Ukraine, seeing people have a strong cultural connection to their music. I felt like I was missing something, so when I came back I was really interested in spending more time with my own culture, seeing what that means to me.

So were you getting involved in different communities and with different musicians when you came back?

To me, the community that mattered was my own. The blues is still a part of the culture in Milwaukee, and Milwaukee music, so I took what I knew and tried to make my own thing. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know people from the known centers of the music in Mississippi, etc., but it wasn’t really something I sought out.  

I was asking myself these existential questions; music and culture and art has always been a passion for most of my life. I wasn’t trying to make my career out of it, and the album just sort of grew out of it — it was not really something I was trying to do. It just became the next thing I was curious about, in the same way I became curious about Creole culture and going to West Africa and Senegal. There is a certain value, a traditional value, in Black American music culture; eventually the opportunity to record the album just sort of came out of it. 

[Before the album] I was just trying to write songs, and I had so much to pull from that I didn’t really know where to begin. With Fat Possum, made sense to veer towards the blues. I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before, and created unique ways to be part of the Blues music canon. But also, you know, it’s a pretty conservative genre, there’s not a whole lot of experimentation welcome, so I  tried to introduce some unconventional songwriting, my modest contribution to Blues.

Your self-titled album deals with a lot of heavy material, notably loneliness, racism and pain. On listening to tracks like “Living Hell” and then with “Another Man,” so much tragedy and brutality come to mind. When you were recording or meeting with executives, did you meet any resistance to adding these songs to the album?

 Blues music industry people love the pain of Black people, but that’s a whole other thing. The real challenge is getting people to listen and see it a certain way; more convenient to ignore those parts of it. 

Over time, the blues is coming less and less from the Black community; people like to assume it’s just a generic song of woe and not acknowledge the climate that created the music. To me, it’s inherent in the music. 

Who were some of your biggest musical influences growing up, and how has that sort of led you to where you are now?

There were some artists I had always been listening to; it was always something I listened to and played and sought out even before I started playing music seriously, you know, when I was learning guitar. There were some more mainstream blues artists you could find at the record stores and CDs at Best Buy and Sam Goody. My into was sort of BB King, artists like that, but two musicians I kept listening to were Corey Harris and Eric Bibb, you know, contemporary folk blues musicians. Then I started to dig into where some of that music came from and was really getting into Charlie Patton, Blind Willie Johnson, Skip James — so much that I recorded my own take of “Sick Bed Blues” on my album. 

I love when getting a little more into a musician or a song brings a whole level of ethnography to it. Like some of these stories would be totally lost if it weren’t captured in a song.

We as a society come to really rely on technology, but we shouldn’t discount the value of oral tradition because while you can hear these songs on YouTube or wherever, but hearing them from a person — a living person — you feel a stronger connection to it and makes you curious about where [the song] comes from, and makes you feel more alive and relevant.

Yeah, for sure. And you hear that in a lot of the folkier stuff. Your recent release, “Meet Me In The Bottom,” brings more rock than the bluesier, folk influences on the rest of your album — can you talk a little about what inspired you to explore this different sonic direction?

 I recorded that before I did any of the stuff on the album. When I started, I was just trying to write songs and just wanted to see what i was capable of and ended up doing stuff. That song wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for anyone’s imagination as far as the blues goes; I don’t think people care much about genres as much as the industry does. 

Just had all these extra songs laying and was able to put them out.

Does this mean another album is coming this year?

Working on an album for sometime this year, at the end of the year. I’ve got about a dozen unreleased songs; want people to see what kind of artist I am first. I represent the Blues culture in some kind of way.

Can you talk a little about how you came up with the stage name Buffalo?

Was a long time ago; I used to put music on the internet under different pseudonyms, and that was the only one that I used to make blues music. I used it a decade ago and I revived it; [it] seemed like a powerful name and had the imagery of the Buffalo Soldier, especially being sharing Black American culture — that intersects in some ways — the music and the original Buffalo soldiers.

 Favorite place to play?

 I don’t know; the more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve figured that everything is about timing. It’s all about the right people and the right energy; some places can be really exciting and then disappointing when you come back; some places, you never want to go back to, but you give it another chance and it’s great. I like ‘em all.

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If You Go 

Event: WXPN Presents and Susquehanna Folk Welcomes Buffalo Nichols with special guest Colin Cutler.

When: Jan. 5, 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 :30 p.m.) 

Where: The Abbey Bar, Appalachian Brewing Co., 50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, PA 17101; please note this is a change in venue

Tickets: $24 ($20 for SFMS Members and Central PA Blues Society Members) $10 for Students; Tickets and more info available HERE

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Skye is a music enthusiast who grew up in Harrisburg prior to moving to Philadelphia to study and chase a career as a writer. After cutting her teeth at WXPN’s music blog and a few journalism gigs in few newsrooms around PA, she now works in social media, and returned to central PA in 2020. If you’d like to see Skye’s weekly obsessions (read: usually just memes from the indie sleaze rock era), you can

follow Skye on Instagram: @skypelemon 

An Interview with Celebrated Blues and Ragtime Musician Del Rey: “The Songs Themselves Tell Stories.”

West Coast blues guitar and ukulele queen Del Rey will return to again wow SFMS audiences with her distinctive ukulele and resonator guitar stylings in both a virtual concert held this Saturday (Nov 14, rescheduled date!) at 7:30 pm as well as an online ukulele workshop held at 4 pm on Sunday, November 15th. Tickets and additional information can be found at the SFMS Website.

Earlier this week, SFMS staff writer Peter Winter and Del chatted over email about setlist construction, playing online, and the importance of passing on musical know how! This is the second time Peter and Del have spoken. Their 2019 conversation is in the Folkmama Archive and can be read HERE.

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What can people expect from your ukulele workshop? In the ukulele workshop I’m going to introduce people to fingerpicking. Fingerpicking is basically a way to turn a solo instrument into a band-your thumb is the bass player and your fingers play the melodies and articulate the chords. We all are unable to get together and play right now, so being your own band is the way to go!

You do quite a bit of education on your instruments in addition to just performing (I loved your boogie woogie guitar tutorial) why is educating and instruction important to you? Music is a fundamental part of being human-I call it “the sound of humans doing no harm.” Making your own music is one of life’s great pleasures, no matter your skill level.

Have you played many virtual concerts during lock down? How has the shift been?  I’ve played one or two concerts a month since the lockdown. It’s a totally different experience for me. An audience is a living thing, unique every time and different every where. Virtual audiences don’t have an opportunity to be with each other while having the musical experience. I’m grateful to be able to play and that people listen, but I miss being all together. But I do like a camera-I like how close it is.

You obviously have an extensive repertoire and back catalogue, how do you decide what makes the setlist for the concert? I often respond to the feelings of a live audience-which I can’t really get to on camera. So for virtual reality I rely on my 40 (!) years of playing music for similar kinds of audiences in real life. The songs themselves tell stories and fit together in certain ways. Much of my aesthetic is based on serving the songs, bringing them to different listeners and letting them loose. I’m a song vector!

Any current musical projects in the works? I’m doing an online teaching project with my colleague Jim D’Ville teaching fingerpicking  in January. More info HERE. We are having success in getting players to syncopate. But my usual lifestyle of running around the world with an instrument on my back and a small suitcase doesn’t seem possible any time soon.

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Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, and DJs. He is on instagram

Interview with Hubby Jenkins Formerly Of The Carolina Chocolate Drops: “The Narrative Of Our Country.”

Celebrated multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops will bring his mix of country blues, ragtime, and traditional jazz to the Fort Hunter Barn in Harrisburg on Sunday, November 17th. The evening begins at 7:30 pm.  The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society.  More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. formation can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $20 General Admission, $18 for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22).  Tickets will be available at the door or online.

Earlier this week, Hubby chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about his roots as a street musician, the relevance of old-time music today, and the African American origins of American roots music.

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Growing up in Brooklyn what was your gateway into traditional old-time American music?

I grew up playing saxophone, switching to cello and bass in high school before finally finding the guitar. I got into blues music first from listening to Hendrix and Dylan, which led to Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, etc. The first blues song I heard that really blew me away was “Devil Got My Woman,” by Skip James. It was the most powerful music I heard or felt coming from just one person with a guitar. I also had a group of close friends who were getting into prewar American music and we got our inspiration from the musicians of the New York folk scene. We spent a lot of time in the west village like they did; busking in Washington Sq. Park and hanging around MacDougal Street.

What were the lessons you learned as a musician from starting out busking?

I guess I learned a lot about performing. Shyness and quietness are not effective tools when busking. I used to have terrible stage fright and I had to get over it quick if I wanted to make any money. I also looked at busking as kind of getting paid to practice so I think my early chops came from playing the 10 songs I knew over and over again.

Why is this music still relevant today?

This music is still relevant today because within it is the narrative of our country. So many overlooked stories fill these songs. Now a days there is a conflict over what the  character of our country is and use to be, but it’s all there in old time music. That being said, it’s also just real good music for any mood and occasion.

If you were going to play someone one blues song to introduce them to the genre, what would it be?

It’s hard to pick just one, but I think I would have to choose Skip James “Devil Got My Woman” or “Hard Time Killing Floor.” His haunting style of singing and minor tempered playing are so beautiful. The first time I heard him, it stopped me in my tracks.

Do you feel like the African American roots of so much of what is considered traditional American music is being recognized more today?

Absolutely. When I first joined Carolina Chocolate Drops almost 10 years ago, it seemed that most people didn’t know the African and Black roots of the banjo, but nowadays that seems like more of a common fact. I also think that a lot of people just don’t think about it. I mean to say that they do not wonder where the music they enjoy comes from and not in a malicious way. I order a burger I don’t know where it was raised, what it ate, etc. I do see younger black artist finding that they do have a place and a history in old time music whether it be blues, fiddle banjo, hot jazz, folk,  and that is a very important recognition.

What do you want your audience to take walk away with from a Hubby Jenkins show?

I want my audience to walk away having learned at least one thing, that spurs them to learn more and to listen to old time music with a different filter. They should also walk away thinking, “That guy sure knows how to play!”

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Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, DJs, runs half of the record label His & Hers Records and serves on the board of the SFMS. He is on instagram

An Interview with Celebrated Blues and Ragtime Musician Del Rey: “Hooked By That Sound.”

 

Noted blues, jazz and ragtime singer, guitarist and ukulele player Del Rey will bring her resonator guitar and ukulele stylings to the Fort Hunter Centennial Barn in Harrisburg on Saturday, April 13th at 7:30 pm.  The concert is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society.  More information can be found on the Susquehanna Folk Music Society website. Tickets are $24 General Admission, FREE for SFMS Members, and $10 for students (ages 3-22).  Tickets will be available at the door or online.

 

Earlier this week, Del chatted with SFMS staff writer Peter Winter via email about her discovery of traditional blues and ragtime, her introduction to the resonator ukulele, and her passion for telling the stories of great, largely unsung, female musicians. 

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You’ve mentioned how your journey to ragtime and blues really began when Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts and artistic director of the San Diego Folk Festival got you into some older recordings when you were a teenager.  What were some of these records and what about them spoke to you?

When I stumbled into Lou Curtiss Folk Arts Records I stumbled into a several wonderful art worlds. First there were the up and coming musicians playing gigs in the tiny store: I saw inspirational early performances of Tom Waits, The Summerdog Bluegrass Band, Pop Wagoner-all playing to 30 people wedged under the record bins. Lou ran the San Diego Folk Festival too, where I saw Lydia Mendoza, Martin Bogan and Armstrong and Sam Chatmon. So I got to hear and learn from a lot of real characters. 

Then on record, there was everything from Memphis Minnie to Seven Foot Dilly, 78s to LPs, and Lou had a good way of playing you things and making cassettes that gave me a good idea of what songs I wanted to learn. 

What first called you to the ukulele?

My friend Sandy Hines from (at that time) Charleston SC was the first real ukulele fanatic I met. It rubbed off on me hanging around her and I found a cheap pineapple uke at the flea market. Then my guitar maker, Ron Phillips made a me a superior metal resonator uke and I was really hooked by that sound. 

What were some of the hurdles you experienced converting your guitar style to ukulele?

The change from guitar to ukulele made me think about chords differently and understand them better. The shapes are clarified, being only four notes. Even though I use the re-entrant string as a time-keeping note with my thumb, I’m also attracted to how that high sound inflects chords, with the sweet brightness of ukulele.

What about resonator guitars and ukuleles do you love so much?

Sparkle! Metal resonator instruments made of nickel silver like mine have a lot of sparkle. 

Who are some of the figures you touch on in your Women in American Music presentation, and why so you think projects like this are important?

Women In American Music is a project where I talk about a few of the incredible stories of women musicians often left out of standard music histories. Vahdah Olcott Bickford a classical guitarist who helped make guitar the popular instrument it is today; Memphis Minnie, one of the most influential fingerstyle blues guitarists; Carrie Jacobs Bell, songwriter and music publisher;  Lovie Austin, pianist, arranger, songwriter and bandleader; Mary Osborne, electric bebop guitarist…it’s an ever changing list of women who interest me who played great music. 

You’ve been really prolific over the last two years! What can you tell us about your last two records, Communique in 2018 and Solo in 2017?

My latest albums are Comuniqué and Solo. The latter is a response to requests for an absolutely solo cd of me singing and playing uke and guitar. It’s recorded in a very unadorned manner, “straight to tape” as they used to say. Comuniqué is a collaboration with Suzy Thompson, the great blues singer and fiddler, and bassist Matt Weiner. They are two of my favorite living musicians and we play everything from Bessie Smith to originals on that one. 

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Peter Winter lives in Harrisburg where he writes, teaches music, plays in the Celtic group Seasons, and DJs. He is on instagram

Legendary Blues and Folk Performer Chris Smither to Play at Long’s Park August 22

Lancaster — Chris Smither is considered one of the biggest names on the U.S. folk circuit. He is a major draw at music festivals and his driving folk and blues-infused style has earned him countless loyal fans. And deservedly so.  He’s spent four decades honing his superb finger-picking style, perfecting his songwriting craft and developing a rapport with audiences that is nothing short of magical. “We were looking for a singer-songwriter who was also a storyteller,” said Stella Saxton, director of the Long’s Park Summer Music Series.  “We selected Chris Smither because he’s a great performer who really knows how to energize a crowd.” The Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation presents concerts featuring an eclectic line-up of world class musicians on Sunday evenings in the summer. Chris Smither will make his debut performance at Long’s Park on Sunday, August 22^, at 7:30 p.m. with his band, The Motivators.

 Longtime fans of Chris Smither who are used to seeing him solo may wonder what his music will be like with a band. “The concert will be all about Chris Smither,” assures band member David “Goody” Goodrich. “We complement Smither’s unique style. We sit close together, play off of each other…and sometimes you can’t tell where Chris’ guitar ends and mine begins.” Goodrich, who plays electric and acoustic guitars as well as piano, is joined by percussionist Zak Trojano. The trio originally formed in 2008 to play for a festival in the Netherlands and more recently worked together on “Time Stands Still,” a Chris Smither CD lauded for its raw energy, sparse arrangements and creative interplay. So as not to drown out Smither’s signature foot-tapping, Trojano beats an old suitcase instead of a bass drum and uses recycled material (like tin cans) along with more standard percussion instruments. Perhaps the most unusual instrument they’ll play is a “Diddley Boo,” a one-stringed instrument with a pickup made from the ignition of an old car. “This was made for us by a friend,” said Goodrich, “in honor of a song that Chris sings about a Chevy Slant Six.”

 “Come up and see me after the show,” invites Goodrich, “and I’ll show you how it works.”

 To find out more about Chris Smither, visit his Website at http://smither.com.

By Jess Hayden. Published in Showcase Now! August-September 2010