by Erin Sullivan
Donna The Buffalo fans are named “The Herd”. There are no membership fees or dues, you just have to be a fan of their music and want to give back to your local community. Since The Herd’s formation in 2001 they have raised $58,000 for local non-profit organizations that feed the hungry, house the homeless and serve families with special needs children just to name a few.
“It’s awesome and it’s completely self generated. We came up with the name “The Herd” from a t-shirt we sold. The front had our name and the back read “Herd of them?”. The fans recognize the problems in society and being a part of a loving vibration. Music has a way of generating a community of that kind of feeling and that’s what’s it’s all about,” says guitar player and vocalist Jeb Puryear.
Not only do they give back to local communities of people in need, but they’re currently raising money for an actual herd of buffalo. National Wildlife Federation is helping relocate over 140 wild bison from a ranch in Montana to their native lands on the Wyoming Wind River Reservation. The bison would be able to roam free in their natural habitat. On Donna the Buffalo’s website, they mention that if you donate $50 toward this fundraiser you can adopt a buffalo and name it.
All of this love for giving back started with the music. Donna the Buffalo performed their first show in a local coffee shop about 20 years ago. Puryear, along with Tara Nevins have been there since the beginning. Now, with a line up including Dave McCracken, Mark Raudabaugh and Kyle Spark, the band has come a long way and they’ll be releasing their tenth studio album in the spring of 2013. “This album will go straight to vinyl which I’m so excited about. From the time I was two years old I could play a record. It’s going to sound organic. It’s so hard to describe the music in words. The music sounds cozy, but it’s rocking too, but it has a nice texture,” says Puryear.
When asked about what it’s like to still be making music together after all these years Puryear says, “It feels good,” then he laughs, “It’s just awesome! You can’t replace time that you spent with people you love. There’s an active chemistry we have and it’s what creates and propels a chemical reaction.”
On December 20th, they will be performing at The Blockley in Philadelphia. “We’ve never performed there before. I’ve always liked Philly, but it’s interesting that it’s called the city of Brotherly Love, because people who live there have a hard edge. Please come to the show. We’re going to rock, it’s going to be great,” says Puryear.
