Buffalo Creek, Gumboots & Two Cents

By the time I arrived at LaSalle's, the first band was already up on stage and playing a cover tune by Paula Abdul. It was quite a blast from the past. I think I was wearing parachute pants the last time I heard "Straight Up." I soon found out the band's name was Two Cents. They weren't scheduled to play on this particular night, but one of the other acts backed out at the last minute. As the story goes, they got a call from Buffalo Creek, the headlining band, about twenty minutes before the show was about to begin, asking them to fill in. They didn't play long, but they played well, mixing original rock music with classic covers. Watch out for these guys because someday they'll probably have bands opening for them.
Gumboots was scheduled to appear next. By this time, the crowd at LaSalle's had grown considerably and there was no longer any place to sit, which was okay, because I wanted to stand. Anyway, there are four guys in Gumboots: one on bass, one for each "regular" guitar and another that goes back and forth between a resonator guitar and mandolin. The only way to describe their sound is by using standard rock music as a point from which we can deviate. The lack of any percussion instrument contributes to their aural variance. There's also a bluesy, almost soulful aspect to their songs. This is most obvious in their original material. One of my favorites was "20 Million Things To Do." However, it also carries over into their renditions of songs by other artists, even The Beatles. They covered one of my favorite songs off the legendary White Album, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun." By the time Gumboots walked off stage, LaSalle's was pretty full. I couldn't say how many people were there, but it looked more like a Friday or Saturday than a Wednesday.
I think it's safe to say that the majority of people in the bar were there to see Buffalo Creek. It was, in fact, their CD release party. For those of you who don't know, Buffalo Creek is a local rock quintet. To be sure, they played a bunch of songs off the new album. I especially liked "Axl Rose." With five instruments all playing at the same time, there aren't any apertures where silence can find a way to creep through. All the original songs they played were melodious and bursting with energy. Like their predecessors that evening, Buffalo Creek managed to squeeze in a few covers. When they played "It's Good To Be King," one of Tom Petty's all time classics, it was like icing on the cake. The crowd was into it, applauding each song, and there remained a healthy number of people in the bar until closing time.
- Ryan Mungia
- photos by Myles Stenger

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