Buffalo Creek & The Heather Combs Band

Okay, when I got the call to go check out a show at the good ol’ Towne Lounge, I was more than just a little bit skeptical. I have to be honest; I really miss the fishing tackle and stuffed deer heads on the wall. The new neon look just doesn’t do it for me, but I knew the boys in Buffalo Creek can deliver, so I bagged my fears and strolled on down.
I showed up in the middle of Heather Combs’ set, which was a damn shame. I was floored when I saw a couple of the boys from the late great Force 7 backing up Combs’ fiery presence. Heather Combs stalked the stage and ripped through a brand of rock that can best be described as blend of Lucinda Williams, Ben Harper and Chrissie Hynde. Most of the songs she played were off her two CDs, but she ended her set with an absolutely amazing acoustic rendition on Prince’s “Purple Rain.” If you missed The Heather Combs Band don’t worry, they said they’d be back soon. If you miss them a second time, however, you’ll be subject to 40 lashes (which maybe you’d like) and never-ending ridicule from your peers.
By the time Buffalo Creek hit the stage I was building myself quite a collection of Olympia cans in front of me at the bar. Now I’ve been listening to Buffalo Creek for more years than I would like to admit, and they just seem to be getting better and better every time. Their new lineup absolutely rocks. The songs are tighter than ever, and it won’t be long before we won’t be able to see them here anymore. The boys ripped through a collection of old favorites and several new numbers, destined to be classics. Word around the campfire is that the lads are in the studio cutting a new disc right now, so look for new songs such as “Cry,” to be featured prominently in the near future.
Never ones to keep churning out the same old rock show, by the end of the night, Buffalo Creek also rocked their way through a few new covers just for this show. Singer Bryn Loosely’s voice is a dead ringer for alt-country mainstay, Jay Farrar, so it was only a matter of time before they played one of his songs. On this night, they shuffled through his ballad, “Tear Stained Eye.” They also scorched through a Woody Guthrie song and cranked through the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic, “Long As I See the Light.”
By the end of the evening, all of my fears about attending a show at the Lounge were proven wrong. If they can continue delivering shows of this caliber, they might just start to prove a threat to the larger venues in town. As for the music, these two bands should be playing together again soon, so don’t miss out.

– Karl Meyer
– Photo by Steve Gear

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