by joel land
The Buffalo Tears are one of the newest anomalies to arrive on the Jacksonville music scene. Made up of band members Adam Wittekind (guitar, vocals), Joey Simons (guitar), Brandon Peck (bass, vocals) and drummer Janie Faison, this relatively new band has been playing house shows and frequenting venues such as ShantyTown Pub, TSI Discotheque and Jack Rabbits. Buffalo Tears started with Wittekind and Simons, longtime friends who always knew they'd get something together one day. Joey met drummer Janie Faison at a party in Riverside and decided to get together to see what would happen. Janie's unique style was a perfect complement to Wittekind and Simons' musical tastes.
They were playing shows as a three piece with an opening for a bass player when Brandon Peck went to check out their sound, which Brandon described as "tinny and high end." Brandon offered to provide the low end to complete this garage-ey, shoegazer dance music. EU caught up with the Buffalo Tears at the Urban Jacksonville Blog Party at TSI on Saturday night.
It was an early-ish show (9:30), but a good crowd came out to support, check out the festivities, and Dance. Buffalo Tears packed some good looks: scarves, cool shoes,.. a girl drummer. I asked Wittekind what some of their goals are with the band.
"Wicked looks, good shoes and the breaks," he said only half serious (if at all).
Their cool, downbeat stage presence meshes great with the sound, which is reminiscent of a later Flaming Groovies. The crowd was in a trance.
"Writing songs and making good music," is what Brandon Peck claims is their main goal. "The Jacksonville music scene has always been great, even though no one knows about it," Peck says.
"It's had its ups and downs, but there's always been constants like Crash the Satellites and what have you that keep it alive," added Wittekind.
Peck says one of his favorite bands has always been [Jacksonville's garage revivalist] Thee Monarchy V, a band Wittekind played guitar and sang with. Joey remembers rocking out to Thee Monarchy V when he was in 9th grade.
"Buffalo Tears is an equal and opposite reaction to Thee Monarchy V," says Wittekind.
"It's true," says Peck, "Thee Monarchy V was trying to recreate the 60s sound, and if anything in the Buffalo Tears sounds retro, it's just a product of our influences and what we listen to. Also having Janie on drums, she doesn't play those same 'ole drum beats. It creates a great [damn the word] juxtaposition."
According to Wittekind, their influences range from "Buddy Holly to Martin Luther King Jr. to beer."
In addition to Thee Monarchy V, Wittekind has also played with Jax bands The Riff Randels (a Ramones tribute band in which he played Joey Ramone) and the under-noted Tuffy, who he still plays with from time to time.
So why are The Buffalo Tears an anomaly? They have talent, charm and "wicked good looks."
The Buffalo Tears are now in the studio recording an EP and they are planning a Southeast tour in January and February of '08. Check out The Buffalo Tears at myspace.com/thebuffalotears or catch their live performance coming soon to a venue near you.
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