VZ Magazine

There are some artists that you hope stay under the radar whether it be wanting to keep an album for your own ears or maybe you might think this artist would change after a taste of success. Then there are some artists that you wish would be heard by the masses for the simple fact of wanting them to excel and stay around to make great music for years to come. Western outlaw manbeast Jake Smith aka, The White Buffalo, is the latter.

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The White Buffalo is the musicians' musician. He's managed to get his music out primarily by word of mouth and without a record label backing him. He started out getting gigs at local dive bars by leaving samples of his songs on their voicemails. Eventually, word got around the country of TWB and he started touring outside of California and now nation wide. Now his musics even spread as far as being on the soundtrack of the hit show, Sons of Anarchy.

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TWB's intensely dark stories of love/loss, boozing and murder began with his first album "Hogtied Like A Rodeo" which was recorded at a friends house over 3 months of whiskey infused nights. Some standouts are "The Madman" (an upbeat angst murder song), "The Woods" (a haunting acoustic tale) , and "Bar and the Beer" (naturally, a drinking song). Following, are his EP's "The White Buffalo EP" (2005) and "Prepare For Black And Blue EP" (2010) with memorables such as "Love Song 1" (The perfect love song to dedicate to your other half), "Oh Darlin' What Have I Done" (a twisted tale of a man who murders to please his wife), and "Black and Blue" (about a relationship on the rocks).

In "Lost & Found EP" Jake is joined by longtime friends Matt Lynott (drums) and Tommy Andrews (bass) to make this perfectly compiled five song EP. It might as well be fifteen songs because you're bound to play it another two times after realizing that this is the greatest music to hit your ears since the lullabies that your mother used to sing to you.

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If you're lucky enough to have TWB come through your town be sure not to miss out on a great performance and make sure to pick up a cd being that they are very exclusive. If you love this EP and demand more, you are in luck. "How The West Was Won" is a full length album due to come out February 2012.

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the white buffalo