Bozeman rock outfit Red Glow Buffalo has their first recording out, a seven-song EP inspired by life experiences, its highs and lows, and what goes wrong in relationships. They balance that by having fun and not getting too serious.
Red Glow Buffalo began in 2014 when Leif Masella, lead vocals/guitar, and Matt Thacker, lead guitar and back-up vocals, started writing songs and performing. They later hooked up with drummer Rob Lehrkind and bassist Greg Sullivan, who sing, too.
Their Facebook page calls their music a mix of pop, fusion and rock, but there are other influential styles, too – outlaw folk and country, hip-hop, jam, funk and punk, and progressive rock. It all makes for straight-ahead rock songs with alternative nuances.
The bluesy title song, “Sooner or Later,” finds drinking on the schedule, but with the awareness that it could lead to trouble. The toe-tapping hook is staccato and syncopated: “If they don’t get, if they don’t get me now, gonna catch us sooner or later.” Catchy!
“Couch Potatoes,” a fast-paced dancer with revved up drums, is about the wandering younger generation, going from one job to another trying to make it. “Well, I packed my bags and headed for the city, but I couldn’t find work and it wasn’t lookin’ pretty,” go the lyrics.
The blues-infused rocker “Sweetest Girl” has X-rated lyrics and some dexterous whistling, and “Nothing Left to Give” is just as it sounds – a man is worn out by loving someone who doesn’t give back. It’s got a boomy tom drum and Yardbird-like the background vocals. The band’s fans will enjoy this one!
Visit redglowbuffalo.com or find them on Facebook.
– Mariss McTucker