Relatively new to the Purchase music scene, the bluesy-soul rockers known as The Buffalo Theory have already made a name for themselves. If you found yourself grooving to a funky bass line at last year’s Culture Shock: Battle of the Bands, chances are you’ve heard them.
With recordings in the works, the band said they plan on extending their ever-growing fan base while continuing to play the music that they love. The Brick caught up with lead singer Jared Martin, drummer Joey Doino, and bassist Nash Kocur.
Lisa Eadicicco: How did The Buffalo Theory come together?
Jared Martin: The idea for the band started last year when I met [Joey] and ended up getting pulled into a battle of the bands for Culture Shock. The person that was supposed to be singing couldn’t, so I filled in, and we decided to form our own band. Some of the members that are with us now aren’t original members because we did some searching. We currently have a different keys player than originally, and also we’re trying out different bass players.
When we were auditioning players, our guitarist didn’t end up showing up. So Dan [Berry], our current guitarist, came and offered to play with us until the originally intended guitarist showed up, and he fit in perfectly. Things became funny when the original guitarist eventually showed up towards the end of a practice and saw Dan playing for him, which was awkward.
LE: Do you guys play a lot of shows both on and off campus?
Joey Doino: We played a show at my apartment on campus and a show at The Stood, which were both kick-ass. We’re not doing any off campus stuff yet, but as soon as we have the material we’ll do it without a doubt.
LE: Are there any recordings you’ve done or are currently working on?
JD: We’re in the process of doing some recordings. We have some really rough recordings right now. Songs that are recorded have been changed so much since then that there’s no reason to show them off anyway. We’re working on recording one song right now and next week we should be laying down some tracks for some other ones that are in the works.
LE: You say your main interest is making music that’s worth listening to. What exactly do you mean by that?
JM: Let’s talk about pop music for a second. Some of it is bad, but still gets a lot of radio play. Record labels used to bribe radio stations to play that kind of stuff. It could be a crappy artist that they know is a crappy artist, but they have a certain look to them that will help them sell and it’s all about making money pretty much. There are some pop artists out there that are less than talented, like the Jonas Brothers. I like writing stuff that people like to listen to that’s technically good and well performed. I’m not saying we write music that everyone loves, of course, because everyone has his or her preferences. I just want to have something that I feel is good.
JD: I think the ultimate goal is to have music that is appreciated and enjoyed at the same time. I want people to listen to the music and be really happy with what they hear, but at the same time hear us and think we are talented.
LE: So why do you guys call yourselves The Buffalo Theory?
JD: You have a herd of buffalo in the wild, and it’s always the slowest, sickest, weakest kind that gets left behind. So the overall health of the herd improves and becomes faster. So, the theory is doing that to your brain cells, with the help of Jack Daniels and Evan Williams.
JM: And Jose [Cuervo] does a pretty good job! The idea is that alcohol feeds on the slowest brain cells, so when you’re drinking you’re actually getting smarter.
LE: As a band, what are your goals?
JM: That’s really a question for everyone. Personally, I’d love to be a touring musician. I’d love to have albums in stores. If it doesn’t happen, I won’t be mad. I will be fine just touring or just performing. That’s fine with me. I don’t really care to be famous.
JD: I love being on stage, and playing shows is absolutely amazing. I have no problem with performing. I could play every night of the week. And if my musical success doesn’t unfold in the future, I would be very disappointed. I just want to play music for the rest of my life.
LE: Can you describe your songwriting process?
JM: It’s different every time. Sometimes a couple of members would get together and write something by themselves, and then they’ll bring it in and we’ll build upon it. Other times, like most recently, we just come up with ideas while we’re at band practice.
LE: Do you guys ever share ideas when you’re not at Purchase?
JD: Jared and I will just come up with some random ideas and we’ll record them on our phones or our computers. And as a band, we haven’t had a summer apart yet. But when we are apart, we come up with an idea and send it to each other, and if we like it we like it, and if we don’t we don’t.
LE: How would you guys describe your sound?
JM: Very soulful. I’d like to think it’s original. It grew with soul that had some blues and Motown influence, and a little bit of baby making music too. It’s like blues-rock-soul. The different musicians in the band bring a specific sound. Dan’s a blues guitarist, Nash [Kocur] is a funk bassist. I’m not saying that’s all they can do, but that’s what they bring.
JD: You have to have that funk in there too.
LE: Have you guys had any obstacles or conflicts as a band?
JM: There were some members of the band that aren’t members of the band anymore. One player we used to perform with had different ideas for the band, so we moved on.
LE: Were there musical differences?
Nash Kocur: There were no musical differences, but there were theological differences. They weren’t involving God, but instead moral differences.
JM: Other than that, our main issue has been time. Sometimes people can’t make it and we have to work around a weird schedule for certain players.
LE: Do you guys see yourselves continuing the band after you graduate?
JD: This is actually going to be my future, so I hope so. My profession is going to be singing and songwriting.
JD: I’d really, really like to. I love playing in this band because they’re a great group of guys. They’re great musicians and great people, and are some of my best friends. I know I’m not going to be losing contact with them anytime soon, but we are going to be graduating at different times. So with that in mind, I would still like to keep the band going as long as possible.
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