“On the First Bell” greets you with sense of welcome, joy and invitation. The opening notes of the bowed upright bass and infectious melody performed on mandolin instantly hook the listener into the profoundly honest, intimate and soulful nature of Buffalo Gospel, the Milwaukee country-soul-rock-Americana quintet. The band’s latest release On the First Bell dropped last month, and marked the group’s first full-length release since 2013’s We Can Be Horses. In that time, singer-songwriter, Ryan Necci and his crew of musicians has changed, rotated and evolved as both performers and people. At the heart of Buffalo Gospel, however, is a supreme earnestness, a sense of compassion, and also the raw emotion of creating music that is soulful and above all real.
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| photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch |
On the First Bell, is a record that focuses on themes of dealing with loss and sorrow approaching these topics with soulful conviction. Much of On the First Bell came out of Necci processing the loss of close friend and band mate, Josh Tovar. However, this is by no means a down-trodden release. Instead of a mourning record, Necci embraces remembering his close friend with a sense of both love and compassion. This is seen most in “Lonestar,” a song that in many ways serves as a linchpin to the record. In it, Necci writes: “This is gonna be the last I write; Dressed head to toe in this neon light; There’s a lone star and it’s shining down; I’m a Polaroid in a landlord’s town. There’s a lone star; A good one’s better than no one when you have no one left at all.” In classic Necci fashion, he blends elements of narrative storytelling and clever use of metaphor to give the listener a story, but also leave blank space for the listener to add in her/his emotions and live in the song.
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| photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch |
Another highlight of the record is,“High Time to Hang Fire.” This track showcases Necci’s bellowing vocals like never before, which have gotten him noticed as one of the premier vocalists in Milwaukee and beyond. “High Time to Hang Fire,” in many ways takes on an aura of a gospel-bluesy number and is infectiously raw and emotive.
The gentle mandolin picking and subtle guitar work that opens “Homeless” is a modern take on classic country stylings. Repeated listens make this track particularly rewarding as there are so many musical nuances there to enjoy from Necci’s easy-to-sing-along-with refrain to Nick Lang’s brush drumming, to the steady grooves of Kevin Lowe’s thumbing upright bass.
“18 Wheeler” is another new track that sounds like a juke-joint classic for Buffalo Gospel. With a great tale of love on the road, Necci and the boys cut loose on this fast-picked number and made a great video as well.
From start to finish On the First Bell is a record that burrows into your soul and is worth revisiting often. It is both beautifully simple and wonderfully complex simultaneously. If you have the opportunity to see Buffalo Gospel live- do yourself a favor and go. Their performances live bring these stories and songs to life in a truly remarkable fashion.
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| photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch |
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