THE WHITE BUFFALO play Saint Rocke Sep. 18 and KAABOO Festival Sep. 20
It is safe to say that 2015 has been a very good year for the Oregon-born, Huntington Beach-raised singer/ songwriter The White Buffalo (aka Jake Smith) as he heads into the fall performing at Saint Rocke on Sep. 18 and KAABOO Festival in Del Mar on Sep. 20.
“There are a few spots that I have played that the band will be hitting on this tour but never headlined, especially in the South, that I am excited to close out the night, this time around,” Smith said regarding the upcoming tour.
On Aug. 21, The White Buffalo released his third studio LP on the Unison Music label, Love And The Death Of Damnation. Smith’s original work on the song “Come Join the Murder”, featured as the season closer for FX’s hit show “Sons Of Anarchy,” is in the running for a 2015 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
“There are all styles of songs (on the new album). There are dark songs and this is the first time I really channeled some feel-good songs that don’t go dark,” Smith said. “Some songs still express my tongue-in-cheek, literary way I write, but at the same time, they kinda feel good.”
With a voice of an American folk icon, The White Buffalo has found a home between grace and grit, but wanders to both sides of the spectrum in heart-crushing extremes through his storytelling style of music.
“On the new album there are some songs that are not necessarily based in religion but spiritual songs explaining that you don’t necessarily have to look to the heavens for saviors,” Smith said. “Those people can be a part of your life, those people that are close to you and help you from day to day.”
Just before he left on this fall’s tour, Smith wrapped up a 10-part documentary-style online series with leading guitar products manufacturer Ernie Ball called “Capturing The White Buffalo: The Recording of an American Songwriter.” The series documents the making of Love And The Death Of Damnation in an alluring and cinematic way.
“My manager also manages Slash (Guns N’Roses) and initially I thought I was just getting free shit (from Ernie Ball) because of the management’s affiliation with Slash, not that they were fans of mine,” Smith said. “The relationship with Ernie Ball has just kind of grown through the years, which turned into the collaborative thing we decided to do with this last record, and it has turned out pretty cool.”