Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Buffalo Rose

The new album from Buffalo Rose, a modern folk/Americana band from Pittsburgh, is a collection of covers, which could be perceived as a bit of an unusual choice.

“It’s actually kind of funny that we decided to make this record, since we have three lyricists in this band, and hence no shortage of original music that’s always waiting in the wings,” singer Margot Jezerc said. “But we’re not just musicians, we’re also fans. We love music. Duh. And sometimes, you have to pay your respects to the folks who have already captured the feeling, already written it down, already made it perfect and wonderful.

“And we love to get funky and weird with it! Reimagining these songs and making them our own was such a treat for our creative brains, and we thought that other folks might dig our interpretations. Et voila!”

The album, according to Jezerc, is about having fun and being free.

”Put effort into things you care about. Don’t let people tell you what you are or what you should be. Go to the buffet, and get a little bit of everything,” she said. “It’s all for fun! And it’s cool to try hard, so long as you’re enjoying yourself. As artists, it’s so easy to get caught up in the shoulds and the shouldn’ts and the industry of it all. This record is, for us, an antidote to that feeling.”

When it came time to choose covers, ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Seal to Yebba, each of the songs had advocates within the band.

“Lucy formed such a deep hyperfixation with ‘Kiss from a Rose’ on a tour through Florida that, after hearing it multiple times a day for a week straight, we were no longer able to resist its allure,” Jezerc said. “I have been obsessed with CAKE’s entire discography since my freshman year of college and have been pushing for a ‘Short Skirt/Long Jacket’ cover since the day I joined the band. ‘Louie Bag’ was both Bryce and Jason’s most-streamed song of 2022, and after they put together an extremely rad arrangement for mandolin and bass, there was simply no way to argue against its inclusion on the record. Like we said earlier, we’re fans!”

But the most surprising cover to their fans might be their take on They Might Be Giants.

“Hmm. Hard to say, but our first thought is actually the record’s opening track, ‘Birdhouse in Your Soul.’ They Might Be Giants is a band that can be hard to cover. A lot of their songs have really bold chord choices, key changes, and vibes that are wildly unique and impossible to replicate,” Jezerc said. “But we love a challenge, and the instrumentalists put together an arrangement that captures so many of the original’s idiosyncrasies while being an entirely new and unexpected take on the tune. It’s extremely fun to play, and we think it’s a good way to set listening expectations at the top of the record. Folks should prepare for more surprises!”

Although the band has plenty of out-of-town dates scheduled for the coming months, there’s something about playing hometown shows, whether it’s the Original Pittsburgh Winery, Thunderbird, Club Cafe or Haven, where they’ll be playing for the first time in February.

”Performing live is our favorite part of this whole operation,” Jezerc said. “Being able to sing and dance and play and connect with our audience in person is just the best. On stage, we show you our hearts, you do the same, and we could cry just thinking about what an honor that is. We think our live show is maybe our greatest strength as a band. Folks have told us that we should sell DVDs, and honestly, that’s both hilarious and genius. We’ll consider it.”

As the band hits its 10th year, there have been plenty of highlights.

”Playing on the deck of a giant cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with Billy Bragg, Lake Street Dive, The Lone Bellow and The War & Treaty definitely was surreal,” Jezerc said. “Same with singing ‘The Last Thing on My Mind’ with Tom Paxton live in Pittsburgh. Opening for Jessica Simpson last year felt totally insane as well. We’ve had some wild times. We’ve played at ski lodges, churches, dive bars, pizza shops, venues with tens of seats or thousands. It’s been a ridiculous and wonderful 10 years. We can’t wait for the next 10!”

Jezerc and Shane McLaughlin filled in TribLive on what else we should know about Buffalo Rose:

Band: Buffalo Rose

Band members: Shane McLaughlin (guitar, vocals, keys); Lucy Clabby (vocals, auxiliary instruments); Margot Jezerc (vocals); Bryce Rabideau (mandolin, fiddle); Malcolm Inglis (dobro, banjo, tech); Jason Rafalak (bass)

Founding story: Originally, we got together with the intention of only recording a single track. It was for a fantastic songwriter series called Found Sound that Kyle Henson and Sam Suter were running out of their apartment where they would film bands playing their original music. The song was written by Shane, and was very personal and powerful — about him wanting to feel connected to his mom, whom he had lost about a year before. We all immediately realized that we had really good chemistry, both personally and musically, and we just kept on writing and arranging songs. And we’re going on 10 years now! Time flies.

Origin of band’s name: We desperately needed a name — having recorded our first track before having a name, people were starting to ask questions. So we gave ourselves an ultimatum and had a brainstorming session in Mac’s living room at his old house, nicknamed The New North. At first, we were just word-associating trying to come up with words that felt connected to the single song that we had at the time, “Momma Have Mercy.” Then, Lucy suggested we each say the name of someone who forever changed us, and from that beautiful and chaotic brainstorm came Buffalo Rose.

For fans of: Lake Street Dive, I’m With Her, Sammy Rae & The Friends, Nickel Creek

Influences: Fleetwood Mac; Lake Street Dive; D’Angelo; The Beatles; Madonna; *NSYNC; Motown

Releases: “Red Wagon” EP, 2016; “The Soil and the Seed” album, 2018; “Rocketship” single, 2019; “Big Stampede” EP, 2019; “Borrowed and Blue: Live Around One Microphone” EP, 2020; “I Can See Clearly Now” single feat INEZ, 2021; “Rabbit” EP (with Tom Paxton), 2022; “Again, Again, Again” album, 2022; “Solid Ground” single, 2025; “Like the Movies” single, 2025; “All You Can Eat” album, 2026

Next shows: Jan. 29, The Harrel Performing Arts Theatre in Collierville, Tenn.; Jan. 31, Dee’s Lounge, Nashville; Feb. 1, DownTowne Listening Room, Burlington, Ky.; Feb. 5, Big Rail Brewing, Grove City; Feb. 6, Sewickley Center for the Arts, Sewickley; Feb. 7, The Indiana Theatre, Indiana; Feb. 14, Haven, Pittsburgh; March 5, Trinity House Theatre, Livonia, Mich.; March 6, Hey Nonny, Arlington Heights, Ill.; March 7, Gibson Music Hall, Appleton, Wis.; March 8, Anodyne Coffee, Milwaukee; March 12, Liberty Theatre, Lawrenceburg, Ind.; March 13, Natalie’s, Columbus, Ohio; March 14, Timberline, Davis, W.Va.; March 21, Music and Art at Oak Glen, New Cumberland, W.Va.; April 10, Gallery Stage, Cumberland, Md.; April 11, In the Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y.

How to find them: Buffalo Rose can be found on their website, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Bandcamp.

Three other Pittsburgh area bands to check out: Madeline Jo & Friends, Heading North, Working Breed, (bonus Small Hours)

Favorite pizza shop: Slice on Broadway (*specifically the Carnegie location! - LC)

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