An opportunity to watch/listen live to this band proves these wiz kids are for real...Avi Buffalo is a young buzz band making waves from Long Beach, California, which has caught the attention of many as I wrote about them earlier for PopMatters here. They played to critical acclaim at SXSW, opened for Modest Mouse this summer and are now heading out on their own headline tour across North America. They visited the studios of KCRW in Santa Monica September 21st clearly thrilled to be among the bands performing for live sessions there as they quickly admitted to listening and watching to many of the sessions themselves. They started with a laid back version their hit “What’s It In For?” This was the fist song I heard from the group when it was back in heavy rotation on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” early this year. Things ended in a funky jam, which flowed right into the next song with a seasoned approach of a band clearly aware of its abilities. The interview brought out more of the teenage awkwardness under the spotlight. Avi has been playing guitar for seven years and was doodling with it the whole time. He’s the one who writes the music and lyrics before the band jams to “hash things out.” During the session, played by three out of four members of the band, the lyrics stand out a bit more than the layered recording which was certainly nice to experience. They also ran out of time for my favorite song, " Remember Last Time" but it’s here in its entirety for eternity.
http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb100921avi_buffalo