Rochester, New York, three-piece King Buffalo, whose brief discography, a 2013 three-song EP titled Demo and a 2015 split 12-inch with Le Betre, self-release their debut album, Orion, on Aug. 5.
Their organic, heavy psych vibe creates a viciously engaging environment, in which to soak in the nuances of stoner rock at its most dynamic.  
Ghettoblaster recently caught up with drummer and vocalist Scott Donaldson to discuss the band’s origins and accomplishments. This is what he told us.
Where did the concept for King Buffalo come from and is the output what you were expecting from the collaboration?
King Buffalo started from two former heavy rock bands in the Rochester area. Our former bands were on the decline and I approached Sean and Dan about filling in some tour dates that I had booked. After learning some of our old songs we started writing new music pretty immediately. It formed rather organically and we decided to call ourselves King Buffalo. The idea was to write well thought out atmospheric songs, with the ultimate goal of being a full time touring band.
As for our expectations, we’ve met some but the focus continues to grow and change. With Orion, we are beyond pleased on how the record turned out. It’s the best stuff we’ve ever done.
You recorded and mixed the record in your practice space, right?  Was it important to you to have hands on in those facets of the record?  Why?
Yes, our practice space is also our recording space. We discussed early on that we wanted to be completely self-sufficient. Recording and mixing ourselves allows us to spend as much time as we need to make sure the performances and sounds we record meet our expectations. In a studio it can be stressful, time consuming and costly. We remove those pressures by doing it ourselves and taking our time.
What were you hoping to accomplish with Orion?
Since our demo, we’ve developed a lot. Crafting our own style and performance. The culmination of all that time and persistence can be heard on Orion. We’ve all grown as musicians, feeding off one another and learning to complement each piece accordingly. With Orion we wanted to show listeners the dynamics within our band. To set the table, so to speak, on what we are capable of and to validate those that loved our previous works.
How has your relationship with All Them Witches expanded your horizons as a band?
All Them Witches are some our best friends, and world-class musicians. They make us strive to be better.
You’ve seen some early support from hometown press and online taste makers.  Has this validated your decision to pursue the band more aggressively?
The local press and others helped validate us certainly, but we knew from the start that this is what we wanted to do. At the inset, we were just trying to make music that we would be proud of, and that holds true today. The fact that people enjoy our music is an added and welcome bonus.
What have your experiences on tour thus far been like?  Are people receiving you and your music as you’d hoped?
We have played with some amazing bands, got lost in the back roads of Memphis, chased turtles and snakes in the green belt in Austin, explained why we tour in a buffalo bills van to confused people, fought off fleas, and refused “precious gems,” offered in lieu of payment.
We are being received, standby for transmission…
(Catch the band live here:
July 26  Pittsburgh, PA  Club Café *
July 27  Columbus, OH  A&R Music Bar *
August 4  Burlington, VT  Monkey Bar
August 5  Albany, NY  The Low Beat
August 6  Syracuse, NY  Otro Cinco
August 10  Cleveland, OH  The Happy Dog
August 11  Nashville, TN  Foobar
August 12  Athens, GA  Caledonia Lounge
August 13  Winston Salem, NC  The Garage
August 16  Raleigh, NC  Slims
August 17  Richmond, VA  Strange Mater
August 18  Baltimore, MD  The Depot
August 19  Philadelphia, PA  Kung Fu Necktie
August 20  Brooklyn, NY  The Obelisk All-Dayger  
* – w/All Them Witches)