Nichols self-titled, debut album, “Buffalo Nichols” from Fat Possum Records was released late in 2021. The project has received critical acclaim from NPR, Rolling Stone, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, among others. Lately, Nichols has been busy touring, and he is set to release a new album “The Fatalist,” on Sept. 15.
QUESTION: Can you tell us about your musical background?
Carl “Buffalo” Nichols: Yes, it’s a pretty long story. I’ve been playing music most of my life. I was primarily a guitar player for a long time, and for the last ten years or so, I’ve been working toward being a songwriting guitar player, trying all different styles of music. The “Buffalo Nichols” album is a blues-oriented project. That’s the gist of it.
Q: Your album project received a lot of attention from everybody, really, from NPR and Rolling Stone to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Did you expect that and what was receiving all of those accolades like for you?
A: I definitely didn’t expect it. It was exciting. I also really didn’t have much time to take it in and think about it, because I was pretty busy and there was a lot going on in my life. But, yeah, for the style of music I was playing, I didn’t expect anybody to care much at all. I didn’t see it coming.
Q: You’ve been involved with music for many years. What led up to your debut album?
A: It was a long time coming. It wasn’t really my choice. I’ve been putting out music since I was 15 years old, and I was 30 before my first album came out, as far as a serious label album. It was a lot of work. A lot of my projects happened in different genres and different formations, so people think I came out of nowhere, but I’ve been steady, working at it for a long time. It wasn’t like I decided this was going to be the “thing,” It just happened to be the timing was right.
Q: Prior to your solo debut, did you collaborate with other people, or work on other projects?
A: I sang in other bands, did EP’s and albums, and singles, and I was primarily a guitar player. I’ve played on a lot of albums and done touring. But as far as me as a solo artist, “Buffalo Nichols” was my first real album. Prior to that, I released music on the Internet for free, and things like that, but as far as a proper studio or a professionally released album, this was the first time I did that.
Q: Tell us about your musical journey. How did you know you wanted to go into music and what inspired you to pursue it?
A: I don’t really know because music is one of the things, at least for me, it wasn’t something that I chose. I didn’t take lessons as a kid or have any formal introduction to music, it just kind of happened, and I didn’t really plan on it being my career either. For a lot of my life, I tried to get away from music, but eventually, it became the only thing that really made sense to me. And then from there, it wasn’t so much that things were inspiring my music, it was more that music was the inspiration for the way that I live my life.
Q: What have you been working on lately?
A: Mostly, I’ve been touring. A lot of touring. I’ve got a second album that I’ve written and recorded. It’s finished, and it will be out a little bit later this year. In addition to that, I’ve been living life, and trying to stay inspired to make more music.
How to go
What: The Harlem Gospel Travelers with special guest Buffalo Nichols at RiversEdge
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: RiversEdge Amphitheater at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton St., Hamilton
Cost: Free
More info: www.riversedgelive.com
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