The Harlem Gospel Travelers will headline at RiversEdge at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Buffalo Nichols will open the concert at 7 p.m.
“Buffalo Nichols is opening for The Harlem Gospel Travelers. He’s playing bigger music festivals, and some of the more premier slots, and we’re super excited just to have him at RiversEdge, and the fact that he’s playing with The Harlem Gospel Travelers, on the same day, is fantastic. It’s going to be an amazing show,” Helms said.
Carl “Buffalo” Nichols said he’s been playing music most of his life, primarily as a guitar player. Raised in Milwaukee, Wisc., he honed his musical talents by singing and playing in different bands from punk to Americana. Early on, he said he wanted to do everything, try it all, and play different instruments.
“Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve been working toward being a songwriting/guitar player, playing all different styles of music. The album is a pretty blues-oriented project,” said Nichols.
>> READ A Q&A WITH BUFFALO NICHOLS
His debut, self-titled album, “Buffalo Nichols” from Fat Possum Records was released late in 2021. The project has received critical acclaim from NPR and Rolling Stone to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and many others.
“For the style of music that I was playing, I didn’t expect anyone to care much at all, so I didn’t see it coming,” Nichols said of the attention he has received.
“I’ve been putting out music since I was 15, and I think I was probably 30 before my first album came out,” he said.
Nichols said he’s worked hard over the years and played music in different genres. He said some people thought he came out of nowhere, but he’s been steadily working at it for a long time. Although he stressed, “This was my first real project as a solo artist.”
Nichols describes himself as being a “self-taught” musician. It’s something he said he “picked up and went with it on his own. It kind of just clicked, and I connected with it.”
“It wasn’t like I decided this is going to be the thing, it just happened to be that the timing was right,” Nichols said.
He said music has always been the inspiration for how he lives his life. Nichols has been working on a second album that he wrote and recorded. The project, “The Fatalist,” is due out Sept. 15.
Nichols has played in Cincinnati a few times, previously. He said he sells his own merchandise after the shows, and he is looking forward to meeting the people of Hamilton.
“I’m looking forward to playing with The Harlem Gospel Travelers. I’ve been aware of their music for a while, so it will be great to hear them play. I’m also excited to play for the people in the area,” Nichols said.
MORE INFO
What: The Harlem Gospel Travelers with special guest Buffalo Nichols at RiversEdge
When: Music begins at 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: RiversEdge Amphitheater at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton St., Hamilton
Cost: Free
More info: Visit www.riversedgelive.com. As part of the 2023 season line-up at RiversEdge, audiences can expect to hear diverse genres of music from rock and blues to country and tribute bands. RiversEdge features a mix of local, regional and national talent. The majority of RiversEdge concerts are on Thursdays.
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