Donna & The Buffalo Headline Feb. Smith Show

A double-bill featuring Ithaca-based roots rockers Donna the Buffalo and special guest Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band is the next event in Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ “Live from Geneva” concert series, Friday, February 15 at the Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca St. Tickets are $9 for all students and $17 general admission. Doors open at 7 for the 8:00 show.Returning to Geneva for the first time since Halloween, 1997, Donna the Buffalo is known for their willingness to embrace multiple styles of music — reggae, zydeco, old time country, and more — producing a sound that is original but familiar, catchy yet thoughtful. They are also the founders of the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance held for the past 17 years in Trumansburg, N.Y. For more information, visit www.donnathebuffalo.com.Also featured is special guest Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. Playing the zydeco grassroots style common to Southwestern Louisiana and Southeast Texas, Frank and his band have spent the past 15 years developing a fresh, original sound while staying true to their Creole tradition. The result, while 100-percent zydeco, is also fused with rhythm and blues, soul, pop, rock, and even a little hip-hop, producing a style that is uniquely their own. To find out more, go to www.keithfrank.com.Aside from a great show, this concert is also a fundraiser; students will be collecting donations at the door on behalf of HWS Responds for Hurricane Katrina relief.And in the spirit of Mardi Gras, beads will be distributed to patrons.Zydeco is the fast and furious accordion-driven dance music of the Creole people of South Louisiana, a relatively modern style that emerged after the Second World War. In the early 1950s, traditional Cajun and Creole music collided with the rocking Rhythm and Blues sounds that were sweeping the country, and a new style of music emerged. It was christened Zydeco, from a song popularized by Zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier.The “Live from Geneva” series is made possible with a $200,000 grant given to Hobart and William Smith Colleges by the New York State Music Fund. Like all the events in the series, it will be broadcast live on WEOS, making it available to the larger Geneva community.”The concerts will be a wonderful opportunity for the Colleges to contribute to the already rich cultural life in Geneva,” said William Smith Dean Debra DeMeis. “‘Live from Geneva’ is another example of the strong partnership between the Geneva community and the Colleges that benefits both residents and students.”Tickets are available at The Smith box office, by calling 315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 866-355-LIVE (5483,) and on-line at www.TheSmith.org. Smith box office hours are weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Smith accepts MasterCard, Visa and Discover.