If you are looking for a rocking and enthusiastically fun time, you need look no further than The Buffalo Jones and the Heard band. While the BJH band was initially formed in 2012, it has had a variety of cast and character changes as well as times of hiatus along the way. But these guys are rocking along now and building momentum, creating a whole new vibe of “ya’ll-ternative” that is reminiscent of the early days of the Red Dirt Scene. They have a whole “everyone’s in the band” mentality, which is how the first generation of the red dirt scene did it and it means you may not even see the same guys on stage with them every time, which keeps it fresh and interesting.

McCall, Gedra, Carson and Harris at 80 Mile Oasis by Mitchell Alcala

Their bio on Facebooks says they are ‘a musical shape shifting band of rascals residing from various parts of Northern Oklahoma’, which seems a pretty accurate description. The band is made up of the core members; Scott Carson, Haydon Harris and Ryan McCall. Their newest addition of Rudy Montayre on cajon has added to the mix of various musician add-ons. Both Carson and Harris sing and write songs, making them one of the few duel lead singer acts around. They both are talented writers and singers, with just enough difference in their voices and styles to keep it compelling yet complimentary.

Carson, Harris, McCall and Kyle Bay at Stone Cloud Brewery

I’ve said it many times before, but McCall has been my favorite guitar player to watch for years (although when I said that in front of Harris, he may have shown a bit of mock offense). McCall of course also plays with BC and the Big Rig, as well as others along the way. His skills and style of guitar shredding always impresses and is a delight to experience live. Montayre does a fine job on the cajon and adds a youthful zest in his own right to the whole vibe of the band. BJH also has others that come and play with them from time to time like Teresa Sorrels and Nick Gedra.

McCall at the Oak Park Retreat center Chili Cookoff. Photo by Tom Harris

I wish there were a better word to describe the entire BJH experience, but over and over the word that comes to mind is fun. They are high energy, engaging with the crowd, and sing songs that just make you smile and want to dance. Everything about them is just ridiculously fun. Not only are their originals lively and enjoyable, but they also throw a bunch of entertaining covers in there, mostly done with their own boisterous flair, that keeps the show intriguing. With witty and humorous songs like “Mustard and Mayo”, “That’s Just Life”, and “Mennonite Girl” that tell stories in fun ways while also offering up nuggets of life lessons, it’s just all around a refreshing musical experience. While they have a fairly folk/americana base recipe, there’s so much more thrown in there, including rock and roll, blues, bluegrass and more. They are true to the genre blending style of Red Dirt music, which means it’s nearly impossible to nail down a description.

Carson, Harris and McCall at the Oak Park Retreat Chili cook off. Photo by Tom Harris

“We just really want to get out here and spread music around and we’ve been joking around and calling ourselves Ya’ll-ternative here recently but it’s like the older red dirt type stuff, but then we can get up there and rip with McCall and do all this crazy shit. I’ve got a guitar completely made of metal up there called the Dobrado that’s going viral as we speak. We have fun doing it. Everyone should get up there and just be themselves and sing whatever they want to sing, play however they want to play and just play music,” said Harris.

Harris at the Oak Park Retreat Chili Cookoff. Photo by Tom Harris

Of course, you may recognize Harris from Daddy O’s music in Stillwater, where he reins as Supreme Overlord. McCall and Montayre also work there, McCall as the Head of the Education Department. While I’m pretty sure those titles may be self-appointed, there’s no doubt they live up to their names. Carson, Harris and McCall have all been playing in this scene for quite some time and have honed their craft in a variety of ways over the years. They are all top-notch musicians.

“Our entire creed is that everything is done intentional, to the nth degree, we want all aspects to be original. It all just reflects our sense of humor. There’s no persona put on, it’s just how we talk and are, and it’s fun to have guys with a very familiar sense of humor to sit around and giggle about it,” said Carson.

Carson at the Oak Park Retreat Chili Cook off. Photo by Tom Harris

While the guys are currently working in the studio to cut a few singles to release in the near future, they are also building a brand and a reputation with engaging shows and a residency at The Great White Buffalo in Stillwater, which they have dubbed the Big Buschy Bonanza. It happens every 1st and 3rd Thursday and includes free pizza from their sponsor Louie’s Bar and Grill as well as $2 Busch beer. The event is also sponsored by Daddy O’s music. The premise of the Big Buschy Bonanza is that they have a different musical guest each week, and they all perform a sort of song swap together. BJH takes the time to learn the songs of the musical guest, and plays backing to their songs, and the musical guest plays along with the BJH songs. The result is a big family jam.

“We love it, it’s just fun and it kind of lends itself to bigger things and bigger jams. It’s something too, for a lot of people that might not have the avenue to get up in front of people in this type of setting, for them to get up there and do that. It’s also a cool way for us to get with everybody in the scene without having to wait until Gypsy Café or something like that. It’s been kind of great too bringing in sponsors, like Louie’s because they bring pizza, and if people are here for nothing else than to eat the pizza then at least they can enjoy some of the music and the $2 Busch,” Said Harris.

I got to hit up the 8th edition of this series and chat with the guys on Thursday February 16th. They had the legendary Buffalo Rogers on hand playing accordion and harmonica, which is always a magical experience, and the musical guest was Avery Stinnett. I had never seen Stinnett, so it was a treat to get to experience him and his music in the same setting. He played a variety of originals with some old school Garth Brooks and Cross Canadian Ragweed as well, which brought the crowd to life. Everyone had a great time singing along to the old beloved songs. The 6-piece band grooved their way through the evening with a fantastic variety of songs, sounds and styles. The bar had a great crowd who listened intently, sang along, and seemed to enjoy the entire show. I think the BJH guys are onto something with this residency and it can only lead to bigger and better things in the future for them. You can find Josh Hebensperger there as the guest on March 2nd, and Erik Oftedahl (Erik the Viking) on March 16th. They have also had previous guests that have included Shandee Layne, Stacey Sanders and Patrick Winsett just to name a few. There’s no telling who you might see up on that stage with the Buffalo Jones Heard.

Carson, Harris, Stinett, Buffalo Rogers, and McCall at The Great White Buffalo Big Buschy Bonanza.

“A part of the vision for the bonanza is we want to help to unify the scene around Stillwater and in Oklahoma in general. The vision for Buffalo Jones since the beginning has been to be everyone’s band. It’s fun to get to play everyone’s songs and it keeps our chops up to learn other material,” said Carson.

You can find Buffalo Jones and the Heard on Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram where they always post their upcoming events. Their promos that they create also remind me of Tom Skinner’s old promos. He was famous for photoshopping his head and the head of his bandmates into fun posters, which is what BJH does as well. It just keeps with their whole vibe of being a ridiculous good time, and also ties them to the roots of it all. Which seems pretty perfect to me.

“The Heard abides, get out there and get loud and rock and roll, that’s our philosophy,” said Harris.

Make plans now to attend a Big Buschy Bonanza, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Buffalo Jones and the Heard are Breaking Barriers