Donna the Buffalois a band fromTrumansburg,New York. They play both originals (primarily written by Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins) andcovers.The band plays primarily in theMidwestand on theEast Coast of the United States. The followers of the group are called The Herd. The name was suggested by a musician friend of the band; they liked it, and over twenty years later they are still "Donna the Buffalo".The story is often toldthat the band's name had its origins in their first live performance, when an inebriated M.C. misheard their newly-chosen name, "Dawn of the Buffalo", and introduced them instead as "Donna the Buffalo". According to the story the name stuck. This story, despite its legend on The Herd's mailing list, is not only false, but had its origins as a prank on the members of that list and members of the media.Donna the Buffalo is one of the founding and host band of the annualFinger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dancealong with theShakori Hills Grassroots Festivaland headliners atThe Great Blue Heron Music FestivalinSherman, New York. Donna the Buffalo was featured inOn The Bus, adocumentaryco-directed byDave Saleand Bud Selig.Donna the Buffalo has performed and/or recorded with a variety of musicians includingJim Lauderdale, father and son Zydeco masters Preston andKeith Frank,Bela Fleck,Mamadou Diabate,Claire Lynch,David Hidalgo,The Duhksand Amy Helm, to name a few. In 2009, Tara Nevins toured with formerGrateful DeaddrummerBill Kreutzmann's band BK3.Surrealistartist Yanni Osmond and his partner Spanky the Woman Tamer licensed some of Donna the Buffalo's music for their upcoming cartoonLiving Evil.