Sometimes, a night just doesn't go your way.

The weather is cold and damp and cold, your car is packed with gear and humans and barely making it over the Manhattan Bridge, the club doesn't have a sign on the front door, not to mention any sign of people remotely interested in free-jazz inspired prog/post rock.  You're a band dealing with identity issues at best, and basic philosophical musical disagreements at worst, and knee deep in a period of time (Winter 2008) where regaining the momentum of an adventurous Cabinfest/Fall gig schedule was proving difficult, and even more so with the production of It's Alright is Not Alright sitting in the background like a grimacing evil troll with a shotgun in his hand.

And so it came to be that on 12/6/08, the 4 gentlemen of Wounded Buffalo Theory staggered uneasily into the OS Arthouse (nearly impenetrably located in the basement of another bar called the John St. Grill), where by far the best thing about the place was a solitary "BUCK HUNTER: BIG GAME EDITION" in the outer hall.  The venue area itself has almost no light whatsoever; this proved to be a major factor when setting up, since the hip hop act that opened the night got into a fight with an audience member near the end of their set, and spilled what seemed like at least 3 drinks in the process on the stage and power units.  Since we couldn't really see where the drinks had spilled, we had some fun predicting which guitar player would get electrocuted first.  As it turns out, the fight cleared out a whole bunch of people, and so we took the stage to a massive cheering crowd of 4 (unbelievably dedicated and wonderful) people.

All that said, sometimes it's these moments that prove to be your creative catalysts in the long years spent together as a working band.  Without any reason to find musical consensus, for whatever reason, the band seemed to find ways of bringing pieces together in a fiery, angry blend of sounds, and in some ways, constructs the best sounding, most experimental show of that season, and maybe the entire year.

Not every track included here is dark and furious, although the opening "Pledge" and "Gutenberg" salvos that take up the first 30 minutes certainly lean more towards the band's harder inspirations, and the rest of the set certainly echoes that ethos.  "Killer Klowns", still a relatively new track at the time, brims with alienation and a beautifully uncomfortable middle section, and "Lay Me Down", rarely played at shows with larger, more dance-orientated audiences, seethes through its intro while building a fierce peak into its closing section.

Again, the softer tones still exist; "Bodies II," the closing section of "Gutenberg," and the intro of "The Boer," (a song off of Red that hadn't been played in nearly 2 years before this show) showcase a more textured dynamic, but retain a sharp focus highlighted throughout the show.  These sections may be quieter, but again, for whatever reason, whatever was pissing us off that night made for some very tight playing, crisp segues, and experimental playing that colored much of what we did in the months following the show.  Without question, some credit must go to visualist Justin Wood, who, as you can see by the videos we've included below, went above and beyond and was able to give us something to vibe off and work with.

So, for the first time, we're releasing a good portion of this show for free download, on our music page and on the various links scattered around this post:)  We couldn't include all the songs, due to sound problems, but this cross section is the real meat of the show.  So get angry, and help yourself to some WBT therapy music...take all your anger out on us today:).  Music To Murder By: Live at the OS Arthouse 12/6/08.