The White Buffalo's first full-length album,
Hogtied Like a Rodeo, debuted in 2002. This was followed by
The White Buffalo EP, produced by
Eels' Koool G Murder, which Smith states is about "relationships, love, loss and booze with a little murder mixed in." This EP was musically grounded in acoustic folk and country blues. He re-recorded the first album in a friend's living room in 2008, renaming it
Hogtied Revisited, in a blend of elements of
folk,
modern rock, and
alternative country. In 2010, a second EP, again musically grounded in folk,
Prepare for Black and Blue, was recorded in six days with producer Jimmy Messer, and released through Chad Stokes' Ruffshod imprint via
Nettwerk Records. The music and the artist captured the attention of Unison Music's Bruce Witkin and Ryan Dorn, who then signed The White Buffalo and co-produced
Once Upon a Time in the West, an album that transitioned to a more
roots rock sound, with some songs still retaining a folk style. In 2013, a fourth LP, a mix of folk and some blues rock,
Shadows, Greys, and Evil Ways, was released on Unison Music Group to positive reviews. NY1 stated, "Not since
Neil Young's
Living with War has there been so strong an artistic statement about this country's occupations." The musically varied album,
Love and the Death of Damnation, was released in 2015. In it, several songs being grounded in roots rock, while the song "Chico" incorporated Latin music, "Last Call to Heaven" fused folk,
blues and
jazz, and "Come On Love, Come On In" was a
soul song. In August 2017 Smith released two tracks from his then-upcoming album
Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights, the singles "Avalon" and "The Observatory", the latter a blend of
soft-rock and country-folk, the former, which tells the story of a wayward man's search for peace, being described by
Billboard as an "expansive country-tinged rock song." Showtime's
Californication, as well as commercials for Wal-Mart. Several of his songs have been featured in
Sons of Anarchy. Most notably, in 2014, he and
The Forest Rangers performed the
Season 7 finale song, "Come Join the Murder", written by the show's creator,
Kurt Sutter. The song debuted at number 9 on
Billboard's Hot Rock Chart and claimed the 93 spot on the Hot 100 chart. The "House of the Rising Sun", performed with The Forest Rangers, was featured in the
fourth season of Sons of Anarchy. The White Buffalo's Digital EP,
Lost and Found, featuring "Wish It Was True", was used in the
third season of Sons of Anarchy. "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Come Join the Murder" were included in
Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 4 album. The song "The Observatory" from
Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights (2017) was featured in
This Is Us episode "The 5th Wheel". Smith's song "Where Dirt and Water Collide" was featured in the Netflix series
Longmire, in the seventh episode of season six. His song “Wish It Was True” was also featured in the Netflix original series Marvel's
The Punisher, in episode three, "Kandahar", of the first season. And song "The Woods", in episode eight "My Brother’s Keeper", in season two. The White Buffalo's music has featured in movies, TV shows and video games.
Touring ,
Vitoria-Gasteiz). Smith was a San Francisco waiter who dragged his guitar to open mic nights once or twice a year. When he was asked in 2002 to allow a song in surfer Chris Malloy's movie Shelter, he quit his job and moved down to Orange County. He toured relentlessly, sometimes driving 1,000 miles between gigs. Over the past few years White Buffalo has played shows both nationally and internationally with acts like
Ryan Bingham,
Donavan Frankenreiter,
Gomez,
Xavier Rudd,
State Radio,
Jack Johnson,
Ziggy Marley, and
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, among many others.
Capturing The White Buffalo docuseries In June 2015,
Ernie Ball Inc. introduced a ten-part docuseries entitled
Ernie Ball presents Capturing The White Buffalo: The Recording of an American Songwriter, A ten part docuseries, which followed Smith as he recorded his album,
Love and the Death of Damnation. The series sought to show the audience Smith's process "from inspiration, to writing, fine-tuning, recording, and mixing, to rehearsing and performing live", so they could "experience the trials and tribulations of a modern day troubadour". Initially releasing the teaser trailer on May 18, 2015, the first episode premiered June 19, 2015, with each subsequent episode scheduled to release once per week each Friday leading up to the album's release on August 21, 2015. ==Notable appearances==