When Joe Risdon isn’t playing gigs with his band, the Buffalo Ryders, he enjoys the quiet of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Growing up in Wadsworth, his family spent much time exploring the park and going on hikes. He’s carried his love of the park into adulthood, working as the program and arts manager for the park’s conservancy.
The park is also the backdrop for his band’s latest album, “Never On Time,” released in August.
When the band was ready to start working on its third album last year, Risdon was spending the winter living in a small, A-frame cabin owned by the park in the Kendall Hills area near Peninsula.
“It was scenic, peaceful, and transformative. I made a lot of meaningful art in my time there,” Risdon said.
Living in the heart of the valley and along the river, Risdon said he was able to take a breath and find another voice for this album.
He stayed in the cabin for a little more than six months, writing music and eventually bringing in his bandmates Mike Lupica and Mike Coduto to set up drums and recording equipment.
“Every evening I would work on songs, and then I would go hike and reflect on them with little phone memos or send myself an email with the track,” he said. “We’d get together on the weekends and jam out the song ideas that I'd come up with.”
Risdon said he spent a lot of time with his guitar just about a mile from the Pine Hollow trailhead, where he would hike.
“I would be sitting there with the guitar and writing. And I would turn around and look out the window, and there to be two deer just eating or just staring at me,” he said.
Risdon said songs like “Talk of Redemption” on the new album have a different tone than the band’s typical guitar-driven riffs.
“That one does feel like it has elements of nature,” he said. “I wanted this album to be a little more gentle, a little more cozy, maybe.”
After that winter, Risdon said the band wanted to keep the “cabin vibe” going.
They rented a farmhouse cabin in New Philadelphia for the weekend, developing new songs to flesh out the 10-track album.
In May of this year, the band traveled to Athens to work with longtime collaborator Neil Tuuri at Amish Electric Chair Studios to complete the journey of putting the album together.
Evolving in Akron’s music scene
The Buffalo Ryders have been active in the local music scene for over a decade, playing their first show in 2011 at Musica in Akron.
After a hiatus and an evolving lineup of members, the band regrouped in 2019 and released its debut EP, “Egghead.”
“That was kind of our practice album,” Risdon said.
The first, full-length Buffalo Ryders album, “Where the Liars Go,” came out in 2021, followed by “Going Nowhere” in 2022.
The Buffalo Ryders are recognized for their riff-heavy rock sound, blending raw instrumentation with psychedelic fuzz.
Risdon wasn’t the band’s original singer, and he credits Akron musician and instructor Mike Lenz for teaching him blues guitar fingerpicking and encouraging him to sing.
“Akron just has the best community and amazing musicians. There's no other community like it in other towns we play,” Risdon said.
Over the years, the Buffalo Ryders have made a name for themselves on local stages and beyond, sharing the stage with rock legend Lita Ford at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year and performing at the Brite Winter festival multiple times.
Risdon said that while he loves playing shows and touring, writing and creating are his favorite parts of being a musician. Finding new places to gather inspiration is part of the creative process.
“You do something for so long, you want to keep making it fun for yourself and never want to have to get stale,” he said.
From trailheads to new tracks
The Buffalo Ryders filmed a video for “Come Down” at the cabin that inspired the new album, serving as a special time capsule.
Risdon said the band plans to release a handful of additional music videos over the next few months, working with videographer Isaac Bixel.
After that, they’ll jump back in the van and continue touring to support the new album.
Risdon said he’d like to find a different setting for the band’s next project.
“That was such an isolating experience … I think every album we've written has been kind of a different approach, different environments,” he said. “I would love to sit and make an acoustic album in a living room with the band, with friends, and kind of keep challenging us and do something different every time.”
