Ten Cent Howl Bring A Dose Of Americana To Buffalo [BUFFALO BAND OF THE WEEK]

Ten Cent Howl, formerly known as Greenhouse Effect, started making music together back in 2000.

Now, with two albums under their belt as Ten Cent Howl and a strong local following, this Americana act is at the top of their game. Steve Puglisi (percussion), Jerry Hall (bass/vocals), Bill Smith (vocals/guitar) and Tim Picher (guitar) will join the Heavenly Chillibilles tomorrow night (October 11) at the Waiting Room for Dr. Pains Traveling Medicine Show and Rock n' Roots Revival.

I spoke to Smith and Hall about the group's music, inspiration and future plans.

What is your songwriting process?

Smith: The foundation of the songs usually comes from me. I come up with the chords, and everyone else writes their own parts and offers suggestions and ideas. I've gone through a lot of different genres while listening to and playing different types of music, and I think that we’re at a point now where we’re melding of the country, rock, folk, blues music into what is sometimes labeled as Americana. But I think that for people that want to hear a new sound and might want to experience roots music, I think that it’s definitely something that people will want to check out.

Hall: It’s really great music. The songs have great messages and share little stories. I don’t find a lot of that these days. I’m proud to be in a band that’s creating music that will stand the test of time. If you like our style of music -- I guess we're calling it Americana these days -- Buffalo is a treasure trove. We've got Leroy Townes, Shaky Stage, Flatbed, Andrew Reimers CPX, The Heavenly Chillbillies, just to name a few. They're are not only making tremendous music but are also great people.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Smith: Growing up in a great country area like Silver Creek, I've always had a sort of romantic view of the world and reverence towards nature. Both of my parents were musical, so I got a lot of inspiration from them. My dad played in lot of different bands, and he listened to a lot of folk music. So from growing up in a real rural area and listening to guys like Neil Young and Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, that’s really where it all started.

What do you hope to accomplish with your music?

Hall: I like making people dance. Watching people dance is awesome. Young people, old people. Just watching them smile and dance. We play a whole lot better when that happens.

Smith: I enjoy having fun with the music and sharing it. That’s the beauty of music. To be able to perform and have a fun time with others while at the same time making art. Doing it with original music makes it so much better and more fun.

Hall: I have to add to that I’m a math professor, so I don’t really create anything. With the band, I do most of the non-musical stuff – web design, flyers, logos – so it’s nice to do that aspect of the band, too, where you see something and you’ve created something. Musically you’ve got discs, shows, people dancing, and artistically you’ve got all the designs – a number of creative outlets.

Smith: You have to have that balance in your life.

What are your plans for the band?

Smith: We’re writing a lot of new songs and have enough new songs now that we could definitely go back into the studio. I’d like to get some recordings done. I’d like to also expand our region a little bit and play shows with some other bands. I want to develop those relationships, spread our reach outside of the same bars we've been playing, and play some events and festivals in the summer.

Hall: I’d like to make a couple videos with us in them. We have a lot of videos, but we’re not in any of them yet. I would like to play in Rochester, maybe Syracuse, Erie, possibly Pittsburgh or Cleveland.

To learn more about Ten Cent Howl and their upcoming shows, visit their website and Facebook page,

Hey, local bands: Want to be featured as our Buffalo Band of the Week? Local music aficionados, got a band you want to nominate? Email angela.stefano@townsquaremedia.com with their name!