By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, local “post-western” country musician Buffalo Burrows released “Whiskey for Christmas,” a holiday tune about Christmas in rural isolation accompanied by whiskey, as the song’s release comes in partnership with Bozeman Spirits.
A press release from Burrows’ management called the single “an honest reflection of how many Americans actually spend December,” and in an interview with Explore Big Sky, Burrows described the lyrics as honest and raw. While alcohol consumption can be a struggle for many, he countered that it’s realistic and for folks in his community, a celebration, nonetheless.
“To me, the song is trying to celebrate a Christmas spent solo… It can be very sad if you don’t know how to frame it for yourself,” he said. He believes the song applies particularly to rural working Americans, and hopes it can motivate hardworking folks to “embrace the suck” of long hours and lonely nights over the holidays.
He wrote the song last winter while staying in the U.S. Forest Service’s Bear Creek cabin in Cameron, southwest of Big Sky on the fringe of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. During his time holed up in the woods recording his upcoming album, “Tales from Bear Creek Cabin,” Burrows and his producer James Sanford—another Big Sky resident—consumed a hearty amount of Bozeman Spirits’ Jim Bridger bourbon whiskey. It was the inspiration for Burrows to seek sponsorship from the regional distillery.
Burrows and Jim Harris, owner of Bozeman Spirits, became friends after a gig in Bozeman. With the song completed, Burrows pitched it to Harris to “provide holiday cheer” by helping fund the song’s launch and promotional costs.
While he understands it may seem unusual for music to be connected in a branded sponsorship, he believes independent artists need to get creative in today’s music market to make a splash. Plus, the sponsorship reminds him of product placements in classic country-Western TV specials from the 1950s and 60s—a nostalgic vision Burrows and Harris aligned on.
“I love their product,” Burrows said. “I embrace what they do… It’s a local spirit maker in Bozeman who I align with, spiritually and culturally. And it just made sense for both of us.”
In the release, Jim Harris shared a similar view: “We’re honored to support artists like Buffalo Burrows who tell real Montana stories. We make real Montana whiskey, and Buff makes real Montana music—it just makes sense.”
Burrows said balance is important for anyone consuming alcohol. He’s fielded some skepticism about his song’s glorification of solitary drinking, and said he respects anyone’s opinion and personal relationship with the substance. However, he said alcohol has been a staple of human history for thousands of years, and he personally doesn’t demonize the act of drinking, alone or with friends and family.
“I think having a glass of whiskey on Christmas sounds f****** great, and that’s where I’m at with it,” Burrows said.
The intersection of mental health and substance abuse was never a thought during writing, he explained, and neither was the promotion of a brand—although the album art now features a bottle of Jim Bridger after striking the deal.
The song will be picked up by some radio stations this December, and Burrows looks forward to performing it live for the first time ever at The Waypoint on Dec. 20, an 8 p.m. event raising money for the Big Sky Community Food Bank.
Building a music business in Big Sky
Charming and witty, Burrows—who goes by “Buff,” for short—spoke about his music career with honesty and self-deprecating humor.
Buffalo Burrows is his third music project. He’s proud to say it’s been the first one that pays rent, and as a new father of a two-month-old, should allow him to support a family. Taking a “modern” approach to building his music brand, Burrows plans to release one single per month for about 16 months, beginning with “Whiskey for Christmas.”
He raves about Big Sky. He believes it can be a hub for creatives, with “unicorn” traits including access to highly connected, talented individuals. He said in some ways, it rivals music incubators like Nashville or Chicago where millions of residents and visitors support hundreds of musicians.
“The opportunity here is not in volume, it’s in quality,” he said.
Big Sky gigs pay well, as Burrows regularly strums at venues like Lone Mountain Ranch, Tips Up and Moonlight Basin. Plus, the per-capita music clout is rare.
“Whiskey for Christmas” features a pair of local accomplished musicians. Bassist Annie Clements has played with Maren Morris, Sugarland and John Mayer, and lays down a “Tennessee Two-Step” on Burrows’ single. Producer James Sanford has worked in some of London’s best recording studios alongside acclaimed producers of artists including The Police, Genesis, Phil Collins, U2, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails and The Killers.
On the business side, one key purveyor of Big Sky’s music scene is Clements’ husband Thad Beaty, music and entertainment manager for Lone Mountain Land Company, who brings decades of music industry experience to his fifth winter living in Big Sky.
Beaty said Big Sky’s local music talent and experience are shocking, and he constantly learns about new connections across the entire spectrum of the industry.
Beaty believes Big Sky provides a safe space for artists to explore without as much pressure as larger music markets. Artists can try a new song and read a small crowd without consequences. Local gigs are attended by many repeat listeners, but also visitors who didn’t expect to see live music and often express their satisfaction with artists like Buffalo Burrows.
“I’m proud of the fact that we have some artists that are presenting just as strongly as any artists that would be on a stage in Nashville, or New York or LA with a big record label,” Beaty said in a phone call.
Beaty is “great friends” and “deeply connected” with Burrows and has big expectations for his holiday single and future releases. He said Burrows is a “prolific” and “clever” writer with a unique voice and delivery, all of which shine through on “Whiskey for Christmas.”
If done correctly, he said, Christmas songs will last forever. “It takes a lot to have a song that can kind of stir you a little bit, and gets you to go, ‘wait a minute.’”
He praised Burrows for exploring the “wealth of emotions” surrounding the holidays that most everybody is familiar with, yet many don’t address—especially musicians in a genre saturated with decades-old classics romanticizing the holidays.
“It’s rare that someone writes a Christmas song that’s really new and fresh,” Beaty said. “I think just by the sheer nature of it being so fresh and unique and interesting… heavy but funny, I think it’s going to catch some ears in a new way.”
