Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-03-13
Today, rising Montana folk duo Buffalo Traffic Jam return with another song steeped in unvarnished emotional truth: “Hanging on Hope,” out now on Arista Records. The slowly building new single tackles an especially painful form of heartache, and arrives as the band continues their both inaugural and sold out headlining Take Me Home Tour, which has seen the boys from Bozeman playing clubs packed with fans screaming back every word.
Listen to “Hanging on Hope” HERE
Watch the “Hanging on Hope” lyric video HERE
Revisit the Take Me Home EP HERE
Find Buffalo Traffic Jam tour info HERE
Buffalo Traffic Jam are also featured in the latest print issue of Billboard, as well as online, freshly crowned as the publication’s current Chartbreaker. The honor comes as the pair’s driving 2025 single “Fool’s Gold” rises to a new high of No. 3 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, marking another win for their debut major label project, October’s Take Me Home EP. In addition to its radio rise, the song has been streamed over 65 million times since its September release.
“Hanging on Hope” only builds on that humble yet sturdy foundation — as well as January’s heartbreakingly reflective single “I Don’t Care” — opening on warmly wistful acoustic guitar and Frankie Cassidy’s smoky vocal as he confesses that “this mind is broke.” While the music swells to include strings, piano, keys, and drums, we come to understand what ails him. It’s a dying love he just can’t let go: “Bleed me, use me, run around, don’t kill me — it’s better than being alone / Well, love me, heal me, turn around and see me, ’cause I’m hanging on hope.”
As Frankie explains, “‘Hanging on Hope’ is about attempting a last-ditch effort to salvage a relationship that was lost. When you truly believe in something and want it to work, your mind can think that being mentally abused by the situation is preferable to losing what once was. No matter how bad it is, sometimes you just feel like being used is better than being alone.”
The accompanying “Hanging on Hope” lyric video captures him and Nathan Ross in their element back home in Bozeman, playing in a DIY studio/practice space that feels lived-in and familiar, just like Buffalo Traffic Jam’s music. Of course, they’ll be on the road for much of 2026, with the Take Me Home Tour crisscrossing North America and eventually Europe. All dates are already sold out, including back-to-back nights at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.
Buffalo Traffic Jam also have support slots upcoming with the likes of Turnpike Troubadours, Ole 60, Dylan Gossett, and Goose, not to mention a slew of festival appearances including North Carolina’s MerleFest, BottleRo
All of this follows an incredible breakthrough year that saw Buffalo Traffic Jam play their first festivals; share the stage with the likes of Dylan Gossett, make Amazon Music’s Best of 2025: Folk playlist; and land the #9 slot on Holler Country’s hotly tipped 20 New Artists for 2026 list. The band’s vulnerability and realness has resonated with a growing community of fans who’ve pushed their monthly Spotify listeners past 3.4 million.
As Atwood Magazine wrote in a recent profile, “In an era dominated by slick, algorithm-friendly music, Buffalo Traffic Jam stand out because they don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. Their songs are down-to-earth and hit close to home.” Stay tuned for more from Frankie and Nate.
Buffalo Traffic Jam Tour Dates
Mar 13 – Charlotte, NC @ The Evening Muse [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 14 – Columbia, SC @ St. Pat’s in Five Points ^
Mar 17 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 20 – Montréal, QC @ The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 21 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 22 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Cleveland [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 24 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge [SOLD OUT] +
Mar 27 – West Valley City, UT @ Maverik Center *
Mar 28 – Boise, ID @ ExtraMile Arena *
Apr 01 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall [SOLD OUT] +
Apr 02 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall [SOLD OUT] +
Apr 03 – Fort Collins, CO @ Sound Bar [SOLD OUT] +
Apr 10 – New Orleans, LA @ Hogs for the Cause 2026 ^
Apr 11 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Tortuga Music Festival 2026 ^
Apr 16 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel [SOLD OUT] +
Apr 17 – Washington, DC @ DC9 [SOLD OUT] +
Apr 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy [SOLD OUT] +
Apr 23 – Wilkesboro, NC @ MerleFest 2026 ^
Apr 30 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s [SOLD OUT]
May 01 – Lubbock, TX @ Cook’s Garage –
May 02 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory [SOLD OUT] +
May 03 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston [SOLD OUT] +
May 09 – Baltimore, MD @ Power Plant Live! –
May 13 – Whitefish, MT @ The Remington Bar [SOLD OUT] +
May 14 – Missoula, MT @ Top Hat Lounge [SOLD OUT] +
May 16 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile [SOLD OUT] +
May 17 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater [SOLD OUT] +
May 19 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour [SOLD OUT] +
May 20 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour [SOLD OUT] +
May 24 – Napa, CA @ BottleRock Napa Valley 2026 ^
May 28 – Palmer, AK @ Palmer Alehouse +
May 29 – Hope, AK @ Creekbend Cafe +
May 30 – Hope, AK @ Creekbend Cafe +
Jun 13 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2026 ^
Jun 17 – Berlin, Germany @ Frannz Club +
Jun 18 – Cologne, Germany @ Artheater
Jun 21 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Button Factory [SOLD OUT]
Jun 22 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Button Factory [SOLD OUT]
Jun 24 – Camden, UK @ Electric Ballroom
Jun 26 – Chelmsford, UK @ State Fayre 2026
Jun 26 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2 [SOLD OUT]
Jun 27 – Glasgow, @ State Fayre 2026 ^
Jun 28 – Chelmsford, @ State Fayre 2026 ^
Jun 30 – Leeds, @ Millennium Square =
Jul 09 – New Glasgow, PE @ Cavendish Beach Music Festival ^
Jul 11 – Saint Paul, MN @ Minnesota Country Club 2026 ^
Jul 17 – Beech Mountain, NC @ Beech Mountain Resort ^
Aug 01 – Saint Charles, IA @ Hinterland Music Festival 2026 ^
Aug 22 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater ~
Sep 17 – Pryor, OK @ Born & Raised Music Festival ^
Sep 24 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond ^
Nov 20 – St. Petersburg, FL @ St. Pete Country Fest ^
+ headliner
* supporting Turnpike Troubadours
– supporting Ole 60
= supporting Dylan Gossett
~ supporting Goose
^ festival appearance
