Buffalo Death Beam, a band formed in Pullman with strong WSU ties, is releasing its first extended play in early December.

The self-titled EP will be featured in a release show. The date of the show is yet to be determined.

Curt Krause, Chris Kiahtipes, Sean Knox, Caitlin Dooley, Tiffany Harms, Mike Marshall and Joe Oppegard fill out the band’s lineup. Buffalo Death Beam features a wide variety of instruments, including violin, fiddle, organ and even mandolin, said Alison Meier, band promoter and WSU graduate.

The band started to form when Krause and Kiahtipes became friends.

“We became friends last fall,” Krause said. “I showed him some songs, and he liked them and wanted to jam.” Kiahtipes, who handles percussion duties for the band, pulled out a djembe, a type of African drum.

“I don’t really like djembes. But when we started playing together, it sounded pretty cool,” Krause said. “We decided to start a band together.” Bass player Oppegard was added shortly thereafter.

“I’ve been friends with Chris for a couple years before they became friends,” he said. “They needed a bass player, so I jammed with them a bit and really enjoyed it.” The rest of the lineup was filled through their connections.

The deep lineup and varied instruments help Buffalo Death Beam create a very unique sound.

“We are sort of like a dark folk rock,” Oppegard said. “The music itself is folk, but a lot of the songs have some darker lyrical content then normal folk.” The group members each offer diverse musical backgrounds that contribute to the sound, he said.

“Chris and I played in rock bands, Sean played country, and both of the girls are classical trained,” he said.

The band’s main focus is getting the EP released and scheduling shows for December, Krause said. The band will be taking a minor break for most of next semester.

Kiahtipes, a doctoral student in anthropology, will be spending next semester doing research in Africa. Krause will also be out of the country.

“A friend and I are moving to Ireland for three months,” he said.

Though two of its members will be out of the country, the band plans to continue practicing and may fit in a couple of shows.

“We still plan on practicing and playing together,” Oppegard said. “We’ll just be on a little bit of a hiatus while they’re out of the country. Our lineup is big enough that we could possibly play a show without some members.” Buffalo Death Beam plans on reuniting to do some touring throughout the summer in support of the release.

“We’re looking to play in a lot of festivals throughout the northwest U.S. and Canada,” Krause said. “We may also go to some festivals in the midwest U.S. and Canada.” Buffalo Death Beam can be heard at www.myspace.com/buffalodeathbeam. Three songs for the new EP are posted.