Johnny Buffalo
Johnny Buffalo is an agent of inspiration, using sound and music as his medium and pushing the boundaries of what’s humanly possible. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Johnny is currently based in Boulder, CO. Johnny is a talented multi-instrumentalist with guitar being his first instrument, yet what sets him apart from others are his world-class beatboxing skills. With just one microphone, Buffalo has the ability to sound like a fully produced electronic track, rocking the subwoofers as hard as any 808, effortlessly weaving all elements of music at once – from the rhythm and bass to the melody, adding in lyrics and vocal FX all in real time. His performances are one of a kind, with everything created through looping live on the spot. He also has another version of live performing, where he plays tracks that he produced and then performs alongside them, playing guitar, beatboxing, synth, flute, and rapping live. Buffalo combines elements of many genres including trap, hip hop, rock n roll, house / dance music, ambient and world music. Through the looping of beatbox, guitar, bass, analog synth, sitar, flute, guzheng and more, he creates a dance music set in the moment that’s fully performance based. Buffalo aims to spread awareness through powerful messaging around hip hop and indigenous culture, combining high level music production, live performance and lyricism.
Buffalo’s mission is to inspire and awaken the creative potential within everyone, helping individuals find their creative power within. The level at which Johnny beatboxes does something special for an audience who hasn’t seen beatboxing at that level before: it reframes human capability. “I didn’t know a human could do that!” Buffalo aims to inspire others to go for whatever they are passionate about, because “if he can make an 808 with his face, you can do anything!”
Along with performing, Johnny is very passionate about arts education, and teaches at retreats, festivals, after school programs, and online.