Today we’d like to introduce you to Riley Buffington.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was about 13 when I started making music – this was 2012. Around the same time, I started doing theatre. It wasn’t until 2016, my senior year of high school, that I decided to combine those elements.
I wanted to create music, but with some more narrative depth to it. Not quite something with show tunes; not a concept album either. Thus, Psykobreak! was born.
In Santa Cruz, California, I put together a group of performers and won the talent show and battle of the bands at our high school. Compared to everyone else, we had bizarre costumes and makeup and freakish choreography. The other performers were appalled at us and voiced their opposition. It was at this point I knew we really had something special.
I moved to Maryland in the D.C. area to attend audio engineering school. Here, I met new collaborators and grew interested in filmmaking. We shot a few music videos for the Psykobreak! songs, but I had a whole universe in my head that we hadn’t quite put across in the art.
Four years ago, I began to write the script for a web series: Psykobreak! Season 0. Little did I know, this web series would be the most intense endeavor I had ever undertaken in my entire life. We had absolutely no budget, filming was difficult and stressful, and our camera rig was held together with spit and prayers. Oh, then the global pandemic hit. We started filming three years ago and we are STILL filming. As of writing this, we have only four full days of shooting left, then we move into post-production.
The most amazing thing about all of this is watching how it affects people’s lives, especially the people involved. I personally had to learn leadership, stress management, and lots of patience. I’ve seen the people I’m working with the transform in amazing ways from overcoming adversity.
The spirit of true creativity is as much about navigating obstacles as it is expressing yourself. I’m excited and a little scared of the day this project is finished, and of the reception that it will receive. All I know for certain is there is truly nothing else like it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been easy. It’s very difficult to make art when you don’t have many resources. But they say creativity is born through scarcity, so if we did have those resources, it’s quite possible we wouldn’t have innovated as much. One of the challenges was actually getting the personnel to pull it off.
No matter how exciting a project appears to be, everyone still has their own lives they have to live. Between school, work, and other projects, figuring out the scheduling has been pretty difficult. Creating would also certainly be easier if we were more experienced.
This is the first major project for a lot of us, so it’s no wonder that this is the case. However, inexperience is why we are doing this in the first place. Engaging with these struggles is just a part of the process, so encountering them simply means we are headed in the right direction.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have my toes dipped in a variety of fields, but I mostly consider myself a music producer. Luckily, this led me to audio engineering, which is a highly sought-after skill set. I’m really proud of the music I have created and especially proud of the positive response it usually garners.
I’ve been making music for a decade now and I’ve been able to cultivate an unmistakable sound. I’m glad I’ve had all this time to hone my craft without being picked up in any way, so when things do eventually begin to blow up, I’ll be ready.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Never underestimate the power of a good YouTube tutorial. This is coming from someone who actually went to school for this. The internet is filled with untapped knowledge and can answer any question with a stroke of the key.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dn7g0UfLRAzRY7vZc0l6O
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psykobreak/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHvWYOe4IxDA4wsHJzfY82A
Image Credits
Char Corcoran
