When you're a 12 year old boy and you think that you're accompanying your musically inclined parents to a recording session and then suddenly you're the one turning heads, that's a dream come true; or is it fate?
Now 13, the artist who goes by, "Buggy" has a debut album, a band, a growing fan base and a future that's looking very bright. "It seems like I've been listening to P.O.D and metal all of my life; I kind of was pulled into rap. I have a musical family. My mom is a singer, my brother plays both guitar and bass guitar and one day I was in the recording studio while my parents were there and there was a seasoned singer there. I started singing along, I knew all of the words and this singer saw me and thought that I had the ability to do something with my voice. I sang and I started rapping and it just happened from there."
Born in Crystal Minnesota but relocated to a very small town west of Minneapolis, Buggy got his stage/nick name through music as well. "My parents were making an album," he explained with a chuckle, "And they always had me around music from the time I was born so I was at the recording studio. My mom would push me in a buggy, carriage or whatever one wants to call it and my dad would say, "Here comes Buggy" and that's it. I wish it was a better story but that's how it came about (laughs)."
Due to his home town location and a now hectic schedule, Buggy readily admits that he doesn't pay much attention to his local music scene but he is not entirely to blame for that. "I'm 13, I can't go to bars," he said with a laugh. "I don't focus on any music other than my own. I live in a rural area so I'm really into doing my own thing because of where I am, things are kind of spread out."
"Alarm For War" is his, "Own thing" and he loves every minute of this new undertaking. "Yeah, the name of the band comes from 4:19 in "The Book of Jeremiah." "He was trying to warn people about war, an alarm to alert them and God pretty much said let them be if they don't listen, so we're trying to get people to listen and hopefully they will this time."
Being a teen celebrity isn't easy and we've all heard the horror stories that can go along with it but Buggy says his band mates, who are older than him are ideal. "These guys are awesome," he said with great enthusiasm. "There is no problem working with them, we get on each other, we get along great and work together well. They leave comments on our Facebook page and I always say, "Hey! where else are you going to find another 13 year old front man (laughs)?"
Their debut album, "Enemies of the State," has opened eyes as it crosses through multiple genres such as hardcore, metal, rap, rapcore and rock. Radio singles, "Love Not Hate" and "Day Turned To Night" have been the first two releases from this six song disc which is a collaborative effort. "Me and all of the rest of the band write the music and the lyrics. If I had to define our sound, I'd say it's like Rage Against The Machine on steroids (laughs). I was 12 years old when we recorded the first half of the album and 13 when we recorded the second half. I had never done anything like this before and at first I didn't know what to expect but by the time we finished the first song I was saying; "Hey what's next?" "I was excited to keep going and it was a great learning experience."
A debut album, a performance schedule and more are all part of his routine; so when is there time for school and normal teen aged stuff? Well according to Buggy he is enjoying things just as they are at the moment. "I'm home schooled so school is never a problem, I do my homework on the bus because I get to travel a lot. We are looking at bands to jump on tour with at the moment. I've never been on a full out tour but I've no doubt that it will be awesome! The band and I are close, we're close to finalizing something and then we'll be going out on the road, it's going to be great!"
To discover more about Alarm For War, "Enemies of the State" or Buggy himself, please go to www.alarmforwar.com.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
