Performance Date & Location | Oppenstein Park

September 18, 5:30 p.m. at Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park

Artist Statement

Beatboxing specialist and performer Luke “Skippy” Harbur is a vivacious artist known for his cross-pollinated brand of alternative music touching on hip hop, Broadway, EDM, and singer-songwriter influences. His trailblazing project musicbyskippy features different live performance experiences for multigenerational audiences based on his discography, garnering community, state, and national awards. Past audiences say musicbyskippy shows live between music, theater, and poetry, as if you’re attending live comedy, a musical, or a Ted Talk. Get ready to learn or laugh at life’s bigger, more critical conversations.

The Overland Park, Kansas native is based out of Kansas City, Missouri, constantly developing skills in beatboxing, singing, beat production, rapping, sound looping, & keyboard playing to express his core mission: music and live performances should be safe havens for everyone to express their authenticity. Since November 2021 he’s written, produced, and published over 40 songs, created 8 original productions, and exceeded 300,000 total music streams. Each opportunity to perform is rooted in a deeper story. At 5 months he was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease. 6 months later he received a life-saving liver transplant from an 8-year-old boy named Aaron Drake, who passed away while on a camping trip with his family at The Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Harbur uses his second chance to make performances a testament to sharing his life and near-death experiences, and through his growing discography and show schedule, he hopes you find music and a live experience you love.

My name is Luke “Skippy” Harbur, and musicbyskippy lives among music, spoken word, and theater for multi-generational audiences. Maybe you want to combine counting and diction lessons with me to learn the art of beatboxing. Maybe you’re open to listening to rap songs about sexuality and emotions. Or maybe you’re ready to enter a circus-like dance party with endless audience participation opportunities.

I’m a singer/songwriter, beatboxing specialist, and performer based out of Kansas City, Missouri. Since November of 2021, I’ve grown my discography to more than 40 original alternative tunes influenced by hip hop, EDM, Broadway, and folk music. Song-making processes include beatboxing rhythms to myself, replicating them in beat-making softwares, and pairing them with lyrics or melodies from personal stories. Using my journalism degree combined with my communications and performance background, I use autobiographical storytelling to present different shows for audiences seeking adventure, intelligence, and engagement to meet new people. Drawing influences from comedian Bo Burnham, composer Jonathan Larson, and musician Jon Bellion, my art prioritizes collaboration and variety with intention to reflect humanity’s constant fragile and vulnerable states.

Since 2022 six original shows have sold over 600 tickets featuring productions teams of two to 10. This drive comes from identifying as a 28-year-old liver transplant recipient. Each moment is a second chance with songs embodying universal anecdotes of life and near-death experiences. I offer a hand to anyone ready to witness a genuine presentation, diverse narratives, and wish to be part of life’s bigger, more critical conversations.

The Convivencia of This Performance

“Convivencia,” coexistence, is ever-present in each musicbyskippy performance due to its multigenerational approach. As it lives among music, theater, and poetry, audience participation is the glue sticking this multidisciplinary approach together. Two featured segments include “Blue Heart,” where I bring an audience member on stage/near me and serenade them, and “Choose Kindness,” where audience members turn to a neighbor and give them three compliments as the song plays. Lastly, I’ve come to co-exist by becoming a beatboxing specialist, showcasing how vocal percussion and music are universal languages to bring people joy, awe, and a pinch of laughter. By the end of each performance, I hope people leave finding little moments of happiness in simple things as well as thinking bigger about difficult parts of their life.

Website | musicbyskippy.com

Instagram | @musicbyskippy