Vi Tran is a storyteller, actor, bandleader, and the owner/curator of The Buffalo Room artists’ salon. Born near Sai Gon, Vietnam, Tran is the author of The Butcher’s Son, an autobiographical folk musical memoir that chronicles his family's escape from Vietnam, their capture by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and eventual resettlement in the meatpacking town of Garden City, KS. Nominated for 8 awards at the 2018 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, The Butcher’s Son won Best Leading Performer (Vi Tran) and Most Promising Musical.

 

Vi Tran Band is a fan favorite on the Starlight’s VIP Club Stage, having performed before such acts as Arcade Fire, Barenaked Ladies, Beck, Ben Folds, Better Than Ezra, Counting Crows, KT Tunstall, Panic! at the Disco, Ray LaMontagne, Rob Thomas, Weezer, Willie Nelson, and Violent Femmes.

 

Their full-length album American Heroine, a symphonic rock, folk, and Americana song cycle, was included on Best-of lists by Mark Manning (KKFI 90.1 FM) and Timothy Finn (Kansas City Star). Vi Tran Band has performed at The Midcoast Takeover in Austin, TX, where Tran was a featured interview in USA TODAY's coverage of SXSW.