Sometimes bands are simply created out of the blue. Such is the case with the Buffali, where members Andrew Yonda and Clare Fehensenfeld met and formed a musical connection that resulted in a quirky folk duo.

The two met at the Nottingham Co-Op and with a bunch of others played music together. They found each other soon after and discovered a common interest. They immediately discussed forming a band. Now the Buffali has been together for about a year and their first album, a demo-like, self-titled album, came out this past July.

“We started just trying out some stuff together and it evolved into the Buffali,” said Fehensenfeld.

The band came up with their name through some “drunken revelry,” as Andrew said. Originally Clare wanted the band to be named Sandy Hand By and the Boring Buffali. Andrew quickly rejected that name, as he thought it was stupid and they became just the Buffali.

While they are both graduates of the University of Wisconsin, they come from different necks of the woods. Clare is from Michigan and Andrew is from Wisconsin. Both are quite musically inclined and have been playing instruments since they were little. Clare began playing the piano when she was six and Andrew began playing the saxophone when he was 10, continuing through college, until he quit the instrument. Both can play an array of instruments, including the guitar, the recorder, the upright bass and keyboard.

The two work together as a collaborative unit, each writing songs that they contribute to the band as a whole. The creative process is one of cooperation where they work together on the melodies and harmonies and help each other write their respective songs. Most of Clare’s songs have some personal meaning to her, but recently she discovered that songs do not need to be factual.

“Andrew has this song on the album and I said, ‘I can’t believe this happened to you. That’s such a crazy story,’ and he said, ‘That didn’t happen to me.’ And I thought, ‘You can make up stuff?’ It had never occurred to me before and so I wrote the song “True Love” with my new-found discovery,” she said.

The band calls on different kinds of genres to create their unique sound. With a mix of folk, some pop and a little rock, they’ve come together to attract audiences of all ages. They seem to cater to no specific group, instead working towards creating the type of music that they like and hope others will enjoy as well. In touring locally in Madison, they found that both an older crowd, around the age of 50, and the college crowd equally enjoy their music. Andrew attributes this wide range of audience appreciation to the way they cater their specific shows.

“Young college-aged people like it more because when we’re playing with the older crowd we don’t curse the way we do, with some of our songs and will freely do with the college age crowd,” Andrew said.

Their sound is up beat and definitely folk-oriented. Clare’s voice possesses an unusual edge, giving the band a little something different, adding to the quirkiness of the band, how Andrew designated their folk style. The guitar is fluid and subtle, but nonetheless upbeat. Their music is dominated by Clare’s voice and Andrew’s guitar playing, making the songs frequently seem softer and less obtrusive than other things you’d hear today.

Their goals for the immediate future are just to get some shows outside of Madison and to get an agency to back them so that some of the work is taken off their hands. However, for the bigger picture, they hope that one day profits made from the Buffali can fund their lifestyles.

The Buffali will be playing a free 10 p.m. show Saturday at the Weary Traveler (1201 Williamson St.) with pop-rock up-and-comer Granian.