By Jim Mimiaga
The Journal
The band Elder Grown will bring their funkadelic, hip-hop style to the Dolores River Brewery on Halloween night, Oct. 31.
The band was started by the Hoffman brothers from Pagosa Springs with Josh on guitar, John on bass, and Paul on percussion and vocals. Rounding out the band is Sam Kelly on saxophone, Josh Dikes on keyboard and guitar, instrumentalist Brandon Clark, and audio engineer/instrumentalist James Mirabal.
“We describe our music as funkalicious rockin’ roots,” said Sam Kelly, of Durango. “Our shows are high-energy fun that takes the audience on a musical journey.”
A unique aspect of the band is their varied skills, often switching instruments on stage between playing original songs, he said. The band is named after the Hoffman’s influential grandmother Marian Elder.
Some of the bands influences are Fat Freddie Drop, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lettuce, the Wailers, Linkin Park, and Big Fat Charley Tuna.
The band’s incendiary, charge-ahead style can be heard at http://eldergrown.com along with funny bios of each player and their nicknames.
Bass man John “Cheeks” Hoffman is the “Soul Power Ambassador” for the band, with evolving style “that might some day bring to earth an alien encounters.”
Josh “Trunks” Dikes performs as a rapper throughout the Four Corners under the name Trunklestein. As part of band policy he “is limited to a maximum of three puns per day, so he sometimes reverts to pantomiming his feelings.”
The concert will be a sort of homecoming for Kelly, who graduated from Dolores High School in 2009, and played his first gig at the local brewery in the bands “Playing in Traffic” and “Blue Coyote.” He then went on to get a music degree from Fort Lewis College.
“I guess I’m coming full circle,” Kelly said.
The band has one CD out, “The Motorhome Mixes” and they plan to release a new self-published album this Spring.
“We’re proud to get out this new album for our fans,” Kelly says. “It showcases who we are as a band, and hopefully expand our audience.”
Elder Grown is getting noticed, winning the majority vote at the Arise Music Festival in Loveland. They beat out 50 other bands in the competition.
The band is determined to make it, signing with booking agent Massive Productions and planning a tour.
“We’ve played in Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Albuquerque. We’re all set to take off once we get a slew of shows booked,” Kelly said. “We’re considering relocating to Denver, to make more connections and get into the Front Range music scene.”
The Dolores River Brewery Halloween show starts at 8 p.m. Cover is $10.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com