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Evanoff mixes classic rock, electronic

Julia Ben-Asher/For Steamboat Today
The group Evanoff will play Friday at Schmiggity's.
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— Classic rock and electric trio Evanoff takes the stage Friday at Schmiggity’s in Steamboat Springs.

The band began as then-freshman college student J.J. Evanoff’s solo project. The University of Colorado — Denver recording arts and audio production student had begun mixing classic rock with electronic music and then DJing it. One day, Evanoff invited some school friends over to play around, and, he recalls, everything just clicked.

“Since then, things have kind of skyrocketed,” Evanoff said.



Evanoff plays guitar and does production for the trio. Jake Hall is on drums, and Parker Oberholzer plays bass and synthesizer. The group brings its own lights show, by Boulder-based Color Shadow Productions, to complement the music — lights instead of lyrics, the group said.

Classic rock influences include Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, blended with the melodies and rhythms of EDM. The entire experience comes together as a genre the group calls dream rock — each song an emotional and spiritual journey for listeners.



The band released three singles in October 2015 and went on a national summer tour, playing at festivals including Electric Forest, Vertex and Sonic Bloom. It earned a spot on The Untz’s “Top 10 Livetronica Artists on the Rise” 2015 list.

“(Playing festivals) really helped us get our sound out there,” drummer Jake Hall said. “The response was just great.”

During the semester, the band members found it challenging to juggle Evanoff’s and Oberholzer’s school commitments with time for the band’s creative collaboration.

Evanoff noted the irony of being constrained in terms of his band by his formal education of the same subject.

“This is what I’m going to be doing with my life,” he said.

In December, the entirety of the trio will be done with college and is excited to spend more time working as a band.

The group will release a new song, “Aesthetic Arrest” Dec. 6. Evanoff describes it as the group’s best work yet.

“It’s very defining of our sound — between hard rock and roll and electronic,” Evanoff said.

In January, current bass player Parker Oberholzer retires from the group, to be replaced by Karl Summers, of Technicolored Tone Factory.

In February, the group travels to the Gem & Jam Festival in Tucson, Arizona, to play alongside Gramatik, Lotus, the Infamous Stringdusters, The Motet and others.

“We’re really excited for the next year,” Evanoff said. “It’s a big time for us.”


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