Three Hoffman brothers have come together to make their first album. The process
was daunting; there were many groundings and timeouts. Eldest brother Christopher
always took the top bunk, and Dylan was not allowed to watch the private screening
of Watership Down because Ian felt it had a “hard G†rating that might keep him up
at night. Despite all of this the brothers were able to meld their unique talents and
diverse backgrounds into a cohesive, dynamic album tilted The Other.
Ian Hoffman was first interested in film music, writing piano and orchestra scores as
early as age 7. By his 20’s Ian was a multi-instrumentalist proficient in piano, French
horn, guitar, trumpet, bass, and voice. It was at this time that Ian began to write and
record hundreds of pop, rock, and electronic songs. He soon formed his first band,
Kameelian. His other projects include Plaid Penmanship, Mr. Tumnis, Little Electrode
and an appearance on the Captain Beefheart tribute album Neon Meate Deram of a
Octafish.
Christopher Hoffman started playing cello at age 5. By junior high he added voice,
drums, and bass to his repertoire. Soon after he began playing in jazz and rock
bands. He studied cello and recording arts at the University of Wisconsin. Following
a full-time engineering position at the Chicago Recording Company, Christopher
accepted a teaching position at The New School in New York. Although teaching
full time, Christopher has continued gigging and recording with notable musicians
Ryan Scott, Pagoda, John Zorn, Ryan Adams, Clare Muldaur, Christina Courtin, Teddy
Thompson, Umphrey’s McGee, and many more.
Dylan Hoffman studied violin as a child and continued playing into early high school.
In his 20’s he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, mastering the drums quickly
and on his own. Dylan has worked with Sleepy Sleepy Octopus and Surgeon General
as well as providing drums for Ian’s previous project Mr. Tumnis and his home recordings.
The Hoffman brothers have successfully weaved together their influences from orchestral, jazz, pop, avante garde, electronic, and rock music. The melding of the
brothers’ influences coupled with their open mindedness about all genres of music
has paved the way for original songs with a familiar sound and a matchless quality.
Collectively, the Hoffman brothers have played hundreds of venues with previous and
current projects. They have experience at notable Chicago venues like the House of
Blues, Double Door, Schuba’s, and Martyrs’ as well as many other venues across the
country and in Europe. Their live performances offer reworked, rocked out versions
of the LP songs interlaced with exciting new songs.
Joining Ian and Dylan in live performances are Devin Swearingin-Ross on bass, Mike Maimone ..boards, and Zack Andersen filling the role of percussionist, guitar, and background vocals.
Layout by CoolChaser
