Grand Haven’s Room Full of Elephants mixes styles, works to inspire others with its music

The band has taken its roots-based rock music to the next level, with members pushing comfort levels to create “a new different sound.” The group makes its SpeakEZ Lounge debut Wednesday.

THE BAND: Room Full of Elephants
THE MUSIC: Roots-based rock tinged with blues and reggae
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAND: 8 p.m. Wednesday at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids, with Loren Johnson opening

 

Some members of the Grand Haven band Room Full of Elephants have played together for nearly a decade, while others have joined the group only recently.

Regardless of tenure, they can’t wait to see where they are headed next.

What began as a duo grew into something greater over time. Room Full of Elephants vocalist Matt Spofford said he and drummer Chris Sobota used to head out to play gigs together as part of a trio that later disbanded.

Spofford said that for a band’s survival, it is important to find members with not only similar styles and schedules, but also the same passion.

“Everyone has a reason they aren’t in a band anymore,” Spofford said. “The bands grow tough to stay together and to thrive sometimes. We need to really practice, and have our game put together. The audience deserves that.”

As time went on, Spofford hosted an open mic night, and a player came out one night that caught his attention. Dustin Mason had been playing guitar for years, with a musical background full of influences from Sublime to Bob Marley to Jack Johnson. Those influences – as well as plenty of hints of jazz and R&B– snuck into his songwriting.

A SOUND THAT ‘QUICKLY BECAME PRETTY ORGANIC’

When Mason was welcomed into what would become Room Full of Elephants, it was the first time he had played with a band.

“I showed up and started playing once a week with them,” Mason said. “It quickly became pretty organic. I started playing Matt’s songs, so I got to develop my rhythm guitar skills as we went.”

Spofford said with a hybrid blend of his original songs, and now Mason’s original songs, the group was able to add variety to its style.

“For the longest time, the sets were our songs between the two of us, with the rest of the band supporting and adding in their own styles,” Mason said. “We played some pop-up festivals and a few house parties, but something was still missing. We needed a media kit: a demo CD to apply for slots at higher-end gigs and venues.”

Then they locked in a recording session with producer Bleu Van Dyke. Spofford said Van Dyke was not afraid to add his own thoughts, pushing the group and even adding in his own licks and performances along the way.

“His ear for elaboration and his harmony stood out to me right from the beginning,” Mason said. “I realized that is what we had been missing.”

The group soon asked Van Dyke to be its bassist. He quickly learned their original songs to catch up with the band, and it only got better from there.

“Bleu took our group to the next level, 100 percent,” Mason said.

ADDING SOMETHING THAT WAS MISSING

“He added something in there that we had been missing. We did struggle as a band, trying to find the harmony and sound, which Bleu wound up bringing to the table. Before Bleu, they were ‘Matt’s songs’ and ‘Dustin’s songs.’ I didn’t even realize the issue at the time, but there was something going on, and we knew it. Everyone talks about the bass player being the glue that holds the group together. But Bleu… Bleu was ‘Bass Player 2.0.’ He is on an entirely different level.”

Fast forward to 2016, and Room Full of Elephants has begun to build buzz with its original music.

Touring around West Michigan, the Elephants often start a track in one style, then weave in others to change the tune and tempo.

“When someone asks us what we play, I say, ‘We play roots-based rock music,’” Spofford said. “We may take a bluesy song and insert some rock and roll, or for other songs, we may play that style all the way through. Either way, we push each other to learn more, outside our own individual comfort zones.”

Guitarist Dustin Mason agreed, noting that original song “Another One” begins with a folk strum, Americana sound for the first verse, but for the chorus, they add adding a faster reggae-like vibe.

“We try to create a new, different sound,” Mason said. “We have similar influences that we like to organize in new, different ways.”

Spofford said that same spontaneity can also apply to live shows, and the band is ready to change the set list and tone of the show at a moment’s notice.

WRITING SONGS WITH ‘INTENTIONAL DRAMA’ AND A UNIQUE SOUND

“We write songs with intentional drama,” he said. “It’s not doing what it’s supposed to do unless there is tension. It is supposed to bring you somewhere else. I compare it to a no-huddle offense, changing on the fly. We try to cater to what the crowd wants right then.”

Spofford said that even hiccups and problems during the show can be a chance for a good musical group to shine.

“When something unexpected happens, how do you deal with it?” he asked. “With four people, you have four legs at the table. If one becomes wobbly, the other three can still hold us up. But if one of the three left starts to falter, it all goes downhill from there. That’s what I feel helps distinguish the more seasoned groups out there: How you can recover from problems and still shine? And honestly, that’s where some of the best versions of our songs have come from live… adapting to changes like that, and recovering from them.”

Mason said one of the things that sets Room Full of Elephants apart is the fact that everyone in the group is a father, a self-described “Dad Band.”

“In some ways, it has held the group back, as far as not growing as quickly in notoriety,” Mason said. “But that fact has also helped us grow as a group, helping us cope with struggles in scheduling and sudden changes. We understand each other; we know things can come up at a moment’s notice.”

Mason said every member is passionate about the group and the music. And they want to inspire that same passion in their children.

“We want to show our kids that it is good to pursue something you are passionate about,” he said. “We make a lot of sacrifices, both for the band and at the cost of the band. It’s a tough balancing act for all of us, but we make it work, because we are passionate about what we are doing.”

Room Full of Elephants is putting the finishing touches on its newest record, while playing all over West Michigan in front of a growing fan base.

“Someone told me at a show we did once, ‘You are my new favorite local band. You don’t sound like anyone else I have ever heard,’” Mason said.

“I took that as a huge compliment. We want to sound like no one else out there. We want to get the fan base out there. I know there are people into our type of sound, and we want to get that music to them. All I would say is, come out and see us live. You won’t regret it.”

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC