By Alesha Damerville  

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – Somewhere between the Grand Ole Opry, Southern rock and seventies funk and soul is where you can find JJ Grey & Mofro on the scale of musical genres. 

While music was encouraged by JJ Grey’s family, the idea of being a musician wasn’t necessarily the direction he saw himself heading as child. Grey’s father bought an organ to encourage his children’s musical growth. “I learned how to play ‘Silent Night,’ but I was too lazy to actually learn how to play an instrument,” Grey says. “Somehow or another, even when I didn’t want to do it, I ended up playing music.”

Although Grey has played plenty of solo shows, he’s been playing with a group of his making called Mofro since around 2007. “They bring who they are, which is consistently solid,” Grey says. “They kill it every night; they’re phenomenal. I’ve got a specific sound I want to hear, and they make it happen.”

“Sometimes you do something, and you don’t even realize you’ve changed,” says Grey. “These guys know how to play – they can make your musical dreams come true. I’ve been lucky.” 

Grey has played twice in Steamboat Springs, and hopes to take in Strawberry Park Hot Springs during this visit. “I love Steamboat. It’s beautiful and so different from where I’m from,” Grey says. “The air up there is like drinking really good water. It’s crisp.”

Don’t miss the soulful Southern sounds of JJ Grey & Mofro, Saturday, July 21 at the Keepin’ It Free Concert Series at Howelsen Hill. For more information on the Keepin’ It Free Concert Series, visit https://keepinitfree.com