Hot Elements

Grampa's Amp formed in 2006 as a collaboration between brothers Mike, Dave and Matt Nowatzki. The North Dakota natives had previously played in cover bands before combining their various musical talents and influences to record their self-titled, 11-song debut album in 2006. The band's name was inspired by a late 1950s Silvertone Model 1391 amplifier once used by their late grandfather, Leo Gapp, a wonderfully talented musician to whom the first album is dedicated. The amp's raw, tube-driven sound can be heard prominently on several of the songs. Bassist Justin Auch, another North Dakota native, joined Grampa's Amp shortly after the album's release and continued to gig with the band into early 2009. In summer 2012, the band -- now a trio again -- began recording it's sophomore effort, 'Hot Elements.' While still embracing the first album's stripped-down style of rock sprinkled with alt-country and blues, the second effort brings a marked improvement in production and sound quality with a greater focus on storytelling, harmony and collaborative songwriting. Twang-tinged tunes like 'Road Trippin' ' and 'Billy the Kid' offer glimpses into the band's rural Midwest upbringing, while the hard-charging 'King Stratoblaster' and 'Brown River' reveal the band's lighter side. At 13 songs and 47 minutes long, the album represents a more ambitious effort by a band that continues to evolve while broadening it's musical horizons.