When you walk into CSU junior Kyle Jones bedroom, it doesn’t take long to figure out what the ecosystems science major puts his heart and soul into. Scattered alongside typical bedroom furniture sit a multitude of instruments; two guitars, two bass guitars, one horn, one keyboard, a saxophone, and a drum kit.

Although the bedroom turned practice-space is tight for The Painters, a five-piece group composed of Jones and four other CSU students, their dedicated outlook is what makes the space work and is almost symbolic of their philosophy as musicians; the group is driven to adapt through their passion to share music with others.

In addition to Jones (drums), the band consists Graham Good (guitar/ bass/ vocals), Dan Graves (guitar/bass/vocals), Stephanie Kaiser (keyboard/trumpet/vocals,) and Chris More (saxophone).

With an amalgamation of various musical backgrounds and tastes, The Painters are a poster child product of a climate in which music now transcends the single genre phenomenon.

“I don’t want to be cliché, but the first time we played it felt so good. I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I knew we were going to get there together,” said Good.

While they’ve played together for several years, it wasn’t until after one near-perfect jam session, and a band meeting at an apartment reeking of paint a few weeks later, that they officially became The Painters in early 2015.

Over the past year the group has settled in as a band, playing multiple shows across Northern Colorado. While each set holds special significance to them, their next gig at the Ramskeller happening Wednesday, March 23 from 3:15-5 p.m. is an ideal place to share their 20th show.

As for balancing school while prioritizing music, Kaiser explained they do so with extreme care, often finding innovative ways to work around obstacles.  According to Good, while it’s not always a walk in the park, it’s always been worth it.

“We make it happen, because we want it so badly,” said Good.  

Although graduation is swiftly approaching for a majority of the band-mates, the group doesn’t expect their priorities to change anytime soon. According to More, the band comes first and will continue to be an integral part of who they are as individuals following graduation.  

“This is where my passion is at, so I don’t mind postponing the adult world a little bit to see where this will go,” said Graves. “It has nothing to do with what I studied, but it is what I care about.”

Although dreams of booking Red Rocks Amphitheater, and headlining the CSU fall concert are on the band’s docket, they all agree it’s not about fame or fortune but more about sharing their artistry with others.
“We just want to keep getting better; we want to keep pushing the limit,” said Graves.

The Line-up

Kyle Jones: Junior, Ecosystems Science major, Drums  

Graham Good: Senior, Business Marketing major, guitar/ bass/ vocals

Dan Graves: Senior, Watershed Science, guitar/ bass/ vocals

Stephanie Kaiser: Senior, Music Therapy major, keyboard/trumpet/vocals

Chris More: Senior, Communication Studies major, saxophone