According to Neil Armstrong, "My Grandma is the only band I listened to while walking on the moon." Simply put, My Grandma will blow your mind. Don't bring your girlfriend to the show, she will dump you for My Grandma. Bill Gates recalls, "My Grandma is the only band I let program Windows 3.1," and The Wall Street Journal writes, "My Grandma can triple your investment portfolio during a face-melting guitar solo." My Grandma is set to become the greatest band that ever was. Unless you count The Beatles and other really good bands as "bands."
Eric brings elements reminiscent of hymns and Celtic fantasy into his songwriting to give our eclectic style an ageless depth. Jacob combines art-rock virtuosity with blazing speed and unusual modes, to take you from being a hyper-focused classic rock purist in one moment, to inducing ambient hypnosis in the next. Shane contributes deeply introspective lyrics and an impressive ability to shape-shift his song-writing style to reflect the mood of a particular song. Jon brings solid songwriting that leaves listeners with a sense of wonder and awe about something bigger than themselves. Josh blends classical training with raw rock power to add to the diversity of the band and improve their overall technical proficiency.
Shane is one of the primary songwriters and singers, but also enjoys backing up the other guys when they take the lead. Depending on who's singing, you'll usually find him playing guitar, drums or bass. He also plays harmonica, mandolin, ukulele and occasionally piano.
Other interesting facts about Shane:
Eric is a math teacher by day, a wizard by night (level 6 currently), a worship leader on Sundays, and a husband and father on days of the week that end in a "Y". In the remaining spare 30 minutes each month, Eric enjoys playing/writing music and watching Shane's beard grow to enormous lengths.
He used to read books, but alas, those days are only a distant memory at this point. If we only had a breakthrough in folding the space/time continuum, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, or instantaneous human cloning, perhaps you could actually see Eric pause to enjoy a cup of chai tea at the JAC."
Josh is primarily the drummer of the band, but sometimes takes over on guitar or piano when needed. Although he grew up playing the piano as a kid, Josh taught himself guitar in high school and college.
Other interesting facts about Josh:
Jon is the only member of the group who plays only a measly two instruments. He has a lot to learn from the talent pool that surrounds him on stage. But he does write some music and if you’re not satisfied with his musical abilities, he could draw your portrait pretty well to make up for it, hopefully.
Seriously. He's also a portrait artist for hire. He regularly leads a worship music team in Charleston on Sunday mornings and wishes he could eat breakfast with his beautiful wife, Kendra, all mornings instead of just some.
Jacob is a sound engineer trapped in a musician's body. He works at Broadway Christian Church in Mattoon, Illinois doing music and sound for the youngsters. He's attempting to train up a younger generation so that one day, a fresh, young face renders him obsolete. Hopefully that generation will respect their elders enough to allow him a spot at the sound board. But who is he kidding? It could be automated or holographic by then. He loves to crank out the occasional guitar solo as well, so kiddos, keep that in mind. He also writes songs, so there!
Jacob is a local insurance agent, which helps fund his future freedom to pursue music endeavors. He looks forward to getting married in May 2016, if God is willing and the creek don't rise.
McLain was in a previous incarnation of My Granda, offering comedic relief to the otherwise stuffy professionalism of the band, apparent throughout this site. Now we're screwed. He also served our community in one capacity as police officer, and now he serves our community in another capacity as a schoolteacher.
He is not related to Josh Shaffer. I know their last names sound the same, but they are not. It's tricky.