Tell us about how the band formed. Can we assume that since two of you are brothers that music was a big part of your home life, and that the band came out of other projects?

All three of us in Something Underground were blessed to grow up in musical families. My brother and I started singing and performing with our parents and older sister from the ages of two and six. Trevor grew up with jazz musicians as parents. Music helped keep our family connected to each other and to new people as we moved and traveled around. Something Underground was born in the year 2000, after my brother Josh and I moved to Colorado from different places and different reasons. The Universe has something big in mind…

It’s harder and harder to make a living as a musician. Are the goals for Something Underground to transition the band into a permanent job at one point?

Something Underground began nine years ago and, for the most part, has been a full-time permanent job for the last four years. At this point the goal has become quite simple: to love unconditionally. Music has enabled us to pursue this goal to our fullest. The love we feel while performing, writing and playing music is overwhelming. We feel compelled to help spread this love and connect with as many people on this planet as possible.

Your band is planning a bunch of festivals, including the State Fair in addition to Westword. Do you feel like your band is especially suited to the festival environment?

We feel especially suited to play any and every environment we encounter. Whether it’s an alley in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Denver Children’s Hospital, Red Rocks or Cherokee, Iowa, we are honored to be playing music and connecting with people. We certainly do love playing festivals and outdoor shows where people and families of all ages can gather together.

John Popper plays on your track “Angelic.” How did you meet him, and what was it like working with him?

Our connection with John Popper is through our friend and fastest drummer in the world, Justin Spencer from the band Recycled Percussion. Justin and John met, clicked and ended up playing together on The Carson Daly Show. Recycled Percussion stopped at our Warehouse for two nights while on tour. Josh and I, along with a handful of other Denver musicians, were playing with Justin when he came out of the drum booth and said, “John Popper will be here to jam in thirty minutes.” We set up an amp, welcomed him to The Warehouse, and played for an hour straight with no stops. When we finished John was glad to know we recorded the session and encouraged us to get the recording out to the people. He is a kind, humble soul and an incredible player.

Your band also plays a lot of charity events. Do you search out these events specifically, or do opportunities just present themselves? Do you think it’s important that a band tries to make a difference, socially?

It’s amazing to know that doing what we love can be a tool in raising money and awareness for causes and movements that resonate with us. We both seek out and are open to opportunities to play charity events. Some events, like The Chanda Plan’s "People to Know" event, have become annual events that we look forward to each year. We feel it’s important for Something Underground to contribute to the overall vibration of the planet and it’s people, and charity events help serve that purpose.

Speaking of which, the band played in Cambodia at a benefit for landmine victims. Could you tell us about what must have been an incredible experience?

We toured with The Tranquility Project in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos to raise money awareness for landmine victims. In Cambodia we were fortunate enough to visit and perform at the Handicap International rehabilitation center in Siem Riep. There were men, women and children who had been seriously injured by one of the millions of unexploded ordinances left behind after years of war. We played an acoustic set for the patients and their families. We didn’t exchange many words, but did exchange smiles a whole lotta love. When we returned home from the tour we wrote the song "Mr. Elephant," a song about the landmines that plague southeast Asia and many other parts of the world.

What’s next for Something Underground? Other than the shows, is there a full-length currently in the works?

We are constantly recording and producing music at The Warehouse. In addition to writing and recording our own music, we are working on a handful of projects with other Colorado musicians and bands. Recently we’ve worked and recorded with Angie Stevens, Kimba Arem, Forged in Violet, Sight, Jeff Kagan, Demon Funkies, Broken Everlys, and Kailin Yong of Boulder Acoustic Society. We love the energy and power of collaborating and co-creating with other musicians.

Could you tell us about being a Denver band? Is it a supportive scene for you guys?

The community that exists in Denver is vast, diverse and extremely supportive. There’s a saying that goes; "And in the end, the love you get is equal to the love you give." That seems to be the case in the Denver music scene, and life in general. We are blessed to live in such an amazing part of the planet and to be able to travel to other amazing parts of the planet. We love what we do and do what we love. We hope to spread that feeling where ever we go through the great connector we call music.