ABOUT THE BAND
Off the Grid
The name "Off the Grid" (OTG) originated because for a few years the band only played
at Rob's annual neighborhood block party, being “off the grid” the rest of the year.
The band has been playing out more regularly since then, including Private Parties, Weddings,
and City Festivals such as the BrewFest for the Broomfield Open Space Foundation and a Summer Sunday Concert
for the Broomfield Council on the Arts and Humanities (BCAH).
Yes, we know there are bands in other states with the same name, but we are proud to represent
the great state of Colorado, we like the name, and we're keeping it!
Co-founded by Rob Roy and Rick Hernandez, "Off the Grid" began its journey in April 2013
when Rick found Rob on "Fandalism" when looking to start a new music project after several years away from performing.
We soon added Rick's former bandmate Eddie Garcia on rhythm guitar and vocals.
The band began to gel after adding Michelle Steinberg on lead vocals and keyboards.
Her opera training vastly expanded the range of songs the band could perform and took us to another level.
We have some of the most talented musicians in the state of Colorado, with a long history at performing at
some of the top venues in the state, including the People’s Fair and Herman's Hideaway.
We are primarily a "cover" band, playing a fun mix of classic rock, blues, and pop/alternative rock
from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. We have some "original" songs and we will continue adding more.
We are available to play private parties, weddings, festivals, and clubs.
Rob Roy
(Bass and Vocals) Rob is known for dancing throughout the venue while he plays his cordless bass,
bringing happy fun energy to every show! He nails Billy Idol’s scream in White Wedding.
Originally a keyboard player from SoCal performing with the bands "Hieroglyphics" and "Sweet Talk",
Rob moved to CO to attend CU in late 80s and picked up the bass to play Rush tunes with his
roommate. He started the Classic Rock/Alt band "Fender Bender" with friends in the 90s,
alternating between bass, keys, and vocals.
From 1998-2002, he played bass exclusively with the 10-piece Funk R&B band “SilverJeff”
playing all around Denver including the People’s Fair, Herman’s Hideaway, Q's, and the Little Bear.
Currently, he also plays with the Classic Rock band “Ugly Rumor”.
Excitingly, he has played a few private house shows with world-famous rock star Michael Gurley from the band “dada”!!
Rob is now a retired software engineer. He would love to perform music around town regularly!
Michelle Steinberg
(Lead Vocals and Keyboards) Deeply involved in classical and inspirational music,
Michelle has traveled to Europe and all over the U.S. singing. While living in Chicago,
she learned to appreciate and hone her skills to become a professional opera singer.
Moving back to her native Colorado in 2008, she sang with Opera Colorado for eight seasons.
Wanting to be more interactive with the audience, and to find more intimate ways to
communicate with her beautiful voice, she joined the "Denver Groove Band" as a vocalist.
Soon thereafter, her now husband introduced her to Rob on a fraternity brother ski trip.
Rob recognized her talent after seeing her perform and asked her to join the band in 2017.
Michelle added keyboards to her skill set which has significantly enhanced the group’s playlist.
To improve her keyboard skills, she joined the "Humbuckers" as a keyboard/vocalist.
When they needed a new bass player, she recommended her coworker Mitch Pahang
after learning he played bass and keyboards. Later, they formed the duo "Mitch and Michelle",
which currently performs at many local Farmer's Markets and restaurants.
Michelle has performed at many Denver venues including Herman's Hideaway, Buffalo Rose, Moe's,
Mercury Cafe, and the Dragon Boat Festival.
Michelle’s style has been compared to Linda Rondstadt, Stevie Nicks and Eva Cassidy.
When you hear her sing, you'll know you're witnessing one of Denver's next Super Stars!!
Rick Hernandez
(Lead Guitar) Rick is a Colorado native and has been playing for more than 40 years.
Starting out with a band called "Nubia", he played in many area clubs and in front of
large crowds like The Taste of Colorado and Cinco De Mayo Festivals. Co-founding projects
like "The Thermal Spyders" and "FM", he has also played prestigious venues like
the Little Bear and the Bolder Boulder 10K. Rick is a songwriter and he is the creative force
behind many of Off The Grid original songs. Early influences like Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower,
and Tommy Bolin gave him a healthy appreciation of what the guitar can do and sound like.
Rick is particularly inspired by Carlos Santana and Joe Bonamassa and has explored many styles
of music within the guitar world. He is retired from a career in Information Technology and
enjoys camping, landscaping, and writing music.
Eddie (Ed) Garcia
(Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, & Sound) Ed is a Denver native. He comes from a musical family
and he's been playing guitar for over 50 years! He played with Rick in the Thermal Spyders.
His favorite places to play (so far) are the Little Bear, Greenfields, Locavore, and the Mountain Air Ranch.
Previously, he played in an acoustic duo "Azure Blue", and he hosted open jams at the Tenn Street Coffee Shop.
Currently, Ed also plays in the band "Trick Pickle (One Night Only)" with Dave Wilmot, another Thermal Spyders alum
who sometimes sits in on lead guitar with us.
Ed is a solid presence in the band.
Not only does he keep us sounding great with his audio P/A equipment, but he can throw down a mean Harmonica solo,
and he does a fantastic job singing lead on a variety of songs from ZZ Top to Jim Morrison.
If you have a question about vintage car restoration, Eddie is your man!
John "Schu" Schumacher
(Drums & Vocals) Drumming since age 12 and performing on the East Coast since age 14,
Schu joined the Denver music scene in 2009, playing with “The Shakes” band.
After a year with local favorite the “SO What Brothers”, Schu started “In-2-Wishin”,
the 2011 runner-up and 2012 A-List winning band. In-2-Wishin played on the scene
for six years at fan-favorite venues such as McCarthy's, Emerald Isle, Wrigley's,
@Cheers, and more. Always interested in giving back, Schu and In-2-Wishin were also
honored to have headlined the Make-A-Wish and Fight Like A Girl events.
In addition to drums, Schu provides percussion and vocals.
Mitch Pahang
(Keyboards & Vocals) Mitch is from the Philippines, and he has been playing piano since he was 2 years old.
In High School, he formed a band and played different instruments, including keyboards,
guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, ukulele, bandurria, laud, and pipe organ.
He moved to the US in 1982 and has since played in many different bands and styles,
from Jazz, Filipino Rock, Classic Rock, R&B, Funk, to Pop.
He currently plays with the “Humbuckers” as well as in the acoustic variety group “Mitch and Michelle”,
which plays at many local Farmer's Markets and restaurants.
Recently, Michelle asked Mitch to join "Off the Grid" on Keyboards so she can focus more on vocals.
Mitch was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for Music, Dance, Theater in Filipino Community
at Metropolitan State University on January 28, 2024. Mitch works an IT professional with the State of Colorado.
Sam Gillet
(Alternate Drummer) Sam is not a Colorado native but he got here as soon as he
could! He moved to Denver from Chicago in 2007 and has been based here
ever since, except for a brief stint in New Orleans. Sam has played in
a wide variety of projects since he started playing drums 30 years
ago. While he’s most comfortable playing a groove that people can
dance to, he also has really enjoyed learning some of the more
technical drum parts in Off The Grid’s song list.
Sam recently moved to La Veta, making it difficult to play with the band full-time.
Now, he is our backup when needed. We'd love to play a gig with him in La Veta
if he can arrange it.
