Three Hoffman brothers have come together to make their first album. The process was daunting; there were many groundings and timeouts. Eldest brother Christopher always took the top bunk, and Dylan was not allowed to watch the private screening of Watership Down because Ian felt it had a “hard G” rating that might keep him up at night. Despite all of this the brothers were able to meld their unique talents and diverse backgrounds into a cohesive, dynamic album tilted The Other. Ian Hoffman was first interested in film music, writing piano and orchestra scores as early as age 7. By his 20’s Ian was a multi-instrumentalist proficient in piano, French horn, guitar, trumpet, bass, and voice. It was at this time that Ian began to write and record hundreds of pop, rock, and electronic songs. He soon formed his first band, Kameelian. His other projects include Plaid Penmanship, Mr. Tumnis, Little Electrode and an appearance on the Captain Beefheart tribute album Neon Meate Deram of a Octafish. Christopher Hoffman started playing cello at age 5. By junior high he added voice, drums, and bass to his repertoire. Soon after he began playing in jazz and rock bands. He studied cello and recording arts at the University of Wisconsin. Following a full-time engineering position at the Chicago Recording Company, Christopher accepted a teaching position at The New School in New York. Although teaching full time, Christopher has continued gigging and recording with notable musicians Ryan Scott, Pagoda, John Zorn, Ryan Adams, Clare Muldaur, Christina Courtin, Teddy Thompson, Umphrey’s McGee, and many more. Dylan Hoffman studied violin as a child and continued playing into early high school. In his 20’s he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, mastering the drums quickly and on his own. Dylan has worked with Sleepy Sleepy Octopus and Surgeon General as well as providing drums for Ian’s previous project Mr. Tumnis and his home recordings. The Hoffman brothers have successfully weaved together their influences from orchestral, jazz, pop, avante garde, electronic, and rock music. The melding of the brothers’ influences coupled with their open mindedness about all genres of music has paved the way for original songs with a familiar sound and a matchless quality. Collectively, the Hoffman brothers have played hundreds of venues with previous and current projects. They have experience at notable Chicago venues like the House of Blues, Double Door, Schuba’s, and Martyrs’ as well as many other venues across the country and in Europe. Their live performances offer reworked, rocked out versions of the LP songs interlaced with exciting new songs. Joining Ian in live performances are Keith Schell on guitar and Rick Bach on bass. "Needers & Givers creates a cohesive mix of ’60s pop music with a progressive psychedelic flair and slight garage twist. Brotherly harmonies characterize the trio’s sunny charm similar to The Beatles and The Kinks." -NPR (March 21, 2008)