Behind the Video: Elder Grown Soars High in Apex Performance of “Parachutes”

Built on the foundation of family and community, Elder Grown is a dynamic rock band hailing from Durango, Colorado. Known for their unique blend of hip-hop-infused funk and soul, the band creates genre-bending, improvisational jams that captivate listeners. Featuring groovy bass lines, powerful guitar riffs, bold saxophone, and mid-song instrument swaps, they defy musical conventions. Formed by the Hoffman brothers — Joshua, John, and Paul — the band has grown to include saxophonist Sam Kelly, multi-instrumentalist Brandon Clark, and Parisian guitarist Guillaume Metz… with their audience acting as the “sixth member” that drives their music.

Written by Paul Hoffman, “Parachutes” delves into the complex emotions surrounding fear — whether it’s fear of the unknown, fear of failure, or fear of being authentic. The song reflects on the growth that occurs when we confront these fears. Drawing from personal experience, Hoffman recounts an 18-year-old skydiving adventure that forced him to either give in to fear or embrace it. Choosing the latter, he describes the profound sense of freedom that followed, a message mirrored in the song’s lyrics.

Produced by Jae Greens and Sam Kelly, “Parachutes” not only explores fear but also encourages self-acceptance and celebrating who we truly are. Many people struggle with feeling ashamed or inadequate, and the band hopes the track reminds listeners that every aspect of their identity is valuable. The song masterfully fuses jazz, funk, and hip-hop, echoing the styles of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anderson .Paak, and Mac Miller, resulting in an irresistible blend of snappy guitar riffs and groovy rhythms.

As the band continues to captivate audiences with their soul-inspired sound along with their commitment to pushing musician boundaries, and with a new album on the horizon, Elder Grown joined V13 for a Behind the Video interview, taking music to new heights.

What’s the concept behind the video?

Sam Kelly: “We really wanted a high-quality live performance video, and that’s basically what this video is. We’re still a relatively unknown band on a broader regional and national level, so we really wanted to create something that could give people an idea of what kind of band we are and what to expect if they were to come to one of our live shows.”

Where was it made?

“We did most of our recording for this album at Colorado Sound Studios in Denver, Colorado. During the week we spent there, they gave us a tour of their live performance space, and that was when we decided that it would not only be one of the best-looking spaces we could find to do this music video but also one of the best-controlled environments we could do it in to ensure we got the best looking product we could!”

Based on how this one was made, are you looking forward to doing another?

“So, full disclosure: We actually recorded three videos in this same space for three different songs. We decided to release two of these videos, the second of which will be released in December for our third single release, ‘Chalk Line.’”

What makes a music video “bad” or “good?” What makes it “great?”

“I think music videos are an opportunity for a band to really show people who they are. Live videos like the one we did with our ‘Parachutes’ video, is aimed at literally showing people who we are as we are a fairly unknown group.

“Good music videos help people better understand the artist/band in a genuine way. Bad videos make a band look like they are trying too hard or doing something that doesn’t really fit the song. At the end of the day, I think the main goal of a music video is to engage with both current fans and potentially new fans. You want people to have a similar feeling from your music videos as they will get at one of your live shows. The better you can bridge that gap, I think the more connection people will have to your overall vibe and aesthetic.”

If money was no issue what would be in your perfect video?

“Since the song is called ‘Parachutes,’ we really wanted to take the whole band skydiving with our video team. Though there might have been something a little on the nose with this concept… I think if we had had the budget, I think this is what we would have preferably done!”

Do you prefer writing a video around the theme of a song or just going to a warehouse and banging out a live performance?

“We would have preferred doing a concept video with a cool storyline for sure but money was a big factor for all of this. So, ultimately we banged out a live video in a fancy live performance space instead!”

Cover Art of “Parachutes”

What are some of your favourite music videos? What about when you were growing up?

“‘Dang! by Mac Miller and Anderson .Paak. is one of my favourite music videos. There is so much colour and style packed into that five-minute song; it’s highly captivating and entertaining. Growing up, I was really into MTV, Fuse, and Stephen’s Untitled Rock Show. One of my favourite music videos from my youth was ‘Float On’ by Modest Mouse, and ‘Show Me How to Live’ by Audioslave.”

Was there anything during the making of this (or any other) music video that happened unexpectedly, or you were surprised to learn?

“I was surprised to learn how hard it is to just ‘act natural’ in front of the camera. We kept having to tell each other to exaggerate our facial expressions and body language more to bring up the energy. That was hard for me to do. Finding the balance between not looking cheesy, but also looking really into the music was tricky!”

What is one thing you absolutely refuse to do for a video that everyone else seems to be more than happy doing?

“The whole ‘Guess which band member is our drummer’ skit that everyone keeps posting on Instagram and TikTok. There are a lot of trends on the internet that bands are doing that I just refuse to do. Like, I can’t imagine standing in front of my phone and saying, ‘Did I just write the hit of the summer?!’ at the start of a video.”

What’s your favourite thing about music videos?

“My favourite thing about music videos is that the creativity moves from one art form to the next. It is so cool as a musician to see what you wrote turn into ideas and creativity from other artists, like videographers and photographers. It creates a community of artists all working together to capture something.”

Any concepts where you started and midway through thought, “What the fuck are we doing?”

“Pretty much anytime we are coming up with concepts to film there are a lot of ridiculous ideas being thrown until we all somewhat agree to move forward with something. Often the ideas we come up with are funny to half of us and not funny to the other half, so we have to say, ‘Just trust me,’ a lot and hope it goes well.

“Years ago, we came up with a music video idea where we were all minor league wrestlers trying to make our big break in some abandoned warehouse, and about a day and a half into planning and shooting, we all were like, ‘What the fuck are we doing?’”

High-quality lyric video, live video, cinematic music video… What’s your preferred format and why?

“If we had the budget for it, I would love to create cinematic-style videos with a plot and story that kind of elevated the theme of the song being played. The more creative people you can get together to make some the better I think. I think all formats of video are important, like this last video we filmed, we just wanted to capture something that looked really nice and professional in a cool setting, and we accomplished that. I like the next video that we are coming out with, because it captures the behind-the-scenes of playing live shows and what it was like in the studio, which I think is really cool for people to see too.”