NEDERLAND -- Eddie Hochman, Bennett Shapiro, Michael Schodin, and Mitchell Wisniewski all met during their time at the University of Iowa. They started informally jamming and playing shows together throughout college, but by graduation, they started going their separate ways.
While Hochman and Schodin stayed in Iowa City, Mitch moved to Michigan, and Bennett moved to Denver, where he still lives today. However, that didn’t stop the friend from performing; the group has made an annual tradition to travel together and play shows, forming an official band, Joytrip.
Over the last couple of years, the group has been able to hone its sound and writing despite its distance. The wide-ranging influences of the group, from jazz to rock to blues to bluegrass, contribute to a singular sound and chemistry that allows the band to jump into a full night’s show even after not performing together for months.
The band’s lineup has remained unchanged from the start. Schodin plays guitar, sings, and serves as the audio engineer, Hochman plays guitar, trumpet, and keyboards as well as sings, Shapiro plays drums and sings harmonies, and Wisniewski plays bass for the band.
The group knew they wanted a made-up, easy-to-remember word as their band name. Early on, they thought about the different kinds of trips people can take: ego trips, power trips, drug trips, road trips, and various other journeys through various places, positive or negative. They wanted to allow listeners to go on a joyful trip with their music, and thus the name was born.
Since 2023, the group has released the studio EP Mr. Time and the Joyful Plays, the live EP Live from Lauderdale Lakes, and five standalone singles – “Keep on Passing By,” “Sunflower Telephone,” “Let Me Lay,” “Slush,” and “Oh No!” Their next project, leaving state, focuses more on acoustic-driven sounds.
While Joytrip mainly refers to the journey the band hopes their audience goes on, it can also, in many ways, relate to the band members and their excitement to travel and perform together.
The members love connecting with their audiences and with each other, and for them, there is nothing like going to a venue and feeling the appreciation for their music from all angles.
Joytrip is coming to Colorado to promote leaving state, and one of their stops is Busey Brews, located at 70 East First Street in Nederland! Be sure to see them perform there on Sunday, May 25, 2025, starting at 2 p.m. For more information about the band and to find their music, be sure to visit joytripband.com.
