Keepher:

Keepher was born just outside of Detroit Mich. “Motown” where he first started to play and write music at an early age. He grew up in the mountains of Vermont where he developed a love for folk music. At the age of 17 he traveled the country with various groups in the Jam band scène, while honing his skills as a performer on street corners and cafes. In 2001, Keepher joined up with the Grammy winning Artist Doodlebug AKA Cee Knowledge from the famous Digable Planets to help form the Cosmic Funk Orchestra. They toured the country playing many major venues in the US. Keepher then moved to Crestone, Colorado where he created the infamous Spudmonkeys and still lives today.

Kailash

Kailash started in music early, with his first performance at age 11 in a community boy’s choir. Throughout junior high and high school, he played cornet and baritone horn, as well as participating in the jazz and marching bands. From 1977 - 1979, he took classical guitar lessons at the Peabody Conservatory prep department in Baltimore, Maryland. Kailash studied music at the Saint Petersburg Junior College in Florida from 1980 - 1983 as a guitar major and a piano minor. From 1984 - 1988, he played in a variety of jazz clubs in New York and New Jersey, frequenting venues like The Village Vanguard and Fat Tuesdays. While living in New York City, he studied arranging and jazz harmony at the New York School of Music. Kailash moved to Crestone in 1988. He currently plays in several bands ranging from jazz, celtic, bluegrass, and rock in the Spudmonkeys.

Laura Porter:

Laura Porter was born and raised in Colorado and has been playing piano since she remembers. Laura was raised with a classical background, and has performed in a handful of classical recitals. She graduated in grade 3 (theory) and grade 6 (practical) with the Trinity College of London. Laura plans to refine her skills with new styles of jamming and improvisation through her collaboration with the great spirited band Spudmonkeys.

Nick Chambers:

Nick Chambers has been playing the drum kit for over 20 years and was playing in bars in the Denver-Metro area before he was even sixteen. He has played in various styles from rock, reggae, bluegrass, jazz, fusion, celtic, and everything in between. Nick previously worked in the music industry in Montana as a professional concert rigger, working with many of the most popular acts of the day. He now lives in Crestone, CO with his family, where he is creating a small farm  and working in renewable energy project development.