Who We Are
Blue Lake Band write and sing original Midwest Americana Soul in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. We released our first EP Sing Out! on April 1, 2024. We started as a trio of Dar Bradley, Jon Hoffman with Dave Bader and have grown to include Mark Olson and Chip Minor in our collective. We are currently recording more tracks and actively gigging as the full 5 piece Blue Lake Band trying to help improve our communities. Our individual stories:
Dar Bradley - Vocals: I am a singer/songwriter from Columbia Heights that has been performing since I was a child. I took up saxophone and acting which became my passions through my college years earning several scholarships. I was discovered at Music Tech and encouraged to pursue vocal performance, and led the band Ulterior Motive for three years. I now front the cover band Alibi as well as singing lead Blue Lake Band. I am a professional DJ and an avid motorcycle rider during my free time. My voice sets the tone for each song and the lyrics paint the stories in your mind as you listen. I have been influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, The Eagles, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Ben Folds, Dolly Parton, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Amy Winehouse, The Black Crows, John Mellencamp, Alison Krauss, Pink Floyd, Michael Kiwanuka, Prince, Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bob Seger, and many more.
Jon Hoffman - lead and slide guitars, vocals: I have been playing guitar in bands since the 1960’s and gigged in rock, soul, blues, country and top 40 bands. I started writing songs in the 80’s after purchasing my first 4 track recorder and developed my emotional, inspired sound. My influences include the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Yardbirds, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Mike Bloomfield, Jeff Beck, Lonnie Mack, Carl Perkins, BB King, Jimmy Reed, JJ Cale, Waylon Jennings, James Burton, Kim Simmons and many more. I currently play covers in the Alibi band and original songs in Blue Lake Band.
Mark Olson - drums, percussion and vocals: I started drumming and singing with Top-40 bands in the early 80’s throughout Wisconsin. After a break from playing the bar scene for several years, returned to playing and singing locally in R&B horn bands, 70’s pop bands, several Tribute bands and most recently, the long standing band dB Cooper for 15 years. I currently lead the local band Coloring Shadows, an acoustic group that covers Americana, folk, country and roots music created or reimagined by more current Indie artists. I like adding my portfolio of grooves and style to the original music of the Blue Lake Band.
Dave Bader - guitars, vocals, bass and keyboard: I am a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist based out of Twin Cities. I have a history of playing and recording in mainly Americana and blues bands in the Midwest and California. I have released two solo albums “Pura Vida” and “City Boy/Country Man” in the last ten years and participated in many other recordings. I'm currently also playing bass for Charlie Morgan & The BoneCrushers and The Bader Brothers Band as the stars may allow. My main influences are Dylan, Dead, Danny O’Keefe, Howlin Wolf, Bill Evans and Robert Goulet.
Harold (Chip) Minor, began his musical career at the age of 13 in Cleveland Ohio. While he now principally plays the bass guitar, he is also a classically trained percussionist, composer/arranger and certified K-12 music educator. Chip contributes his musical talents to the Twin Cities as a freelance performing/recording artist and music educator; actively performing in community events and festivals. Chip holds an MBA in Finance from Atlanta University and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Kentucky State University. Chip strives to impact society by using music and the arts to inspire and motivate people towards positive change and self-healing. He and his wife currently reside in Golden Valley, MN.