Josh Hoyer's Colossal 4

About this event

Night after night at their live shows, Josh Hoyer’s Colossal 4l leave it all on the table, bringing

crowds palpably authentic music. This is a real working band; music for the people, by the

people. You hear the veracity in Hoyer’s voice. You hear the strife of a guitar amp being pushed

to its limits. You hear keyboards hammering notes home over the top of a rhythm section akin to

a freight train. The raucous Funky Blues and real-deal Soul emanating from the stage dutifully

pays homage to the past Soul/Classic R&B giants while simultaneously charging forward,

piloting themselves into the modern era. This IS soul music.

Hoyer formed the band in 2012 in famed blues town Lincoln, Nebraska. The award-winning

four-piece band includes some of the area's most revered and accomplished musicians. Joining

Hoyer (vocals/keyboards) are Myles Jasnowski (guitar), Mike Keeling (bass) and Mike Rhian

(drums). Inspired by the sounds of Memphis R&B, New Orleans Funk, Mississippi Hill Country

Blues, Classic Soul of Motown and STAX and the Psychedelic Soul of San Francisco, the band

continuously crosses musical boundaries and blends genres in style and era.

In January of 2025, the band won the 30th Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis,

TN. The IBC judges highlighted strong vocals, superb songwriting and the bands’ highly

professional, cohesive and soulful delivery of each song as the standout features that led to

their win from over 100 bands from around the world. The band has toured extensively in

Europe and is a favorite in Spain. They have been a Guest Artist featured on Virgin Voyages in

the Caribbean and played hundreds of shows across 39 states and 9 countries over the last 13

years. Releasing 6 albums to local, national and eventual international acclaim, their latest

record, “Green Light,” won Best Self Produced Album of 2022 by the International Blues

Foundation. “Hustler” a single off their 5th album, “Natural Born Hustler” has been featured in an

international advertising campaign for Michelob Ultra and on Apple TV’s Slow Horses. Josh

Hoyer was also a contestant on NBC’s The Voice in 2017.

"At its core, soul music that is actually good is music that dwells on heartbreak and pain yet translates to

a sense of pleasure and redemption for the audience. This is something that is often lost in the

“modern” soul music that infatuates so many hipsters today when they fall in love with bands who

seemingly preach soulful songs but fail to deliver the emotional goods. For Nebraskan, Josh Hoyer, the

heartbreak and pain is a driving force that comes natural, and when it comes to real soul music, he

absolutely delivers." - GLIDE MAGAZINE

“It’s Hoyer’s voice — which lies somewhere between Tom Waits, Dr. John and Elvis — that ties the styles

together into something uniquely cinematic, original and thoroughly authentic.” – LAZY I