Bio
MOJOHAND - ROCK & ROLL, GINGER SOUL, AND JERSEY TWANG
Mojohand is known nationally for their relentless work ethic, electric live shows and catchy, classic songwriting. They have earned their place among the hardest workers of today’s live music industry. The New Jersey band is forging the path for their rocking, soulful, and twangy music to stages all over the world. With two full length studio records and eleven singles, they continues to attract fans and friends with their level of creative output.
There are many bands playing American music in modern times, but there is no one making it like Mojohand; their sound is uniquely their own, while also often compared to Americana heroes John Prine and Townes van Zandt, legendary rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and Drive-By Truckers, and beloved soul musicians like Otis Redding and Nathaniel Rateliff. Mojohand have entertained audiences from Los Angeles and New York City to Austin and Vancouver and everywhere in-between, and there are no signs of slowing down for this road-hungry band. With a catalog of eleven singles, two albums, and two hundred and fifty shows in 31 states, Mojohand has their foot on the gas with extensive US tours booked for 2024 and beyond!
Mojohand was born in 2017 from the fiery remains of countless high school bands and side projects. Having played music together since their age was in the single digits, childhood friends Elijah Klein and Joe Dinardo joined with keyboardist Ian D’Arcy and began gigging around the Garden State with a revolving cast of local musicians. When Elijah met drummer Jasper Mahncke in New York City, The group found their groove and locked in with a flurry of singles and shows around the Northeast - from the woods of Vermont to packed bars in New York City and everywhere in between. Playing over 70 shows in the lead-up to the pandemic gave the band an opportunity to find their sound - and when lockdown came, they only played more. Throwing backyard concerts and festivals in the woods throughout the pandemic cultivated their local fanbase, and as the country began to open up, Mojohand hit the road - playing festivals across the South in Austin and Charleston, bars in New Orleans and coffeeshops in Georgia, and every kind of show in between. To date, Mojohand has played 250 shows, driven over 60,000 miles, performed 9 American tours and a Canadian date, and have opened for national acts including Oteil Burbridge, Kyle Gordon, Summer Dean, and Whitey Morgan.
Mojohand’s love of The Road is palpable. At the end of their set, you’ll often hear lead singer Elijah deliver an open invitation to the audience: “The best part of driving around and playing shows all over the country is meeting new people. So come say hi when we’re done playing! We’d love to shake your hand.” For a band from New Jersey, they spend as much time on the road as they at home, playing 31 states (and Canada) in the last year. “The road is what it’s all about; meeting new types of people, seeing how they react to the songs. A crowd in Texas might feel a groove completely differently than one in New York City. And so every night of tour, we learn a little more about how to deliver a great show and connect with the crowd.”
Mojohand is perhaps most proud of the grassroots community that has formed around the band. As a DIY act, Mojohand has played legendary local venues like The Stone Pony and The Bitter End. They’ve opened for national acts like Whitey Morgan and Oteil Burbridge and have toured the country - all without a record deal, management or any outside investment. This is all thanks to the dedicated following that’s coalesced around the band’s music and their live shows. There is no greater example of this community than Mojofest.
Starting in a friend of the band’s backyard in 2017, Mojofest has grown into a full-fledged DIY summer music festival complete with 8+ band lineups, vendors, art installations, camping, and more. New Jersey music publication Aquarian Weekly was cited saying that, “Mojofest has resuscitated NJ’s DIY music scene post-covid”. The 7th annual Mojofest took place on in Toms River, NJ and was the biggest, most well-attended Mojofest yet, with over a hundred tickets sold.