Elektric Animals, hellocentral and Sophie Gray Play Fundraiser for Youth on Record

Will Hubert, keyboardist for Denver’s Elektric Animals, always found his hometown of Sioux City, Iowa, to be kind of stifling for artists.

“Having the dream of being a professional musician or having a passion for music wasn’t thought of as something serious,” Hubert says.

With that memory in mind, he, his bandmates and two other Denver music acts — hellocentral and Sophie Gray — decided to throw a fundraiser concert for Youth on Record, a Denver nonprofit that fosters music skills among kids and young adults.

“We wanted to make this show special,” Hubert says. “We looked around for different organizations and things that we could get behind. We found something even more perfect than we thought with Youth on Record.”

Youth on Record was originally founded in 2008 as a social justice group by the indie hip-hop band Flobots, taking its current name in 2012. For more than a decade, the nonprofit has served young people through various music education programs, giving access to in-house recording studios and instructors.

“They're not only providing music education, but they also provide kids and young adults with the tools to handle social situations,” Hubert explains. “They do a lot for people’s mental health and supporting a healthy artistic community.”

The show will offer a variety of styles and genres, but the acts generally fall under the alternative/indie category. Hubert says the bands met during competitions held by radio station Channel 93.3 and knew of each other through Denver’s music scene. He believes those who attend the fundraiser are in for a top-quality performance.

“Sophie Gray is more of a pop artist,” he says. “Hellocentral is more pop punk. They’ve been around for a couple of years. They're probably right on time to hit that trend. They aren’t doing that just to be trendy; they’ve already been doing that. They're really cool.”

Elektric Animals, he says, is an alternative/indie group with a lot of pop and rock influences. The band played the Mission Ballroom recently and has shared the stage with John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame and Third Eye Blind. Elektric Animals also had its songs appear on television shows such as The Good Doctor and Shameless.

“Our singer is a big ’90s pop/alternative guy,” Hubert says. “Our main songwriter is a classic blues guitarist, but he keeps in mind that we're writing rock songs. … There’s a mix of influences going on.”

The bands are donating $2 from each ticket to Youth on Record as a way to get everyone to participate, but they're also collecting money via Venmo, at the show and on the Elektric Animals Instagram page. The bands have all been selling tickets, and they hope to sell out the show, which happens at Globe Hall on Saturday, January 15. Hubert says charitable foundation the Quarter Fund, part of the Longmont Community Foundation, has also agreed to match $750, so the fundraiser is off to a good start.

“I’ve already gotten almost that much from people who aren’t going to make it to the show,” he adds. “People from out of town that wanted to support the show have already been donating.”

Hubert says the show is a first for him, but he enjoys volunteer work with various church groups, so this seemed like a logical progression.

“I bartended forever,” he says. “I quit doing that. I just missed helping people or serving people, however you want to put it. I always liked volunteering, and doing a fundraiser like this is something I wanted to do.”

Elektric Animals, hellocentral and Sophie Gray, 8 p.m. Saturday, January 15, at Globe Hall, 4483 Logan Street; tickets, $17, are available at etix.com. Donations to Youth on Record can be sent to Elektric Animals Instagram or Venmo account @elektricanimals.