Check Out Grayson Cassidy’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grayson Cassidy.

Hi Grayson, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Funk In The Name (FITN) started as a group of high schoolers that wanted to play more music outside of school. We started as a group of 6, and through connections got to do a debut show at Elitch Gardens for the 4th of July in ’23. In preparation for this show we had to come up with a group name, eventually landing on FITN because we wanted to have the word “funk” in our bands name. We got together a bunch of covers from other bands, and put on a 45 minute show at the front of the park, we didn’t even have a drummer at the time. This first show sparked our passion for live performances with one-another.

Fast forward through the next two years, FITN kept playing bigger and bigger shows, eventually opening for other brass bands and getting slots in music/ brass festivals coming up in the end of 2025. Our band spends much of its time in the streets of Denver and Boulder, busking for local crowds. Our group has been entirely self managed up to this point, and still consists of the 6 original highschoolers, who are now all in college. Our band now has 9 active members, 8 horns and one drummer.

3 of our group members participate in music at CSU and MSU Denver. 3 of our group members are active EMTs, and the rest of our group or either studying other degrees in college or still finishing high school. Our passion for funkified brass music brings us together to continue and grow our passion. We hope to inspire and show others no matter your age, background, or profession; hard work and dedication can create things you didn’t think could be created.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest obstacles we’ve faced (and still do) is getting gigs as a younger band. Since we’re all college aged and below, some places are hesitant to hire us. We are slowly gaining more of a reputation, and each time we play it opens new doors we didn’t have access to before.

Another challenge is mixing the busy schedules of our band members. Since many of us go to different schools and have different professions other than music, sometimes finding a rehearsal date or agreeing to take a gig or not can be a challenging task.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Funk In The Name is now putting on 1-2 hour shows around Colorado, backed up by our website, social medias, and released music on streaming platforms. We’re in the process of recording a new album showcasing many of our new songs we’ve developed the past year.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Me personally (Grayson Cassidy) I remember seeing my first Red Rocks show at the age of 11. It was a Rowdy Town concert featuring big gigantic. Seeing those live horns on such a big stage was more than inspirational to me. At the time I was playing trumpet in elementary school, and started my love for big band and brass music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://funkinthename.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkinthename/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561906865219
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@funkinthename
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2BxBX43oMPbn0TE4mxttDp?si=ZEvV-0VtTQqADFFp9pQ5DA