Blue Hazard started many years before we were even born, in the mind of our Dad. It was always his dream to play and sing together as a family. He had been part of a family that loved country music and they did just that, play music together. Many people have asked us how we got started, especially when we were younger.We started playing in 1999. My brothers, Luke and Dale were actually the ones that began it all. They were only 9 and 7 years old, respectively. Dad bought them each an instrument when we were at the annual bluegrass festival that our family had been attending practically since I was born.

With a lot of enthusiasm they started lessons, and immediately the next year entered the talent contest on the family stage. They enlisted Dad as their guitar player, Luke played the mandolin, and Dale played the fiddle. Of course no bluegrass band is complete without a bass player so when their new-found friend said he played, they jumped at the chance to include him in their performance. Jeremy, then only 10 years old, neglected to mention that he had never played the bass before. I guess you could say he really improvised!

They entered the contest and called themselves “Dad and the Crawdads”; aptly named because that was also the name of the song they played. They won that contest, and after tasting victory, vowed to improve and come back next year to try again. Whenever they got a chance to play they did, usually with my Dad.

Each year their little band took on different names and members. One of those new members was myself. Two years after their start, I wanted to join so I took up the guitar and Dad stepped aside. Jenny, another friend at the festival, joined us as fiddle player, and later switched to the banjo. We had changed the band name from “Dad and the Crawdads” to “The Nobodies” and finally became Blue Hazard.

All of us worked hard each year improving on our instruments and Luke, Dale and I began singing together. Harmony has been one part of bluegrass that we loved the most. Thus we took turns singing lead or harmonizing with one another. We continued to enter talent contests and often won. Jenny, the oldest in the group eventually went off to college and the four of us remained.

Jeremy grew up in Crosslake, Minnesota and was surrounded by Bluegrass at a very young age, 8 months old to be exact. Since that first talent contest when he picked up the bass he hasn’t been able to put it down. He has always made the drive down in order to jam, record and perform in our gigs. Over the last several years he has played off and on with other bands, while never forgetting his loyalty to Blue Hazard.

It has been a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work. We have played at festivals, on radio programs, at private parties, churches, parks, and various other places. We recorded our first CD back in 2005 and our latest CD was released in June of 2007. As we grow older and head off to college, we are not sure what the future holds for us. We know however, that the experiences and memories we have made will last us a lifetime. We are grateful to our dad, friends and to all who have supported and encouraged us along the way.

– Hannah Gruber

Meet Our Band

Hannah Gruber
( 19 years old )
– Lead vocals and harmony
– Instrument: Guitar
– Favorite Bluegrass Bands: Nickel Creek, Alison Kraus, Rhonda Vincent
– Hobbies: Writing, Reading, Singing, Movies, Travel
Hannah: The one who keeps us in line

Luke Gruber
( 18 years old )
Lead vocals and harmony
Instrument: Mandolin
Favorite Bluegrass Bands: Nickel Creek, Cherryholmes, Alison Kraus and Union Station, Cadillac Sky, Rarely Herd, Rhonda Vincent
Hobbies: Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Snowboarding, Video Games
Luke: The quiet one, the thinker

Dale Gruber
( 16 years old )
Lead vocals and harmony
Instrument: Fiddle and Guitar
Favorite Bluegrass Bands: Nickel Creek, Doyle Lawson, Alison Kraus and Union Station, Dan Tyminski, The Grascals
Hobbies: Football, Hunting, Fishing, Xbox (Halo 2), Cooking, Poetry
Dale: The joker, the one who makes us laugh

Jeremy Rooney
( 18 years old )
Instrument: Stand up Bass
Favorite Bluegrass Bands: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Alison Kraus & Union Station, Mountain Heart.
Hobbies: Youth Group, Various church activities, Hanging out with friends and family, Snowmobiling, Four wheeling, Jamming, Playing guitar, and Listening to music
Jeremy: The one who puts up with the rest of us!