When guitarist Nathan Hallman and electric mandolin player Will Ruff met through Vampr, a local musician-finding app in 2017, the two knew right away they wanted their music to extend beyond a duo of college students playing in Ruff’s living room in Athens, Georgia. Recruiting Ruff’s music school classmates Quentin Smith to play the bass, drummer Josh Siar and saxophonist Jacob Selvaggi to expand their sound, the jazz band The Family Recipe was formed with a mission to focus on fun, friendship and funky music. 

With original songs, entitled “Mushroom for Improvement,” “Side Eyes” and “Uptown Down,” each of the five members in the group bring their own unique contribution to the process of creating the band’s blend of jazz, jam and blues. Starting with a simple suggestion then allowing each member to add their own creative spin to create the finished product, The Family Recipe’s lyrics are a completely collective process.