About the Band

Off Ramp has been rocking Colorado since 2016!

Off Ramp is a 90’s rock band including Darren (lead vocals and bass guitar), Adam (guitar), Ryan (guitar), Erik (drums), and Dave (guitar – temporary hiatus). They grew up in the 90’s, playing in various rock bands in the Los Angeles area (Darren and Adam) and in the Seattle area (Erik). They are original 90’s rockers and got the opportunity to open for numerous national and regional touring bands in the 90’s and early 2000’s.

Come and experience the music of Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Sublime, Gin Blossoms, Weezer, the Offspring, Green Day, Collective Soul, Bush, Foo Fighters, Metallica, and many more. Off Ramp will take you on an immersive and nostalgic tour through the music and media that defined the 90’s generation.

We are Life-Long Musicians and We Love Our Equipment!

Ask any musician and they will tell you that they love seeing the equipment and stage set-up of live bands. We do to!. You can learn a lot about a man and a band from his guitars and equipment. We get a lot of questions about our guitars, amps, drums, and gear. Here is a fun look at us. Whether you are a musician or not, you can appreciate our rig run-down. So click on the button next to each musician to see what gear we use.

Band Members

Darren – Lead Vocals and Bass

Growing up in Los Angeles, Darren loved Hip Hop and Rap music. When he was 13, he heard Nirvana for the first time and it changed everything. From that time on, all he wanted to do was play guitar. When his parents wouldn’t let him have a guitar, he convinced his cross country coach to lend him the money to buy his first guitar, a right handed cream colored Fender Stratocaster that he restrung to be left handed. After figuring out how to play Sunshine of Your Love, he got tips, chords, and books from anyone he could and within 6 months, was playing in his first band. This is where his love for Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pavement, and Stone Temple Pilots grew along with many other angsty bands of the early 90s.

He played in several bands in high school and college, doing some regional tours and hearing great music all throughout the West. After realizing he needed a day job because songs about boiling gummy bears and girls with IBS weren’t going to pay the bills, he earned his Computer Science degree and now works in IT.

When he’s not playing with the band or driving his 3 daughters around, he likes watching movies, backpacking, and working on his vocal impressions of the great singers of the 90s. Hopefully he can get close enough for you to enjoy!

Click to Learn about Darren's Bass Guitars and Equipment!

Bass Guitars
  • Fender Jazz Bass
  • Hoffner Bass (like the Beatles)
Amps
  • Fender Rumble 500

Ryan – Guitar and Backup Vocals

Ryan has been shredding with Off Ramp for more than a year now.  He is a Colorado native.  In addition to his amazing guitar and vocals, he is also classically trained on the violin.  Ryan has been in multiple bands over the years, including the punk bands Sunset Park and Lockhaven.

When he is not playing the Guitar, Ryan is playing with his two kids and enjoys watching movies.

Click to Learn about Ryan's Guitars and Equipment!

Guitars
  • Paul Reed Smith
  • Gibson SG
  • Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas
  • Fender Stratocaster
  •  Style 1 HH (white)
  • Jackson Pro Series Soloist (quilted blue)
Amps
  • Fractal AXE FX III mk 2
  • Marshall JVM 205C

Adam – Guitar and Backup Vocals

Adam bought his first guitar when he was 15 years old, and he has played guitar for more than 30 years now. He got his start playing shows in the Los Angeles area and then in college. He has opened for numerous national and regional bands and his college band got some radio time.

The first show he ever performed live included Jeremy, by Pearl Jam, Hunger Strike, by Temple of the Dog, and Metallica’s Enter Sandman. Since then, he’s played in multiple grunge, rock, hard rock, metal, and alternative original bands, and a several similar cover bands. His wife fell for him while he played Blind Melon’s No Rain on stage while dancing.

Adam studied classical and jazz guitar in college before becoming a lawyer. He has also been a guitar instructor for more than 20 years and has taught dozens of students how to play guitar. His favorite teaching story is when a student asked to learn a new song, and after studying the unknown band, Adam realized that he had taught the lead singer how to play guitar 10 years earlier.

Click to Learn about Adam's Guitars and Equipment!

Guitars
  • 1993 Gibson Les Paul Premium Plus (cherry sunburst)
  • Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 (red)
  • Fender American Deluxe Strat (three color sunburst)
  • Fender American Deluxe Telecaster (cherry sunburst)
  • Ibanez JS2410, Joe Satriani Signature Model (muscle car orange)
  • Jackson Randy Rhoads Flying V (pinstripe White)
  • Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas
  • Ibanez RG440 (black)
  • Martin Acoustic (Fishman electronics)
Amps
  • Fractal AXE FX III mk 2
  • Marshal JVM 210 Head
  • Custom Built 2×12 Speaker Cabinet (oversized; one Creamback speaker and one Greenback speaker)
  • Fender Twin Reverb Pro
Effects
  • CAE Wah
  • Xotic XP Boost
  • Keeley 4 Knob Compressor
  • Fulltone Deja Vibe
  • MRX Script Phaser
  • Boss Chorus
  • Keeley Mag Echo
  • Keeley Reverb
  • Korg Pitchblack Tuner

Erik – Drums and Backup Vocals


Erik plays drums and was named the Louie Armstrong Jazz Drummer of the Year.  He has a beautiful drum kit and recently convinced all of the other members of the band to buy Paiste cymbals.

Click to Learn about Erik's Drums and Equipment!

Drums
  • Crush Drums
  • 22″ Bass Drum
  • Snare
  • 14″ Tom
  • 16″ Tom
  • DW Hardware
Cymbals
  • Paiste 900 Series 14″ Heavy High Hats
  • Paiste 900 Series 20″ Heavy Ride
  • Paiste 900 Series 18″ Heavy Crash
  • Paiste 900 Series 16″ Heavy Crash
  • Paiste 900 Series 16″ Crash
  • Paiste 900 Series 18″ China
  • Paiste 900 Series 14″ China
  • Paiste 900 Series 10″ Splash

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How We Found Our Name

Pearl Jam played their very first show at the Off Ramp Café and Lounge on October 22, 1990, under the name Mookie Blaylock (an NBA point guard for the New Jersey Nets). They opened for Alice in Chains. The set list included, Release, Alone, Alive, Once, Even Flow, Black, Breath, and an encore of Just a Girl. Tickets were only $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Wouldn’t that be nice.

A month later, on November 25, 1990, an up-and-coming band out of Aberdeen named Nirvana played at the club. Nirvana also debuted an early version of Aneurism at the club.

Alice in Chains was the club’s resident house band on Friday nights and helped Pearl Jam get their start.

Soundgarden regularly played the club, and the Off Ramp Café and Lounge was the setting for Soundgarden’s live performance in the 1992 movie, Singles.

The actual venue was never considered a great place to see a show—there was a support pole right in front of the stage—but it was where Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Mud Honey, the Melvins, and countless other bands developed their songs before taking them on national tours.

Unfortunately, in April 1999 it came under new management and was rebranded as Graceland and then El Corazon.

In early 2023, Adam made a journey to visit the club. Here is what it looks like now.

The original Off Ramp Cafe, now branded as El Corazon

Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and so many more used this door to enter the Off Ramp Cafe.