Battle Creek jazz fusion band Minor Element seeks support ahead of NAMM performance

BATTLE CREEK — Gathering inside the choir room of an otherwise quiet First Congregational Church Tuesday evening, Brandon Fitzpatrick and his bandmates got to work.

Minor Element, the all-instrumental jazz fusion band founded by Fitzpatrick more than a decade ago, has admittedly come a long way, evolving from its days as mere background music for community events in and around the Cereal City to become a center stage act all its own.

Fitzpatrick, self-taught on piano, has been there for it all, and just weeks before arguably the band's most important show to date, he's not getting complacent.

"We’ve got some pivotal weeks coming up, this is really important," Fitzpatrick told his bandmates Tuesday, moments before playing the opening notes of "Finster" off the band's 2021 album "Odd Family". "Just in general, know that I love ya’ll, appreciate everybody, but I’m going to be a hard ass."

Minor Element has been invited to perform at this year's National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show, described as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology communities," April 13-15 in Anaheim, California.

MORE: Blvcksheep Record Label stages Battle Creek's version of NPR's Tiny Desk

It's an opportunity the band hopes to capitalize on with support from the Battle Creek community. The band has launched a GoFundMe page seeking donations to help cover food and travel expenses for all nine band members as they embark on their journey to Anaheim.

"We have been chiseling our craft to be at this caliber level for many years and we’re hype to be able to show what West Michigan has to offer in Cali," Fitzpatrick wrote on the GoFundMe page. "Anything you guys could help with would be so much appreciated."

'We can do this'

Minor Element began in 2012 as a jazz trio, playing small banquet venues in and around Battle Creek as background music for community and events.

A 2015 trip to see jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy perform at Millennium Park in Chicago changed everything.

"I was like, 'We can do this, I can play like that,'" Fitzpatrick recalled. "The shift for the band’s direction changed immediately."

Fitzpatrick started writing music and recruiting additional musicians as he worked to cultivate a much larger sound for the band. Soon, a diverse group of musicians had formed, each bringing a unique style to the table as the band began to blend elements of jazz, rock, gospel and other genres into cohesive songs.

The band subsequently recorded its first full-length album "Odd Family" in 2019 at La Luna Recording & Sound in Kalamazoo. Just as they began pushing hard to book gigs and tour ahead of the album's release, the pandemic hit.

"It was really strange. We didn’t set foot in (our rehearsal space) for a long time," Fitzpatrick said. "Getting the album out was my priority."

"Odd Family" was finally released in 2021, but at that point the band — which has had its fair share of different players through the years — looked remarkably different.

Some members opted to move on given the hardships brought on by the pandemic, but as has happened before, Fitzpatrick was able to bring new musicians into the fold.

"I think right now we’re at the most comfortable," Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. "We’ve found the guys that not only can do the job, but do the job with their particular flavor."

During Tuesday's rehearsal, the band embodied a well-oiled machine, with members feeding off one another's energy as they roared through all six songs of "Odd Family".

Rare miscues were immediately called out and corrected. Anthony Tyler, Minor Element's drummer since 2015, said that commitment to accountability is part of what makes the band so successful.

"Those rough and rugged moments, it makes us even more magical because it brings us to a cohesive moment where we’re moving as a unit, not as individuals," Tyler said.

'The foundation and the roots are here'

Minor Element has performed regularly in West Michigan and has expanded its reach with shows in Chicago, Detroit and Windsor, Canada.

But the upcoming 40-minute set at NAMM presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"The fact that it’s happening doesn’t surprise me, but I’m always grateful," Fitzpatrick said. "I’m a huge believer in speaking those things way before they happen and we’ve been ready for a while.

"As a resume-builder, (this opportunity is) huge," he continued. "The industry has so many different opportunities but it’s all about who you know."

The band is admittedly eager to network with industry professionals, with hopes of securing further opportunities down the line. The ultimate goal, Fitzpatrick said, is to consistently tour and make music full-time.

No matter what the future holds, the roots of the band will always lie in Battle Creek.

"The foundation and the roots are here," Tyler said. "When people are donating and sending us out, they need to know that we appreciate the times that they helped us grow, even if it was playing at Cereal City Festival or even if it was playing at Leilapalooza. All those little things that we did helped us grow and we want to take our growth and show people this is what we’re made of and we have these people to thank."

To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/minor-element-namm-2023.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek jazz fusion band Minor Element to perform on 'industry’s largest stage'