You could say that 23rd & Union was born organically from the small town of Hood River, Oregon. Dave, Randal and Chris grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Each
followed their own path with music, developing their unique styles until their paths crossed one night in 2014. Dave Hutch and Chris Woody originally met back in 2007 when Dave tried out for a punk band Chris was drumming for at the time. One night Dave and Chris happened to run into each other at River City Saloon they reconnected through their mutual love of music,
shared influences, and their desire to create. Dave had been involved with several other local bands and Chris was a talented punk and metal drummer.
They knew they needed a front man to give their project a strong voice and identity. Dave immediately had someone in mind… Randall Jex. Dave had known Randall since high school and knew that his smooth-yet-edgy voice was exactly what they needed to complete their sound. Randal was reluctantto join a band, but despite his trepidation he agreed to join Dave and Chris. The three boys from Hood River wasted no time and began creating music together.
In just four short months they had recorded 12 original songs and a fun cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’. They hadn’t yet established an identity as a ‘band’, but continued to play and create together, while growing and
solidifying their sound and pushing each other to be better musicians along the way.
In Spring of 2015, the guys had agreed to play music at a friend’s barbecue on a goat farm. None of them expected anything more than a chance to play together and share their music with family and friends. Another hometown friend, Mike Allen was listening that day and heard something special. Mike had recently co-founded Bottle Cap Productions, a local music management company. It was as if the stars aligned and these four kids from Hood River gave the group the final push they needed to fully realize their band identity, but they needed a name to seal the deal. Chris and Randall both had birthdays that fell on the 23rd and Dave lived on Union St. This simple idea was the perfect namesake for the three small-town guys—nothing pretentious or esoteric, just pure Northwest goodness with an edge.
23rd and Union has a sound very similar to Pepper, Rebelution, and Beautiful girls.