The Minneapolis native met the Fray on the Denver music scene, where, after changing his major from business to music performance/music business at the University of Colorado, Stofer drew on his blues, jazz, and rock background to gig with different bands nearly every night. Already familiar with the Fray’s repertoire from having frequently shared the stage, Stofer was the unanimous fill-in choice when bassist Dan Battenhouse left. “At the time it wasn’t a big deal—just my friends’ band,” he says. As the group honed its songwriting chops and its audience began to grow, Stofer realized he was becoming part of something great. “I said ‘Yes’ to every gig they threw at me. I definitely got in at the right time.”
By the time he joined, though, the Fray had already cut the album’s basic tracks, many of which stretched beyond the club set Jimmy was familiar with. Jimmy had to learn new arrangements when the group began preparing to tour for How to Save a Life, but he found there was still freedom to let the songs develop naturally. “Some parts I had to follow note for note, but there were songs where it was just a chord sheet.” Live, the band is tight and focused, leaving plenty of room for its new bassist. “My personality comes through in the live show; now four or five songs have new parts and different endings, because the band is continuing to develop, and I’m developing with them. That makes the live shows exciting.”
Stofer also finds value in the musical limitations that come with being a Top Ten act. “As a bass player, playing with a pop band is one of the best things you can do, because you’re forced to listen and there’s no room for error. By downsizing and simplifying everything I’m playing, my musicianship has skyrocketed. And when I’ve had the chance to play a solo, I’ve been better than ever.”