Oberhofer started in 2008 as the recording project of Brad Oberhofer. After moving from his native Tacoma, Washington to New York City, Oberhofer attended New York University to study music composition.[1] In the style of Jon Bon Jovi, the young singer adopted his own name as the title of the project. Although the band has since gone through various lineup formations, the name has remained the same because Oberhofer writes and records all the music himself.[2]