First Saturday rocks at Rhythms
By Jesse Locks
» More from Jesse Locks
12:01 a.m. PT May 1, 2008
First Saturday returns to Rhythms Music Cafe on May 3 with a one of a kind rock n' roll dance party.
Headlining is the musical phenomenon known as Blue Tuesday. High-school sophomores Phil DiLeo, Jeff Baldock, Eli Kirschbaum, Dawson Timpany and Chris Griggs are best known for their dynamic hybrid of rock, jazz and pop music that incites near pandemonium among young fans on the dancefloor. Yet what is most impressive is the group's mature approach to songwriting.
Their self-produced and released album Welcome to Sealand is filled with infectious sing-alongs, along with well-crafted, thoughtful melodies.
Them Hills is the magnetic trio of guitarist and vocalist Dan Elkan, bassist Thad Stoenner and drummer David Torch. Their genre-busting 2007 debut offering "Greener Grassing" is soaked with towering guitars hitched to thrashing bass and inside out drums.
Their well-crafted pop rock, thoughtfully referenced and loaded with sincere hooks, sounds as it should.
"Greener Grassing" was recorded during a couple of weeks in the winter of 2007 at Brighton Sound in Sacramento, with engineer Dana Gumbiner ("Deathray,") Mariee Sioux and producer Zach Hill ("Holy Smokes, Marnie Stern") at the reins. The concept for the group and album was "less is more."
Drawing on their previous experience in groups such as Pocket for Corduroy, Holy Smokes, Team Sleep and Crush Story, Them Hills yearned for the simplicity of a three-piece group.
Their aim was for the rhythm section to be the driving groove that grabs at the listener and for the guitar and vocals to be what keeps the listener guessing for what's next.
With their spatial arrangements, intricate layers and formidable melodies, Them Hills are something much larger than the sum of their parts.
Hospital Kids, formerly known as Furniture on Fire, jump start the show with a slew of new songs.
WHAT: First Saturday at Rhythms Music Cafe
WHEN: Saturday at
8 p.m.
WHERE: Rhythms Music Café, 114 W Main St., Grass Valley
ADMISSION: Cover is $5, all-ages
INFORMATION:
(530) 274-2411
