Thinmen is a trio that formed after a freak accident that left us with super powers beyond earthly belief, and nervous. (Oh, sorry, that was the Fantastic Four...) After much discussion and caffeine and contemplation of our girlish figures, (Oh, sorry, that was the PowerPuff Girls) we started Thinmen: an eclectic pop/rock blend that refreshes and satisfies. Thinmen, as a trio, started recording in order to mask their singular, collective phobia of household appliances. "Nothing Like Our Picture" is our first full length CD. It is the result of many months of work, and our first opportunity to share the completed versions of these songs with our existing and hopefully new fans.
Keyboardist Dave Alstead comes to Thinmen with an extensive classical piano background, but with a willingness to mix it up. Discovery and adventure are among his goals for Thinmen, and while you may recognize a classical intent in some of his performances, you are just as likely to find hints of inspired lunacy. Whether it is a bit of Billy Joel, Grieg, Garbage or Roy Clark, he'll find a place for it, and maybe not where you'd think. Dave plays anything with black and white keys, but usually it's his Kurzweil, Korg, and Roland equipment.
Percussionist/Programmer Doug Christianson lays down the groove for the Thinmen by employing a healthy mix of ancient and modern techniques. You might hear rudimental sprinklings that betray his classical background, you might hear djembe over the top of a funky triggered drum loop, you might hear silence (thank you John Cage) but what you'll always hear is a thinking musician committed to moving head, heart, and feet (not necessarily in that order)! Doug plays Remo Drums and Djembes, Kat, Roland, and Alesis Electronics, Paiste cymbals and various hand percussion.
Will Jacobsen, Thinmen's Lead vocalist and Lyricist has been influenced by several artists, namely David Bowie, David Byrne and Peter Gabriel. In Thinmen, Will's lyrics and melodies have taken an introspective tone but still easily relate to everyone. Will enjoys the freedom of his wireless headset for live performances. This has allowed him to expand his connection with the audience and bring them deeper into the music. "Thinmen has been an amazing outlet for me. I have been able to be more involved in the writing process, thereby expressing myself in other ways besides singing. I am so grateful for being able to play with great musicians in Thinmen. Dave, Doug (and now Dan during live performances) have really made this easy for me!"
Review of the Thinmen CD "Nothing Like Our Picture"
Thinmen are a rock band that delivers well-crafted and well-thought songs with odd, math-rock time signatures and generally speaking, an incredible sense of range and talent. Musically, they're hard to pigeonhole, and I think that's one of the reasons I ended up enjoying this disc so much. I might call them a light rock band, but they dabble in everything from jazz to world beat, and occasionally they like to kick back with some mysterious grooves and infectious timings that make you really appreciate the incredible sense of musical diversity this group has to offer. The first track, Free Yourself, is by far the best tune on this disc. Its a well-structured song with some great dynamics; the guitars sound ethereal and play on your expectations, but its got a traditional rhythm and a catchy execution of verse and chorus that really brings you into the song. Its a damn catchy tune, and it really raised the bar way above my expectations. By this point, the first solid comparison I could make for this band was a Security-era Peter Gabriel. Much to my surprise, they confirmed my suspicions by the time track three rolled around, performing a great rendition of said artist's famous song, Shock the Monkey, from the aforementioned 1982 album. They don't perform a carbon-copy cover of the song, however. Instead, they rework it into an upbeat, fusion based medley
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