This trio of sweetness comes from the Northeast and resides in a place called Providence, Rhode Island. Dave Martinka (guitar/vocals) and Jay Mayoh (drums), after playing in bands off an on in high school got together with bassist Hilary Jones, who played guitar in two previous bands. She had been a frequenting customer at a local guitar shop where she was asked to join Sweetthieves. Everything worked out and the trio has been together since the summer of 2003.
Sweetthieves are an experimental indie-rock band bringing together the rawness and production of bands like Shellac, The Jesus Lizard, Slint, and Drive Like Jehu, all while combining beautiful intricate melodies into the mix. Jones and Martinka are dual vocalists, they go back and forth with each other, and when Jones layers the lead vocals it's beautifully haunting. The bass rolls, pounds, and chops away with the speeding and frantic drumming while the guitar gives you quick curling jabs, and then the anticipated energy is all let loose and released. If there was a power outage in Providence, Sweetthieves could be called upon to light the entire city. I can imagine there live shows would be really fun, and I bet they're already stirring up places all over Providence.
Sweetthieves, relatively new, are very musically mature. They're creating and writing some really original stuff. Fans of the aforementioned bands looking for some new refreshment will definitely soak this stuff up. And for those craving more, Sweetthieves are going to be putting out a 7" this fall on Corleone Records.
