REDHILL

"Redhill, self-titled 4-song EP, wow, totally excellent blue-eyed soul country by a six-person band from Detroit of all places, references to the Drifters ("Rooftop"), beats from Bo Diddley ("I Can Make It On My Own"), lady singer with a warm and powerful voice, pop enough for suburbia, plenty of swing (even the jazzy kind) in the rhythm.
CDbaby.com is the future of music, I swear.

EP's first song "All Night Long"("we're not 21 but we still can walk that walk...ain't gonna buy a single drink as long as there are men cause the girls gotta get out every now and then") is TOTAL girls- night-out country exactly like Frank was looking for. Singer Julianne sounds like KT Oslin! No horns credited, but I think I hear some. And "Rooftop" is built on that same Latin beat the Drifters used to use; it's a blatant rewrite of "Up On the Roof," clearly, and lovely.

Fourth song "I Can Make It On My Own" on that great Redhill EP is lyrically a post-breakup survival anthem a la, well, "I Will Survive," or "No Guilt" by the Waitresses or somebody: "Saw you with your new hootchie mama/Have you introduced her to your head-case traumas?," sung to a Diddley beat (go ahead, sing along). The drums and gui tars at the start are Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" into George Michael's "Faith" (both of which were Diddley chillun all along). "
Chuck Eddy
-January 18th, 2006
- Chuck Eddy's critique of the 4 song ep

"It's Not Your Mama's Country - But it sure is Awesome! Every once in a while.. when the moon and the stars are just in the right position, something fresh comes along, something that sounds familiar, but has a decidedly new twist. That something is REDHILL. Country with an Edge... a cutting edge. Julianne and the boys show us that everything we have known is not everything there is. The songwriting is supurb, the vocals are enchanting and the appeal.. well.. it's just There in abundance. You will love the catchy lyrics the energy in which they are performed and the knowledge that you are hearing something totally new, something different. I can't wait for the complete CD." - Larry Garcia - detroitcountrymusic.com

June 8,2006
"Anyone starting to feel like they're losing Plymouth's charm need not worry: with summer here, charm is back in bloom.
REDHILL, a modern Motown/rock & roll country band which caused a buzz at the Fall Festival, kicked off the summer's 'Music In The Air' series Friday night, and all seemed right in the world again." - Observer & Eccentric Newspapers

"REDHILL: This metro Detroit six-piece is more pop and rock than mainstream country. But the vibe is sunny and pleasant, and retro rock numbers like 'I Can Make It' and 'Rooftop' are just plain fun." -May 19, 2006
- Greg Crawford

Redhill ready to smell the roses
Sunday, August 07, 2005
By Rachael Recker
The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- For rock-laced country band Redhill, it's all about catchy melodies and quality lyrics.

And for the 30- and 40-year-old musicians boasting backgrounds in jazz, rock and Motown, today's cross-over country music was the best genre through which to get those songs heard.

"It was kind of natural to go towards the country market just because you could write songs more easily that people would listen to," said Redhill rhythm guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter Greg Michaels. "... It's just you're trying to write songs that people can just listen to without having to fall into some genre that I (hear) on the radio all the time."

The guitarist, who has "been writing songs ever since I can remember," has seen a trend of exclusive categorization in radio. Singer/songwriters such as Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp rarely are heard on Top 40 radio stations. The result? Michaels sees a lot of songwriters turning to country, including Redhill.

"A lot of newer country today reminds me of bands in the '70s and '80s and early '90s that were just more rock-pop bands, but they didn't have an outlet as much now for it. So they (moved) towards the country-type style."

The Livonia-based band -- lead vocalist Julianne (she goes by her first name), lead guitarist Jon Lenardon, keyboardist/songwriter Mickey Walsh, drummer Jay Fiondella, bassist Andy Quiton and Michaels -- are going to take their act "as far as we can go," said Julianne, who joined the group a year ago. "Every time we try, things have come up roses for us so far. We've been very fortunate. We've moved along very quickly."

And with only seven months of practicing under the current lineup, the band is moving quickly. One original work has been sent to Gretchen Wilson and Wynonna Judd. The band also has a four-song demo EP recorded, which will be offered at gigs along with other merchandise as soon as this week. They are finishing up recording their first full-length album, recorded in Michaels' basement studio. They hope to be done with the full-length CD in the fall.

Chances of making it big seem likely to drummer Fiondella, who joined the group two years ago.

"You know, right away, I was attracted by the marketability of the songs," he said.

"I mean, I've been pursuing this pipe dream of a career since I was 13. ... And everything I've done and 60 cents will get me a cup of coffee. I'm still struggling to do it, but I do feel confident about the product we have. And it's being validated by audiences and industry people and stuff thus far, so I'm really pretty positive about the whole thing."

Defined as "Detroit country" -- Detroit-rock-influenced country music -- the band's distinct locale also is a curse, Michaels said. "Playing country-rock stuff from Detroit, it's like you got to sell yourself twice as hard."

Michaels has spoken with people from Nashville and often finds them scoffing at the idea of a Detroit country band. But he doesn't see much difference between Redhill and today's many non-Southern natives of new country. Country squabbles aside, Michaels plans to keep the band rolling.

"The main thing I try to go for is still writing the three- or four-minute catchy hook that people can hopefully grasp onto and hum and sing to and that sucks them in."

See Website for more press reviews
www.redhillrocks.com
- Grand Rapids Press

See Website for more press reviews
www.redhillrocks.com - see website

REDHILL: this five member band likes to call it's music "Detroit Country" due to the influence of the music oozing from their hometown, long known more for its Rock and R&B bands than anything close to country music. But the overriding sound of REDHILL is Country - slick, polished and radio ready but not devoid of some of the traditional soul of the music's forebearers. The group of experienced musicians is having a good year so far. In August they released their debut LP: You Get What You Get, they scored two Detroit Music Awards nominations. Chuck Eddy of the Village Voice raved about their earlier four-song ep, and this fall they'll open for Clint Black and Dwight Yoakam.
Dig it: Classic Rock meets Classic Country meets Classic R & B. September 20-26, 2006
- City Beat - Cincinnati, Ohio