About Me
The Genius Test is a 4-piece original rock band based in Glassoro, N.J. (15 minutes outside of Philadelphia). The band's music is very reminiscient of mid to late 60's British garage/mod rock. Their influences include The Kinks, The Who, Small Faces, The Creation, The Beach Boys, The Action, The Pretty Things as well as contemporary rock bands such as Pavement, The Flaming Lips, Stereolab, Cornelius, Of Montreal and many others in the underground/indie scene.The Genius Test was started in the fall of 2001 by singer/songwriter Jeffrey Hill who was attending college near New York City. The name "The Genius Test" comes from the name of the exam you must pass to enter M.E.N.S.A., something that struck him as extremely pretensious yet fitting to a group who would use albums like The Kinks "Village Green Preservation Society" as a basis. After playing a handful of shows with an experimental group "Evil Ray", (which he also started) he decided to go in the opposite direction and begin writing simpler rock songs in the style of Ray Davies and Ronnie Lane, two of his musical idols.During the Spring and Summer of 2002, Jeffrey Hill along with his former Evil Ray bandmates recorded a demo of his new songs. This demo grabbed the attention of Warren Schatz, a marketing executive for Tommy Boy records. Not long after the demo was finished, preparations were being made to record a master the following Summer.In the fall of 2002, Jeffrey met guitarrist Timo Lombeck. Hailing from Osnabrück, Germany, Timo like Jeff, was studying film in the United States. After listening to Jeff's demo, Timo decided that he wanted to become a permanent member of The Genius Test. In the Summer of 2003, Jeffrey Hill and Timo Lombeck entered Fidelitorium Studios in Kernersville, North Carolina to record their first album with veteran producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, Wilco, Let's Active, Suzanne Vega, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Velvet Crush), drummer Phill Kirby and bassist Derek Almstead (Of Montreal, Circulatory System, Summer Hymns). They recorded 12 songs.After the record was finished, Timo Lombeck returned home to recruit bassist Sebastian Ehrlich and drummer Christian Wagner who were friends from Germany. This would become the 4-piece live band that would take these songs to the public on the road.The Genius Test does not just emulate the sound that encapsulated rock music in the 60's, they add a modern twist to keep the songs refreshing and up to date. They focus less on creating 10 minute "jam-band" epics and more on developing the 3 minute pop-rock song into something audiences witha good ear can appreciate. Their goal is to bring their listeners to a time and place where rock music was just beginning to break out of it's confinements and into a world of better songwriting.
