Sweet Elise/The Grams

Billed right on the cover of their new album as acoustic rock, that assessment of The Grams sound is right on the money. Basically a showcase for Schieles well-written material, the recording is completely unplugged, taking in elements from the singer-songwriter and rock genres. The disc features Chuck Schiele (vocals, guitar), Sweet Elise Ohki (violin, vocals) and Craig Yerkes (guitars, vocals), layering their instruments and harmonies, with occasional percussive touches from producer Jeff Berkley. Schiele also penned nearly all of the songs and takes the lions share of the vocals, though to be fair, the groups defining element is Ohkis violin. (The Grams San Diego Music Matters by Bart Mendoza )Recently expanded from a trio to a quintet with the addition of bassist Tony Sandoval and drummer-vocalist Bill Coomes, Grams co-founders Chuck Schiele, Elise Ohki and Craig Yerkes are skilled musicians who realize that achieving a cohesive group sound is more important than individual showboating. Drawing from rock, country, blues, flamenco, Celtic, Indian ragas and more, the members of The Grams mix and match styles to fit each song. A highlight is “Via Katalin,” the new album's sole instrumental, which begins as a mournful ballad before assuming a faster tempo and a Moorish flavor created by Ohki and Yerkes' sparkling unison lines. By George Varga (as featured in the San Diego Union Tribune, Night & Day section, April 2008)