Thunder Dreamer began four years ago as a solo project for vocalist/guitarist/primary songwriter Steven Hamilton, who was taking a busman’s holiday from his other band, Quin. For the Thunder Dream EP, Hamilton used his bandmates — bassist Alex Wallwork and drummer Corey Greenfield — and assorted friends to back him up in the studio, but with the addition of keyboardist Zachary Zint, the core recording unit became the new band and adopted the project name
In an effort to avoid overexposure at home, a fate that hampered the members’ previous bands, Thunder Dreamer limited shows in Evansville and booked more out-of-town gigs to simultaneously create a demand and a mystique. After the evocative dreaminess and rootsy buzz of Lonesome Morning, Capture, which is slated to release later this month, explores a sound akin to stated influences like Modest Mouse and Built to Spill, while expressing the seething frustrations and melancholy of living in a rusting Midwestern city that they happen to love. It’s a theme and a viewpoint all too familiar to Cincinnatians, and Thunder Dreamer should find an audience here that is as engaged and excited as the one back home.