Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Elephants at rest

Hills Like Elephants' frontman and drummer take a call from New York

Hills’ Michael Alan Hams (second from left) and Sean Davenport (far right) will get shown either “the ropes or the door” in New York City.
Hills’ Michael Alan Hams (second from left) and Sean Davenport (far right) will get shown either “the ropes or the door” in New York City.

“Sean Davenport and I decided to move to New York.” Michael Alan Hams offers this as the main reason behind Hills Like Elephants’ recent disbanding. Two days after the August 25 release of Tacet, the self-described dance-friendly indie/soul/electronica five-piece played their final show at the Whistle Stop in South Park.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We had that one last album in progress, and we decided to do one last show. We wanted to tie up all the loose ends,” Hams explains, “and do it right.”

Video:

"Misquote"

...off of Hills Like Elephants' <em>Tell-Tales</em>

...off of Hills Like Elephants' Tell-Tales

Along with Davenport on vox and keys and Hams on drums, Hills Like Elephants is/was guitarist Andrew Armerding, Greg Thielmann on guitars and keys, and bassist Bobby Roquero. “They were a band before I joined them two and a half years ago,” says Hams, “so I’d say they’ve had about a five-year run.” Hills Like Elephants was started by Davenport in 2011.

“I was originally hired to play drums for them during a recording session.” After, they asked Hams to join the band. “That was three records ago.” Hams replaced founding drummer Carlos Ortiz. “They won a San Diego Music Award the first year.” Hills Like Elephants (the band name is a nod to a similarly titled Ernest Hemmingway story) was SDMA’s Best New Artist in 2012. “Yes, we’ve been nominated since, but we haven’t won since I’ve been a member.”

Tacet is available for download only. “‘Tacet’ is a musical term that means taking a rest, sort of,” Hams says. Does the album’s title hint at future collaborations or possible Elephants reunions? “As a band, we talked about having a long-distance relationship, but there’s no pressure. It’s tough to break up the band. We all love playing together, and that chemistry is hard to let go.”

Never a group to wear out their welcome, Hams says that touring was rarely possible, given the members’ day-jobs and family commitments. “And we tried to keep the local shows down to once a month,” he says, “so as not to burn out the audience.”

Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, the 32-year-old multi-instrumentalist and lyricist (he wrote words for three of the new songs) moved to San Diego eight years ago. “Why New York? I love it here, but ever since I came here I knew I’d eventually move again. I like the adventure. I like seeing what’s out there. And in the end, it came down to having Sean say, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s go to New York and make some noise. Some good noise.’ I’ll be surrounded by great musicians in New York,” he says. “They’ll either show me the ropes or the door.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Issa aide collaborates with Ukrainians

Carlsbad's Tracy Slepcevic, Warrior Mom, and her ties to RFK, Jr.
Hills’ Michael Alan Hams (second from left) and Sean Davenport (far right) will get shown either “the ropes or the door” in New York City.
Hills’ Michael Alan Hams (second from left) and Sean Davenport (far right) will get shown either “the ropes or the door” in New York City.

“Sean Davenport and I decided to move to New York.” Michael Alan Hams offers this as the main reason behind Hills Like Elephants’ recent disbanding. Two days after the August 25 release of Tacet, the self-described dance-friendly indie/soul/electronica five-piece played their final show at the Whistle Stop in South Park.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We had that one last album in progress, and we decided to do one last show. We wanted to tie up all the loose ends,” Hams explains, “and do it right.”

Video:

"Misquote"

...off of Hills Like Elephants' <em>Tell-Tales</em>

...off of Hills Like Elephants' Tell-Tales

Along with Davenport on vox and keys and Hams on drums, Hills Like Elephants is/was guitarist Andrew Armerding, Greg Thielmann on guitars and keys, and bassist Bobby Roquero. “They were a band before I joined them two and a half years ago,” says Hams, “so I’d say they’ve had about a five-year run.” Hills Like Elephants was started by Davenport in 2011.

“I was originally hired to play drums for them during a recording session.” After, they asked Hams to join the band. “That was three records ago.” Hams replaced founding drummer Carlos Ortiz. “They won a San Diego Music Award the first year.” Hills Like Elephants (the band name is a nod to a similarly titled Ernest Hemmingway story) was SDMA’s Best New Artist in 2012. “Yes, we’ve been nominated since, but we haven’t won since I’ve been a member.”

Tacet is available for download only. “‘Tacet’ is a musical term that means taking a rest, sort of,” Hams says. Does the album’s title hint at future collaborations or possible Elephants reunions? “As a band, we talked about having a long-distance relationship, but there’s no pressure. It’s tough to break up the band. We all love playing together, and that chemistry is hard to let go.”

Never a group to wear out their welcome, Hams says that touring was rarely possible, given the members’ day-jobs and family commitments. “And we tried to keep the local shows down to once a month,” he says, “so as not to burn out the audience.”

Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, the 32-year-old multi-instrumentalist and lyricist (he wrote words for three of the new songs) moved to San Diego eight years ago. “Why New York? I love it here, but ever since I came here I knew I’d eventually move again. I like the adventure. I like seeing what’s out there. And in the end, it came down to having Sean say, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s go to New York and make some noise. Some good noise.’ I’ll be surrounded by great musicians in New York,” he says. “They’ll either show me the ropes or the door.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Barrio Logan’s very good Dogg

Chicano comfort food proves plenty spicy
Next Article

Aaron Bleiweiss: has guitar, has traveled

Seattle native takes Twists and Turns to assemble local all-stars
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader