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‘Hymns’ rises from Third Class campfire
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Lee and Jack Boyle of Third Class spent the summer of 2013 working as counselors at Hidden Valley Camp in Granite Falls, Wash.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that left them with memories and inspiration that found their way on to the band’s new album, “Hymns from Some Small Town.” The quirky Youngstown-based indie-pop trio will unveil the album in a show Saturday at Cedars West End.
At Hidden Valley, the brothers helped with horseback riding, sailing, hiking and other outdoor activities in the pristine wooded setting.
But the summer stint was more than just nine weeks amid nature’s beauty. It was a rare opportunity to befriend other like-minded people who also sought out the bucolic spot. Hidden Valley attracts workers and campers from across the nation and also Europe.
It was the evenings that left the most lasting impression on the Boyles. That was when the counselors, spouses and friends sat around the campfire playing guitars and singing. The Boyle brothers played Third Class songs on their acoustic guitars, while envisioning new songs in the process.
Lee Boyle (guitar, vocals, keboards) explained how the summer of Hidden Valley happened.
“My youngest brother, Steve, who is not in the band but always works with us, works at that camp and got us jobs there,” he said. “It’s a classic American camp, with horses, archery, swimming, sailing and other things for kids from 7 to about 17. You deal with all kinds of kids. Some come from other countries, and so do the staffers. It’s a nice place to meet a variety of people. It’s a word-of-mouth kind of place.
“We literally did play campfire songs there for the kids. We also met some West Coast friends. I was born in Portland, Ore. My parents are from Columbiana, but they first met in Oregon, and we got to see their apartment and the hospital where I was born. It became one big theme in my head.”
Taking off a whole summer took planning. Boyle and his wife saved up money and then put their jobs on hold. “It was scary, but it was something we needed to do,” he said. “It was a lot of responsibility working there, but you get to be a kid again.”
The musical result, said Boyle, is a happy album, inspired by the people they met at Hidden Valley and the band’s family.
There are several key musical and lyrical themes that the band cleverly and continually revisits as the album progresses. On some songs, the communal sense of singing around a campfire is palpable.
The band’s fourth album, “Hymns” reflects two writing periods, which spawned two recording sessions.
It was started before the trip at Ampreon Recorder in Youngstown, where the songs with a rock edge — including “Famous In Our Minds” and “How to Win” — were produced.
After returning from camp, the band continued the writing process and then recorded the newer songs at Historian Recording, also in Youngstown.
“That’s where we did the more communal sound,” said Boyle. “The songs with the soft, acoustic, echo-y, singing- together style were done at Historian: ‘Cold Morning Rain,’ ‘Hey There Lullabye,’ ‘Seattle Stars,’ ‘On a Page,’ ‘Old Soda Shop’ and ‘These Days’.”
Saturday’s show at Cedars West End will mark the end of a fall touring phase that the band dubbed its West by Midwest Tour.
“We played in Portland and Seattle in October, and then came back to Ohio,” said Boyle. “After this weekend we will wind down for a bit until January or February when the vinyl version of the album comes out. Then we’ll do some acoustic shows.”