From the charred remains of bands El Oso and Troubled Hubble comes Kid, You'll Move Mountains, a quintet so dynamic the members can not even live in the same state (guitarist/vocalist Jim Hanke is the lone Milwaukee resident; the rest of the group resides in Illinois).

How did this get started? Hanke's former band El Oso had been sharing bills with Troubled Hubble for years, which included the rhythm section of Nate (drums) and Andrew (bass) Lanthrum. After successful runs, each band broke up, leaving the Lanthrums and Hanke bandless.

"We just started hanging out, not doing anything musical," says Hanke. "And Andrew called me and said, 'would you mind bringing your gear down?' I thought were just going to be playing AC/DC covers all afternoon, but it became this thing."

With the core of the band in place, guitarist Corey Wills and pianist/vocalist Nina Jones soon joined, completing the group. "We started seriously writing in March or April of last year," says Hanke, "and our first show was in June."

Kid's meteoric rise is no doubt due to dedication the band's mutual respect for one another. Hanke considers the others "amazing friends," and makes a weekly trek to Illinois for practice. Two hours each way, the drive is worth it to Hanke. Plus, breakfast is provided every Sunday. "The hangout usually is Mel's, in Geneva, Ill. If you dig chili on your omelets, it's quite the hot spot."

The members' comfort level with each other transfers over to the music. The group shows it is a force to be reckoned with on "West," a track complete with the intertwined voices of Hanke and Jones. The breakdown features a vocal tete-a-tete between Hanke and Jones, with the rest of the band snapping back into action and climaxing with a subdued-yet-effective solo from Wills.

On "I'm a Song From the '60s," drummer Nate Lanthrum keeps the train moving with some hi-hat trickery. Complimenting Lanthrum is the cascading guitar work from Hanke and Wills, who even throw in some muted chords toward the end of the tune, reminiscent of Andy Summers from the Police.

Kid, You'll Move Mountains combines keen technical skill (Jones is a classically trained pianist) with raw fire power. However, the group does not bombard the listener with either. They play both sides perfectly, and show promise. Hanke's commute is paying dividends.

"To me, it's a fair trade," he says. "I love doing it because I love playing with the people I'm playing with."