Cheating Daylight picks up more awards, opening for Eddie Money

VACAVILLE — Busy. That may be an understatement when it comes to the band Cheating Daylight.

The five-piece unit, featuring Vacaville brothers Jesse, Kyle and Jaden Crosson and brothers Jacob and Conner Gill from Cobb, just finished second at School Jam USA. Conner Gill earned a best bassist nod from fans.

This weekend the band is at the Artists in Music Awards, where they are nominated for indie rock artist, alternative artist and pop artist of the year. They will also perform live.

Next weekend, they open for Eddie Money at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre.

“This is a dream for us. There’s nothing we’d rather be doing,” said Jesse Crosson, now in his second year of college at Sacramento State.

Kyle Crosson, a junior at Will C. Wood High School, plays baseball on his school team.

Jaden Crosson, who is in eighth grade at Vaca Pena Middle School, is a member of his school’s drumline.

The band’s travels have put them in the company of artists ranging from Stevie Nicks to Serj Tankian of System of a Down. The Crosson brothers say they have taken advantage of soaking in the musical knowledge of these artists as well others such as Carlos Santana and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi.

This year, the group hopes to ink a record deal.

“It would be awesome,” Conner Gill said. However, he’s just as happy playing before two, 20 or 2,000 people, he said.

He lists School Jam USA, held at downtown Disney, as a favorite show.

The 13-year-old attends Middletown Middle School and likes to keep life simple, hanging out at his local pizza parlor and coffee shop. He was about 7 when his father played an AC/DC record that left such an impression he knew music was to be his life.

Connor Gill is proud of the band’s accomplishments, considering the two sets of brothers joined forces less than two years ago.

“A lot of bands are together two and three years. We already have a CD out. That impressed me,” he said, adding that sometimes the experience is almost surreal.

Jacob Gill is applying to colleges in the state. However, his minor will be music. Environmental science policy is his major.

This will be the second time he and his brother have played with Money. It’s a first for the Crosson Brothers.

“It’s amazing to share the stage with people who have inspired us to do this,” Jesse Crosson said.

“His music is cool. It’s awesome to open for him,” Jaden Crosson said.

The band is managed by Greg Bennett, who was the president and general manager of Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa. He united the brothers in one band, under a new name. The Crosson Brothers went under that moniker while the Gill brothers were in The Lost Boys.

The Gill brothers went to sleep hearing the sound of their father playing the guitar.

The Crossons and Gills say the support of their hometowns, as well as that of their parents, has been a real boost for the band’s success. Jesse and Kyle Crosson were recently out in Vacaville when a group of boys, they estimated to be about 10, rode by and recognized them. While they are labeled a teen boy band, Jesse Crosson was happy to know their music crossed gender boundaries.

“If you work hard, you can make it happen,” Jacob Gill said of the band.

He said he has no intention of living a rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.

“It’s about the music,” he said.

The band is working on new music and will probably be on tour this summer.

Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amaginnisdr.

Eddie Money

Cheating Daylight

• 8 p.m. Feb. 16
• Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive
• 469-4013
• www.vpat.net
• www.cheatingdaylight.com

Amy Maginnis-Honey

Amy Maginnis-Honey joined the staff of the Daily Republic in 1980. She’ll tell you she was only 3 at the time. Over the past three decades she’s done a variety of jobs in the newsroom. Today, she covers arts and entertainment and writes for the Living and news pages.

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