Press for Yours Truly

From The Seattle Times (Sept. 14, 2003):

When Michael Hill speaks, there's nary a hint of Texan twang in his voice, which is striking considering he spent more than a decade there mapping his musical path. When he sings, the 32-year-old Seattleite - by way of Denton, Texas - releases a comforting, alt-country sound that is at once sparse and rich. While the singer-songwriter first cut his musical chops as a guitarist - and later singer - for two moderately successful Texas bands, Slobberbone and 12lb. Test, it's his solo work that Hill hopes catches on in this neck of the woods. If his debut solo release, the EP "Yours Truly," is any indication, he might be on to something. With "Yours Truly," Hill takes the listener on an emotional journey to self-discovery, where the destination is less important than the getting there. "Yours Truly" is seven short stories that reflect hardship and hope, hard knocks and hanging in there. Borrowing a page from one of his greatest influences, Bruce Springsteen, Hill explores the human condition and the possibilities that are within reach. Making music is as much cathartic as it is creative for Hill, who aspires to connect with local audiences by being more than "just another" singer-songwriter.

Q: What was your first exposure to music like?
A: My parents listened to a lot of music growing up. Some of the early memories I have are of my dad, who was a big Johnny Cash fan. My earliest memory of listening to music was listening to "I Walk the Line." We had this big braided rug in the living room, and I remember doing this tight- rope walk on the lines while I listened to the song. I studied piano as a kid and played trumpet in my junior-high band. I got my first guitar when I was 14, and probably had my first band by about 15. I always wrote songs, but I always deferred the singing duties to someone else. I started singing for real in about 1998, when I put together 12lb. Test.

Q: What was it like when you made the transition from "band member" to "lead singer"?
A: It was terrifying but it was also empowering, certainly, just having spent so many years off to the side playing guitar, or whatever, it gave me a chance, I think, to more fully express myself. I could put more of my soul into the actual performance of the music.

Q: What prompted you to go solo, considering your history playing with Slobberbone and 12lb. Test, bands that found a measure of success in Texas?
A: Well, I love the portability of (being a solo artist). I just have to grab my guitar and head down to the club. There's so much less involved in terms of equipment. When you're in a band, you have other people to deal with. Certainly there are personalities involved. For instance, playing solo or in a duo situation, if I want to learn a new song for a gig, I can just sit down, learn it and practice it. There's an ease of movement. I love playing with a band. I'm sure after a while I'll be Jonesing pretty hard for that. I like the amps and drums and making a little more noise. But right now the solo thing seems to suit me pretty well.

Q: Why did you decide to move to Seattle?
A: My wife and I moved here in spring of 2000. We had gotten married in the fall of 1999 and were looking to relocate. I was more reticent to actually move than she was. But I had been playing in bands around Denton and Dallas for about 10 years and was pretty burned out on the scene there. It was a really good opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh. To make new associations and reinvent myself.

Q: On "Yours Truly" you give thanks to Kenneth Lonergan and Kevin Canty for providing inspiration. What is it about these writers that you draw from?
A: In Ken Lonergan's case, when I saw his film, "You Can Count On Me," I was so incredibly satisfied by the story he had to tell and the characters he drew for it. As far as my tastes go, it's about as perfect a movie as there is. I was really drawn to the sibling relationship and the complicated nature of that relationship. And the idea of the conflict of family loyalty and personal failings. With Kevin Canty, I read that book of short stories, "A Stranger in This World," really powerful stuff, and it just really knocked me out. Without really thinking about it I found myself writing that song ("Stranger In This World"). With "You Can Count on Me" it's sort of my interpretation of Ken's script; with "Stranger In This World," it's me taking some of the ideas and themes from Kevin's book and putting my own spin on it. That's one of the most interesting things about song writing is that it's like therapy in a way. As you are writing it, you think it's about one thing but then later on, after you've been playing it for a while, you come to realize it's about something else, too.

Q. What's Seattle's music scene like these days for a singer-songwriter?
A: I was thinking about it the other day, in terms of the music scene in general. There are so many bands and so many people doing so many things. It can be hard or hard for me to feel like part of the scene, per se. There's a smaller scene that I feel connected to, in terms of several musicians, songwriters, but it's more of a sub-scene. One of the great things for me about playing in and around Seattle is that I can really work the Texas singer-songwriter angle. It makes me stand out a bit. It helps make me more of an anomaly.

Q: As a songwriter, what makes a "good song," one that has the potential to connect with an audience?
A: The fact that even though it might have been born out of something very personal, the fact that it can connect with more than just me, the fact that it has some kind of universal appeal or seems to, I think that's what makes it a good song. I want people to connect with the sorts of feelings that went into the songwriting process and inspired the song itself. I think that a song with a broad appeal is the best kind of song, at least for me.


From Americana-UK.com (England):

Michael Hill, "Yours Truly" (Self-released, 2002). Debut solo offering from Seattle-based songwriter Michael Hill. Having previously played with Slobberbone for over 3 years (he left in 1997 after the release of "Barrel Chested"), this low-key, acoustic EP is a bit of a surprise and a very pleasant one at that. Hills world-weary vocal style is perfect for "You Can Count On Me" and "If I Had it to Do All Over Again" in particular, and the vocals of Nancy Dillon give these tracks a Gram/Emmylou feel. "Stranger In This World", inspired by the writings of Kevin Canty, is another highlight; and even though "Driving To Austin" sounds like a demo made while waiting for the band to show up, this is a fine collection of songs from an excellent writer.


From AltCountryTab.com (England):

Rated four stars (out of five)

A debut album from Michael Hill which features a meagre seven tracks? My list of criticisms end there . . . seven very good tracks in 26 minutes, during which you have to try and grasp all there is to offer from a fine up and coming singer-songwriter who follows in the finest traditions of that genre.

No newcomer though! From Denton, Texas . . . Hill's track record includes time with Slobberbone and 12lb. Test, whose album "Let Yourself In" made such an impact on this reviewer late last year. So this is Michael Hill 'in the raw,' solo - accompanied by just a sorrowful cello, dobro and electric bass. Hill plays guitar and handles the vocals, on what comes across as a very sincere and heartfelt recording. There isn't a great deal of special studio trickery, it's all just kept very simple and very effective.

"You Can Count on Me," inspired by the film of the same name, is a terrific way to kick off the proceedings. Guitar and cello hold court to a fine vocal performance from Hill, with a supporting role for the wonderfully expressive vocals of Nancy K. Dillon. This powerfully executed ballad sounds much bigger than it actually is, the cello adding richness and the backing vocals making this sound particularly windswept and distinctly atmospheric. "If I Had To Do it All Over Again" sums up in just five minutes what we all pray for at some time in our lives - a song of regret, a song that calls for another chance, an opportunity to right the wrongs or maybe take a different fork in the road.

"Ghost Story" utilizes Michael Bristow's dobro to great effect, bringing colour and flavour to the countrified vocals of Hill, who here starts to sound like a youthful Steve Earle. On "Driving to Austin" the Earle connection is made deeper. A model road song in the "Guitar Town" mould, this does lose some of its effect by way of its stripped-down approach. With a full band behind it this song would be transformed into a road house classic at the blink of an eye. "Stranger in this World" also drinks deep from the well of Earle, another gentle ballad again using Dillon's softly harmonised vocals to warm it through.

"Sea Star" is a simple-yet-effective instrumental interlude that finds Hill demonstrating his classical guitar technique, along with a distant trumpet adding effective counterpoint. The set is wound up with "Come on By" returning to the guitar and cello format that we started with, a perfectly formed melody enveloping the theme of reconciliation.

"Yours Truly" is a very well conceived set of songs which are at turns graceful, honest, pure and soulful, illustrating Hills prowess as a songwriter. Not a single track of this admittedly short set is weak, although some of the more punchy songs would be better placed in front of a band rather than, one feels, the exposed backing used here. The exposed format certainly works for most of the material though, with the strong vocals and good songs holding things together. Yet, as mentioned, some of these cuts really cry out for a full band to bring them to life. Hill is an artist of considerable talent and maturity and is steadily establishing for himself a fine body of work which I am sure will continue to mature and develop.


From Ctrl.Alt.Country (Belgium):

(Translated from Dutch)
Rated four stars (out of five)

The solo debut of Michael Hill (Slobberbone, 12lb.Test, The Nancy Boys), "Yours Truly" is a perfect example of the notion that, sometimes, less is actually more. Though there are only seven tracks on this CD, the quality is consistently high. And as for the accompaniment, things tend to be kept to a minimum. Occasionally, the cello of Dylan Rieck and the dobro or electric bass of Michael Bristow contribute to the conversation, but it is the voice and guitar of Michael Hill and the blissful backing vocals of Nancy K. Dillon that perform the lion's share of the work. Hill is at his best on the trio of "Ghost Story," "Driving to Austin" and "Stranger in this World" - songs which almost make you believe that the Steve Earle who was making records around the time of "Guitar Town" has released something new.


From the Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Texas):

Former Townie Returns as Solo Musician
12/19/2002
By Lucinda Breeding, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Michael Hill cut his musical teeth in Denton. For 11 years, he lent his guitar chops to local heroes Slobberbone, torched and twanged for the Townies and slung it a bit with Mudville Nine and Marmalade. It took moving to Seattle in 2000 for the musician and sometime journalist to really grow up, he said. These days, he's splitting his time between bands 12lb. Test and the Nancy Boys, while also having a solo career. He makes a stop in Denton 8 p.m. Monday at Dan's Silverleaf.

Two years on the West Coast have been a whole new education, he said. "It's bigger," he said of Seattle's thriving music scene. "It's not as intimate, which is one of the best things about Denton. You have all these different people from Denton bands hanging together, swapping ideas and playing together. In Seattle, there are a lot of people doing a wide variety of music. Just looking at the local paper, it's a pretty healthy scene with a healthy contingent of people doing a lot of what I'm doing and I feel like itıs really starting to roll." Mr. Hill just wrapped his first solo album, Yours Truly, which he also produced and engineered. He teamed up with cellist Dylan Rieck, a music major at the University of Washington, for some songs.

"I took my time," Mr. Hill said of the solo project. "I worked on it for a long time, until I got to the point where I didn't want to spend another month doing remixes. I'm already ready to move on to the next thing, but I'm really proud of the record for what it is."
The effort began, he said, with him and his friends getting together to record a dozen songs. They worked on it closely, chiseling it down to a streamlined 10 songs.

"I took care of some sonic glitches - stuff that no one else might have noticed but really bothered me, and narrowed it down further to seven songs. I mixed and mastered it all at home."
When he hits the Silverleaf stage, he won't have his friends. He'll have what he has on most weekend gigs anymore: his voice and his guitar. His hand is often guided by the influence of other roots music makers, such as James McMurtry, whom Mr. Hill credits for turning out "perfectly formed" songs, Guy Clark and Steve Earle.
The work is dogged and full of angst, but not in the league of the overwrought. His proudest moment thus far with solo performances is the reliable number "Stranger in This World," a song based on a collection of short stories by Kevin Canty.

"It's probably the best song I've ever written," Mr. Hill said. "Whenever I play it live, people might be talking, but the room always gets quiet. Every time I play it, I also see how it relates to me and everyone I know, and it takes me back to my time in Texas. It's nice to reflect on that."
Mr. Hill said he owes a debt to Denton. It taught him how to take ownership of his own work.
"Having to take responsibility for everything is the biggest thing," he said. "I can't really default to anyone else and say, 'I think this is right, but I don't know. What do you think?' I had to gain confidence."