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Tim Hill

Evoking the sound of 1970s country-rock and Laurel Canyon singer/songwriters, Tim Hill is a tunesmith who gives his songs an edge of his own with a dusty, literate, lyrical outlook and a lo-fi production sensibility. Citing Neil Young, Randy Newman, and Bob Dylan as key influences, Hill had devoted his career to backing other musicians before finding his own voice with his first solo releases in 2018. His debut album, 2019's Payador, came from a series of home-brewed sessions and earned him critical plaudits, and 2023's Giant was a more polished and imaginative project that still found his musical and lyrical signatures in place. Tim Hill was born and raised in Whittier, California, where his father made his living as a music teacher. Hill had access to a variety of musical instruments and learned to play guitar, keyboards, bass, and percussion, sometimes with help from his dad. It wasn't until Hill discovered punk rock that he began playing out, and in time, he developed a reputation as a first-rate backing musician and was soon touring with artists such as Curtis Harding and Nick Waterhouse, as well as playing with psych-influenced garage rockers the Allah-Las. Like more than a few musicians who started out accompanying others, Hill began writing songs of his own, which reflected a strong country and folk-rock influence. Working with a Tascam 246 four-track cassette machine, Hill began putting his songs on tape, handling all the vocals and instrumental performances himself. When his friends in the Allah-Las heard his living room recordings, they offered to release a single on their newly formed Calico Discos label, and in September 2018, they issued "Paris, Texas" b/w "Steady Rain" the former inspired by the classic Wim Wenders film, the latter a rare, early Warren Zevon tune. Positive reaction to the single prompted Hill to return to his home studio and cut 11 more songs. He had put the finishing touches on the last track when his Tascam died in spectacular fashion as smoke began to pour from the machine. Hill was able to rescue the tape, and with the addition of "Paris, Texas," the 11 songs became Payador, issued by Calico in 2019. The album was well-received by critics and the initial pressing soon sold out as Hill toured in support, sometimes playing early evening shows on his own before sitting in with the Allah-Las later the same evening. In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down live music venues, Hill waited out the quarantine by taking a job at a cattle ranch in Orange County. He kept writing songs, and when it was safe to go back to making music, Hill booked time at Jazzcats Studio in Long Beach, California, where he once again played all the instruments himself except for violin and pedal steel guitar. Named for the 1956 George Stevens film that proved to be James Dean's last picture Giant was co-released by Calico and Innovative Leisure in February 2023.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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Discography

17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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