Steve Hill’s side project has turned into career

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This article was published 06/10/2015 (3976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOURING as a solo act should, in theory, be simpler than manoeuvring an entire band around. Such is not the case for Canadian blues musician Steve Hill, who has taken the term “one-man band” to a whole new level. Equipped with a guitar that’s been modified so he can also play it as a bass, pedals that operate a snare and bass drum and a high-hat he plays with a drumstick affixed to the head of his guitar, the Montreal-based performer has been wowing audiences with his unique style and undisputable talent for decades.

Lauded for his string skills by critics from coast to coast, Hill acknowledges the praise has been a long time coming; he has been building up a solid career in his home province of Quebec for more than 20 years.

“I’ve been working on those skills for 28 years, and working hard at it, so it’s a great feeling,” says Hill of the recognition, especially for his latest album, the Juno-winning Solo Recordings Volume 2.

“My career has been doing well in Quebec for a long time… but it seems that in the rest of Canada, now it’s gotten even bettewr than in Quebec. I’m playing a lot outside of Quebec, a lot more than I used to. I’ve been wishing for that for a long time, and finally it’s happening. That’s why I just keep on touring, because people seem to want to see the show and I’ll give it to them, for sure.”

To watch Hill onstage is a special thing. Whether plucking the strings or using a slide, he coaxes out intricate melodies. He has the deep, rough voice of so many blues musicians before him, but it’s injected with a sweetness that feels fresh and new.

Winnipeg music fans can see for themselves when Hill returns to the city tomorrow for a show at the West End Cultural Centre.

Although he’s flourishing as a solo artist, the decision to head back in that direction after years of playing with bands was made out of necessity. It’s no secret the life of a touring musician isn’t the most financially stable path, so Hill, in need of extra funds, returned to his roots and started gigging around Montreal as a one-man band.

“I just thought to myself, ‘I’ve always been able to make a living playing guitar, I’ll just do some solo gigs.’ So I started booking these solo gigs at clubs where I used to play when I was younger, and people really dug it, they really had a good time, and I had a good time doing it,” he says.

Hill parlayed his one-man-band act into 2012’s Juno-nominated Solo Recordings Volume One. Two hundred shows later and “that solo thing went from being a side project to taking up all my time,” Hill says with a laugh.

Capitalizing on the momentum of Volume 1, Hill released Solo Recordings Volume 2, a collection of original songs and covers that surpassed the first album’s success, winning him a Juno for Blues Album of the Year and a handful of Maple Blues Awards, including Entertainer of the Year.

Hill is already hard at work on Volume 3, due out in February.

The guitarist remains a student of music, and passion pours from him when he talks about different artists, regardless of genre or era. His general lack of music snobbery is refreshing; he notes influences that range from Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy to Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead and everything in between.

“There’s only two types of music — good music and bad music,” he says with a laugh. “And you can find both in every style, every genre.”

His obsession began at the ripe old age of 12, at which time he had already decided the sounds of the ’60s and ’70s were calling his name.

“I started playing (guitar) after I heard Hendrix and Cream — you know, Clapton’s old band — and Led Zeppelin and the Stones, and I got into that type of music when I didn’t even play guitar yet,” says Hill. “That was like the mid- or late-’80s, and the music that was going on at the time really didn’t do it for me as much as the stuff from the ’60s; I was really into that.”

Fast-forward three decades or so, and the 41-year-old Hill is just as infatuated with music as he was when he was a teenager, taking any opportunity to hone his craft and learn new skills.

“I always try to get better and I’m really passionate about music… as much as I would have been 20 years ago, probably more. I’ve never met anybody who loves music as much as I do,” he says.

“You know, I’m a fan probably before being an artist. I really love listening to music and I think, for a musician, it’s really important… it’s like textbooks. You go to school, you buy some books and you read those books. If you’re a musician, you gotta listen to the right records and analyze them, so that’s what I do.”

 

Erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @NireRabel