Time to pass…

It goes without saying at this point that my show with Christa Couture on April 7th has been cancelled. I’m not certain that I am the virtual performance type, or that there is an audience that would desire such a thing, but as the days go on who knows how the hours will be utilized…

All this time put into our hands. Time to contemplate, time to muse, time to gather loose ends, to lay awake and wonder, to imagine a better world, to fear what is to come, to pray, to sing, to ponder solutions, to share stories, to reach out, to hide away. Time to start a project, to learn a skill, to nap and retreat, to value what was undervalued, to embrace simplicity, start a garden.

There is no right way to do it. We are all circling our own contrasting set of emotions, responses, and limitations. Oddly, we are finding some unity and togetherness in our separation. Finding profound and obvious evidence that our world is in desperate need of change, and that we are capable of making change. May hope spring from this dark time. May we find a way to better care for one another and the planet.

With heart,
Jess Hill

Election 2015

I’ve been contemplating whether or not I would post anything related to the upcoming election. While I don’t think it’s any secret that I am a firm believer in the mission to “Heave the Steve” and reclaim Canada on behalf of progressive and compassionate policy, good scientific process, a robust and thriving arts scene, a fair taxation scheme, solid, supportive healthcare and education, respect for first nations and a proactive approach to addressing climate change I wasn’t sure of how to contextualize all of that in this framework until today.

This article about the CBC made it all click together.
http://news.nationalpost.com/…/cbc-head-h

As a touring musician in Canada you quickly realize one thing; this country is massive and from coast the CBC is beloved! It is more often than not the soundtrack to coffee percolating in quiet morning kitchens in homes all over the country. It is frequently the avenue through which a new favourite song is found and an artist is subsequently sought out and supported. It accompanies cozy evenings by the fire, morning commutes, late night drives, lazy Sundays and inevitably many of the memories made in the passing minutes of Canadian lives. Even when you only consider the radio output of the broadcaster and conveniently forget the countless memories of nights huddled around the television for hockey or otherwise it is downright inconceivable to blame “a dip in ratings” as the only source of struggles the CBC has recently faced.

If you were considering sitting this election out please reconsider. The CBC is one of many beloved Canadian institutions that have taken a hit from the PM and his party. Please, please, please inform yourself and vote strategically so that we may find ourselves on a brighter and better path on October 20th.

If you are feeling disillusioned or at a loss and need a wave of inspiration in terms of grassroots pro-activity check out http://www.votetogether.ca and then attend one of the fantastic live music events happening under the banner of ?#?imagineoct20th? http://www.imagineoct20th.com

If we play smart and with a full roster we can have a country that acknowledges the voices of it’s diverse and beautiful citizenry as it forges thoughtfully into the future.

With respect, hope, and care,
Jess Hill

 

Feeling I know

In the final days of summers rushes, videographer Syd Woodward (Get Grounded TV, Overgrow The System) came over to my home with his camera in tow. It seemed as good an idea as any, to capture the sound of something fresh and presently resonant. So when I sat down to sing for Syd and his camera, I decided to play a song that I had only just begun to feel was nearing completion. We did one take and then went back to enjoying the summers dying breaths. It was, if nothing else, a moment; simple and true, and then forgotten.
Months later the archive of said moment arrived via email and I found myself dissecting it’s every breath. I was frustrated by the apparent unpolished nature of the performance, and the tentative immediacy of the delivery. I filed it away un-posted and sighed a lamentable sigh assuming I wouldn’t share it at all.
Fast forward another month or so, and here I am writing this post while the video uploads to the wilds of the internet. Now, with the space for reflection that enables a quieter ego, the flaws and the immediacy seem to communicate what I hoped for when I began penning the tune. I remember the moment the song began; when the first lines of lyric slipped from my lips. They offered me comfort while I was trying to mask my self-consciousness with a relaxed and somewhat distant demeanour despite knowing how I truly felt. Sometimes a crowd can be a lonely place. We aren’t always the best at remembering to be inclusive and open. Life can keep us mired in the shallow end for longer than is comfortable when what we are really seeking is true connection and interaction. It is a feeling we all know, no matter how confident and happy we seem from the outside.
So, to the universality of feeling like an outsider, or like someone who doesn’t measure up in a given moment, I offer this little ditty, warts and all.

Enjoy!

Much love,
Jess Hill

:FEELING I KNOW:

First it’s listless, than it’s lazy
Leads you to those loose lies in these tight times
With your eye on the door, always tapping your toes
Baby, it’s a feeling I know
And all the bright eyes with the white teeth, smiling in the sidelines
Little lost sheep, you think you’re so alone
Baby, it’s a feeling I know
All the secret voices that fill your heart
Going through the motions of the hardest part
I will hold the door if you will hold my hand
We could go together, baby, take a chance
Everybody’s hiding in the laughter in the dark
Holding up a searchlight for a wide and open heart
I will hold the mirror; a lighthouse we could be
Guiding all the ships into the harbour safely
Baby, it’s a feeling I know

Portraits

Amanda from Brutally Beautiful (she’s got a special on Headshots right now; check it out!) and I did a super raw and spontaneous set of portraits last month. We wanted to make use of my empty bedroom and it’s great natural light before the Princess Haus was vacated for good.
Spontaneous and raw in this case meant no makeup and no hair styling and a real sense of abandon.
We had some beautiful times in the Princess Haus making it our venue, gallery, dancehall, community center etc. and it was great to squeeze one more project into the space as we packed the boxes and scrubbed the floors.

Here’s a little peek at what we got up to!

Noizz Factor Remix

A little while ago I stumbled upon a project called Emily and The Noizz. I fell instantly in love with the first track on their EP and then I had to buy it. I followed Noizz Factor on soundcloud, sent a wee little fan message and went along merrily with my life. A short time later Noizz Factor followed me back on soundcloud and left me some sweet comments on my song “Of A Shadow”, I mentioned that I had stems for said track, files were exchanged and beautiful things have resulted! Through the power of the internet a song has a rebirth, a creative connection is made and no one even had to get out of their pyjamas if they didn’t want to. To me this is the internet at it’s finest; bringing creative, talented minds from all corners of the planet to places of collaboration. From Canada to Poland and into your ears with love, I present the “Of A Shadow: Noizz Factor Mix” Enjoy! Share! Dance!

Connections recap

Legsss and I had such a grand time bringing our best dancing fools to life last Saturday at Connections! It’s safe to say we’ll be making future appearance and maybe even endeavours.
If you missed it and want a peek, here are a couple photo’s from the show.  It might not look like much but the sound was sweet! Thanks Vandocument for inviting us to tread into new territory and be a part of your fall art party! Keep up the great work!
~ photo’s by Kendra Archer for Vandocument

And here’s a little listen of our first ever attempt at making music together….a process that is ever evolving and always fresh and surprising. What a journey it is to make art with fantastic and talented humans!

Connections Collaboration

Very recently Vancouver producer/performer Legsss and I decided to make a little music together. Going into it we had no idea what would come out of it, and frankly we still don’t. That being said we have somehow been invited to perform at Vandocuments Art Party: Connections. For those of you unfamiliar with Vandocument, it is a remarkable arts and culture online publication for the Vancouver arts and performance communities. The party is Saturday November 8th at The Remington Gallery and I am as excited as I am nervous. I know wholeheartedly that this is the perfect audience for Legsss and I to explore our barely pre-meditated, mostly improvised collaboration with. Come check it out, and heaps of other insane talents at Connections this Saturday!!!

“Underweight” – down under

If you know me then it is no secret that I am a fool for a late night of dancing fuelled by quality electronic music. I am far from being a connoisseur of the discipline and can barely identify the genres to save my life but I know what I like when I hear it.
Vancouver is home to same incredible DJ’s who have their finger on the pulse in terms of creative output and an audience with the tech savvy, digital know how to share it around their communities. One such man is Michael Red, who is not only a fantastic DJ but also operates/curates a label called Low Indigo that spawned a fantastic social media link sharing community on that site we’ve all become addicted to, and shall therefore remain unnamed. I became a member of that message board as it was chalk full of tasty sonic delights for me to explore and experience and support.
One of those links, sometime in the last year was to a DJ in Melbourne, Australia named Wabz.
I was immediately enamoured of Wabz’s stuff and found myself shyly typing up a message. I sent a link to my music in the interest of sharing and made a brief mention of some stems I had from my album Orchard on the off chance they might want to put my voice into an aural landscape.
From way over on the other side of this marble we call home new sounds were born of old sounds and the evidence lives in this track called “Underweight”.
Please have a listen and if you feel to, share it with your friends.
This is for me one of the ways in which my worlds are beginning to merge. I am so thrilled to be a part of this new musical tradition; whether through remixes, re-imaginings or simply collages of sounds. To be in the act of sharing and engaging is to grow as an artist and perhaps more importantly as a human.
In the near future I will hopefully be able to post some links to collaborations that have begun with some local producers that I adore; Blocktreat, and Legsss.
In the meantime take a minute to check out what all Wabz has to offer and see if you can guess what song of mine the vocal in “Underweight” comes from.

Intah sights

Amanda Bullick from Brutally Beautiful just sent me these pictures from August’s evening of music that marked the first ever performance of Intah. It was a hot and humid summer night. We squeezed into the cozy, red velvet framed space known as Merge Studios and set sounds of melancholy, darkness, heart worn sighs and beats free. I am so excited to see what develops with this project as the dreamy visions in my inspired imagination speak of great potential for playful exploration and theatricality. We kept it spare and music based for the first show and so the future holds our bigger ideas for now.

Soon…

(A Summer Soft Opening, A Quiet Debut, A Secret for the Sweet and Few, A Welcome for a Full Moon)