Although adept keyboardist Tim Hill is most known for being a touring member of Allah-Las, his recent 7” on newly founded Calico Discos label finds him quite comfortable behind the acoustic guitar (and 4-track recorder)...
The A side of his first 7", ‘Paris, Texas’ (inspired by the film of the same name and written around the time of Harry Dean Stanton's death), is steeped in the American folk tradition of Dylan and the Band, but manages to sound both fresh and from another time. Beginning with a moody harmonica line over a steady, plodding groove, Tim croons the line “Hey hey, hey you, you there with the blank stare, where’d you go I need to know" sincerely delivering a message of a lost soul longing. The pensive vibe of the track perfectly captures the quiet desolation and beauty of its namesake film.
The B side is a cover of Warren Zevon’s 'Steady Rain', chosen because Hill “just wanted to play that guitar part over and over.” Tim’s version begins with a bit of backwards guitar and piano, before kicking into a mellow mid-tempo shuffle with the soul of the original still very much intact. Both songs were recorded by Tim Hill at home on a Tascam 246 cassette four track recorder, backing himself on every instrument. These two tracks are just the tip of the iceberg for Hill - he’s collected enough material for a full length record, planned for later this year.
