Eric Hill Band: News

The two week tour in Scotland was beyond my ability to adequately describe but I'll give a shot...Starting with the first gig for the Muirhead Outreach Project/Cairn Mhor staff, each and every one of the 10 gigs we did was an intense, warm, energized sharing of the songs and the vibrations of goodness and compassion that are the true foundation of the entire project. We rocked hard, we played the ballads to the point of having people openly crying, (myself especially!), we had crazy dance episodes that included a large black shaggy dog on Friday night at The Stag...true story. We sold CDs to people from about 12 countries when we were on Skye: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Hungary, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium...We sold out of the copies of Second Sight I had shipped ahead of us. We were welcomed and cared for by everyone we met, a house party at the Paterson's in Falkland turned into a minor public episode with 60 friends and neighbors having the time of their lives and including two nice young policeman who said they had to "listen for at least a half and hour in order to make sure everything was ok..." It was very ok. There is no end to the good things that happened and the wonderful people who we met and connected with. The band played beyond the borders of cool and evocative, somehow my voice held up and in fact got stronger by the last few gigs, and all I can really say is "Thank You!" to my sponsors and to our hosts Claire Robinson and Dorothy Markham who went beyond the call in terms of opening up their homes to us and making sure we were taken care of each day. I am posting photos from various sources as they come in on the photos page. Please check them out. I think they say more than I can manage. Peace to all. Eric

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 7, 2007

ERIC HILL BAND SETS DEBUT SKYE APPEARANCES;
U.S. GROUP BEGINS THIRD SCOTTISH VISIT NEXT WEEK

The Eric Hill Band crosses the Atlantic next week for the U.S. group’s third series of summer shows in Scotland. This year’s trek features the band’s debut performances on the Isle of Skye, including an appearance at The Royal Hotel in Portree on 16 August, followed by two nights at Portree’s Caledonian Hotel on 17 & 18 August.
The group, led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Hill, also features Bob Kaus (bass guitar), Ron Thaler (drums), Oscar Rodiguez (guitars), and Ali Hassan (guitar, sound).
The New York-based Eric Hill Band (EHB) recently completed their new album, “SECOND SIGHT,” which marks Hill’s third release and the first to feature the current band line-up. “SECOND SIGHT” was recorded and mixed at Tainted Blue Studios in New York City. All the songs on the album were penned by Hill, with production by Ron Thaler and engineering by Ali Hassan.
EHB plays in a style perhaps best described as “Americana” – a blend of rock, blues, country, and pop which ranges from full-on rockers to moving ballads. “SECOND SIGHT” follows “MENDED AGAIN” (2003) and “HEAD OVER HEELS” (2005). Upon the release of his first album, Hill earned the praises of such music industry notables as Foreigner founder Mick Jones, who noted, “Eric got it right the ‘first time.’”
On “SECOND SIGHT,” Hill and company have taken his music to a whole new level with exceptional songwriting, inspired musicianship, and multi-faceted instrumental arrangements. From the mesmerizing atmosphere of the title track to the captivating ballad “The Open Gate,” from the Latin-tinged “Molecules To The Light” to the pure rock of “No Big Deal,” “SECOND SIGHT” is the work of an artist who has fully come into his own as a composer of uncommon musical and lyrical gifts and as a truly compelling performer.
The album’s captivating opening track, “To Be Loved,” was directly inspired by Eric’s experiences in 2005 and 2006 while performing in Fife – where he and the band played for the benefit of the Muirhead Outreach Project in Fife. “This is the best example of how far the songs have taken me on the path they seem to have chosen,” he says. EHB will return to Fife again this year, for a special Cairn Mhor benefit performance on 26 August.
Now about to begin their third annual visit to what Hill calls “our second home,” EHB has developed a special friendship and bond with their many Scottish fans. “The first year, it was like living a beautiful dream the entire time,” says Hill. “Last year, it was like a double-dose of dreamland… and some single malt doses, too. And I am confident it can only get better on the third round… as it always does.”


For more information, please visit: www.erichill.net

The third album, "Second Sight", was recorded at Tainted Blue Studios www.taintedblue.com in Manhattan in January and released in late April. Ron Thaler produced it, plays drums and percussion on all tracks, Bob Kaus plays bass, and the incredible Oscar Rodriguez is lead guitars, I do vocals and rhythm guitars. It is 12 tracks of "guitar based, rock story telling", as we say. You can find it on the "Buy" page.