Music and Nunchaku Outlets for Expression
“Through my music I get to be this bridge that connects to thinking,” Hill said, his stealth, orchestrated and purposeful frame never wavering. His words and tone are equally eloquent and inviting. “It becomes the most amazing thing, the ripples we all create. Nunchaku spinning is just as expressive, it has that element, but also it’s very physical.”
Growing up the son of a military policeman at Fort Bragg, N.C., Hill dreamed of becoming a writer. Shy and sensitive, he created stories and characters as an outlet. At about 16, his new favorite band, Nine Inch Nails, opened the flood gates to a realm of sounds and visuals.
“They (NIN) were influential, as are and were James Horner, Nirvana, Alice in Chains—I was really into rock,” the 30-year-old said. Hill’s exceptionally short haircut still suggests conformity. “Instead of trying to wrestle with my writing, I learned to let it down and let it go its own way.”
Moving to Nebraska, and settling in the Bellevue-Omaha area, he took several music classes in college, hoping to hone his craft and channel his art.
“I fell in love with the classical guitar,” he said, his dark eyes resembling the hollow inside of a guitar. “I didn’t realize how emotive it was—some how you have to make it sing. From there, I pretty much have gone all acoustic.”
Soulwire Weaves Stories & Electronics
A diary of poems and passionate sounds followed—the basis for Soulwire. His tapestries of autobiographical poems were woven into the album A Radiant Nothing. The 14-tracks follow Hill’s melancholic and melodic open diary. This new age record reflects the cycle of human emotions, and embraces the journey along the way. It’s intricate, electronic pieces caress and tangle within a greater body of winds and silhouettes of airy sounds.
“A Radiant Nothing is truly a healing album, but it's unlike many other healing albums, because it is not focused on trying to make someone feel better by filling the dark moments with the sun's rays,” Hill said. “It actually is an expression that the storms in our lives are as natural, and necessary, as the sunny days. It is as natural as the seasons on Earth, and to resist the storms, only creates imbalance and friction.
“It's about sitting through those storms, fearful or not, and just watching it with magnificence and honesty, and letting it do what it was there to do. Then I say, sitting with that storm brings about something very profound that is incredibly hard to describe, but it's a sort of inner light that shines when we can only see when we sit with it and listen. It's about finding inner strength and character when we are stripped away from a past that had once defined us.”
His deep eyes say there is more to the story, sadness perhaps, but his forthright descriptions of his work only lend themselves more to his introspective-style. It’s evident that Hill is awed by simplicity and tapping into what makes people tick.
Journey of Self-Discovery
Soulwire’s live performances are eclectic, connecting with listeners in a mosaic of emotions. Hill relishes in the almost tangible and engaged feelings—charting a course for his own journey to self-discovery. The fire in his own heart is lit by the feedback he receives from listeners, and paths he’s chosen.
“I just want to live a life where I don’t have to apologize,” he said, his eyes changing to some far off realm. It’s as if he’s already composing a dreamy chapter. He drifts a bit, and talks more about his perpetuate love for martial arts. Hill plans to master Poi, a form of juggling that features balls on ropes.
“It makes this crazy sizzle when they are spinning,” he smiled. “I think it would make for an awesome performance with my music.”
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