Zach Hill - Astrological Straits (2008)

www.myspace.com/zachhillmusic
from: Sacramento, California U.S.
genre: Experimental / Noise / Rock
audio: 256 kbps

Zach Hill is a musician residing in Sacramento, California. He performs/has performed in numerous Pacific Coast based groups, including Hella, Holy Smokes, Nervous Cop, and a diverse other range of groups including Team Sleep (featuring Chino Moreno of Deftones), Goon Moon, and The Ladies (a duo consisting of Zach on drums and Rob Crow of Pinback on guitar). Zach is completely self taught, having started drumming around 1995. Zach is an endorser of Tama drums, Paiste cymbals, and Pro-mark drum sticks.

One of Zach Hill’s most defining characteristics as a drummer is his footwork. Many drummers are surprised when they realize that he only uses one bass drum and a single bass drum pedal when he plays. For example, in the song Imaginary Friends from Hella’s Church Gone Wild record, Hill employs his characteristic double-stroke bass drum method throughout much of the song, leading many to believe he is using more than one foot to do so, when he is only using his right foot. Zach Hill’s set thus far had had generally very low-tuned tom-toms and floor-toms. When playing rhythms back and forth between his bass drum and these tom-toms, it often sounds as if it is all being created by the bass drum. His snare drum sound is often a contrasting highly tuned “crack” sound.

A unique aspect of Zach’s style is his liberal use of unconventional sounding cymbals, often referred to as “trash” cymbals. (last.fm)

1. Iambic Strays
2. Toll Road
3. Street People
4. Dark Art
5. Keep Calm And Carry On
6. Hindsight Is Nowhere
7. Ummer
8. Stoic Logic
9. Uhuru
10. Momentum
11. Unseen Forces
12. Tick On
13. Astrological Straits

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