Chris Hillman is one of the most influential figures in shaping good music over the past 5 decades. Hillman often faded into the background during his early days as bassist with The Byrds, but by the time their 3rd album "Younger Than Yesterday" was released in 1967, Hillman shared lead vocals on "So You Want To Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" with Roger (aka 'Jim') McGuinn, as well as putting down vocals on 4 other songs which he incidentally wrote as well.
This new solo project from Hillman is fantastic and very listenable. Hillman's masterful songwriting is very evident and shines through on each and every track. Chris Hillman has influenced an astonishing number of modern day poets, many of which may not even realize it.
Read more about this great snapshot of American songwriting, and check out tour dates and more below!
[press]
Nashville, TN -Chris Hillman, a founding member of the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, and the Desert Rose Band, is widely acknowledged as a seminal figure in the creation of country rock and an architect of American popular music. On September 22, 2017, Hillman will release Bidin' My Time, his first studio album in over a decade. Tom Petty produced the album at his studio in Southern California. Hillman's longtime collaborator and co-founder of the Desert Rose Band Herb Pedersen served as Executive Producer.
Featured performers and guests on the recording include Byrds co-founders David Crosby and Roger McGuinn; Desert Rose Band alumni Pedersen, John Jorgenson, and Jay Dee Maness; Petty and fellow Heartbreakers Mike Campbell, Steve Ferrone, and Benmont Tench; Mark Fain, Josh Jové, and Gabe Witcher.
The album kicks off with a new recording of Pete Seeger's and Welsh poet Idris Davies' "The Bells of Rhymney," which the Byrds recorded for their debut, Mr. Tambourine Man. It's always been Hillman's favorite song the band ever recorded. Crosby and Pedersen contribute otherworldly harmonies to the tune, which swells from stripped-down folk into a layered rock-and-roll cry. "I decided to cut it again because I wanted to sing with David and Herb, two great tenors," Hillman says. "David just loves Herb's singing, and at 75 years old, David is still a powerful singer -- one of the best I've ever worked with or been around."
Another Byrds nod, "Here She Comes Again" was co-written by Hillman and McGuinn, and until now, had only been recorded on a live album in Australia. Hillman plays bass on the track -- the instrument he originally played with the Byrds but hadn't picked up in more than 30 years. "She Don't Care About Time" was written by Byrds co-founder Gene Clark, who died in 1991. Hillman had always felt the song, which was the original b-side to "Turn! Turn! Turn!," never quite got the attention it deserves.
Hillman also indulged in an exercise every songwriter craves: he reworked "Old John Robertson," first featured on The Notorious Byrd Brothers in 1968, to write "New Old John Robertson." An ambling story song about a kind old man who lived in Hillman's tiny hometown, the tune revels in Hillman's bluegrass roots. The album also includes interpretations of the Everly Brothers' "Walk Right Back," Petty's "Wildflowers," and "When I Get a Little Money," written by family friend Nathan Barrow.
Hillman's originals confirm what a fierce songwriter he remains. Front-porch jam session "Such is the World We Live In" wonders what Hillman's great-grandfather would say about current events. The song epitomizes Hillman's distinct ability to bemoan ills without abandoning hope. Album standout "Restless," another self-penned original, saunters as Hillman delivers a muscly vocal performance. Honest but loving, "Given All That I Can See," a favorite of Hillman's he calls the record's "sort-of gospel song," is a timely call for mercy and grace in an era beleaguered by hate and fear.
The project captures a rarity: a seasoned artist who has never sounded better, making music with old friends for the sheer love of it. "I did everything I felt was right in the moment," Hillman says of the recording process, before adding with characteristic humility, "I did my very best. That's all any of us can do."
Here's Chris Hillman's upcoming tour schedule including TWO dates in Texas!
| 9/21 | Sellersville, PA | Sellersville Theatre |
| 9/22 | New York, NY | City Winery |
| 9/23 | Fall River, MA | Narrows Center for the Arts |
| 9/24 | Boston, MA | City Winery |
| 9/26 | Alexandria, VA | The Birchmere |
| 9/29 | Duluth, GA | The Red Clay Theatre |
| 10/1 | Nashville, TN | City Winery |
| 10/4 | Newport, KY | Southgate House Revival |
| 10/5 | Kent, OH | Kent Stage |
| 10/6 | Chicago, IL | Old Town School of Folk Music |
| 10/7 | Edwardsville, IL | The Wildey Theatre |
| 10/12 | Bakersfield, CA | Buck Owens' Crystal Palace |
| 10/13 | Berkeley, CA | Freight & Salvage |
| 10/16 | West Hollywood, CA | The Troubadour |
| 10/26-28 | Park City, UT | The Egyptian Theatre |
| 11/8 | Baton Rouge, LA | Red Dragon Listening Room |
| 11/9 | The Woodlands, TX | Dosey Doe Barn |
| 11/10 | Austin, TX | Texas Union Theater |
| 1/27 (2018) | Thousand Oaks, Ca. | Scherr Theatre |
