Notes
"He's got the whole world in his band He's got the whole wide world in his band He's got the whole world in his band He's got the whole world in his band" Considering that the first track on Two Hands, Tulips features no less than a late night television star, a (late) technocratic business mogul, an internationally renowned concert pianist, an astrophysicist, and the (former) president of an Ivy League university, among others, it may not be far from the truth that Adam Hill does, indeed, have the whole world in his band. It's this collaboration between songwriter and surroundings that allows Two Hands, Tulips to integrate Adam's various influences so elegantly and originally. Appearing throughout the record: old-time North American roots music, found sounds of nature and industry, the romantic piano repertoire of France dans la belle epoque, outspoken advocates of sociopolitical issues, and contemporary experimentation with acoustics and electronics. The wide variety of folks that Adam listens to surely pushes the limits of folk music. And limits is the name of the game on Two Hands, Tulips. You see, after touring relentlessly behind his previous album, Them Dirty Roads, Adam dissolved his band and receded to a tiny town on the Pacific Ocean. Left alone, he set about to create an album that would truly be a solo album, and he hatched a game plan that would assure it. The challenge: he would record no more than one instrument and one vocal on each song. Neglecting the lush orchestrations that have characterized much of his previous music, he turned instead to a bevy of sounds and noises, some collected, some discovered, some manufactured. The end result is fascinatingly contradictory; though the workmanship is constricted to that of only two hands and two lips, the sound is that of many. And the sound of many is the sound of folk music. Praise for Them Dirty Roads: "Adam Hill is a treat and a half. . . . His lyrics are alternatingly hilarious, provocative, reflective, and clever as hell, rolling along a dirt road while gazing at the stars." - Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange (June 2009) "For musicians looking to bring the genre to a new level, Adam Hill has set a very high bar." - What's Up Magazine (July 2009) "Anyone who appreciates folk, bluegrass, or country should find something to love..." - Independent Clauses (May 2009) "Hill brings to his compositions a literary sensibility that makes every number seem like a short story or an excerpt from a novel." - Caught in the Carousel (July 2009) "...crafts Americana songs filled with images of gold-lit cottonwoods, whiskey days, endless highways, rusted telephones and Wyoming skies...he's a natural storyteller." - Missoula Independent (August 2009)
