Hella sweet...
Editor’s note: This is a 3 part series
HELLA
On the fringes of musical culture there lies genres like "noise," "math-rock" and "8-bit." Each is a spin-off of another kind of music, with one or two aspects magnified. Take for instance 8-bit: it's an adaptation of music borrowed mostly from 8-bit Nintendo games and set to rock or electronica. Noise is best described as a bunch of mental patients trying to emulate "Stomp." At the epi-center of all these fringe genres is Sacramento's Hella.
Hella, made up of Zach Hill on drums and Spencer Seim on guitar, is appropriately named after a Northern California slang, meaning “very.” “Church Gone Wild/Chirpin’ Hard” is the bands third release. Hill and Seim both met performing in a Sacramento band called Legs on Earth, which still tours.
Hella is unique because Seim and Hill both have very different styles and their music is a composed battle between the two. In each track it’s clear who conceptualized it. “Church Gone Wild/Chirpin’ Hard” is two separate albums released in a two CD set. The composition for “Church Gone Wild” was produced by Zach Hill while the composition of “Chirpin’ Hard” was produced by Spencer Seim.
Seim and Hill are both involved in side projects.
ZACH HILL
The first time I saw Led Zeppelin’s Live DVD with the full version of John Bonham’s drum solo during “Moby Dick,” I decided that he was not a man, but Apollo, the Greek God of music, descended to Earth to rock out on the drums so hard that for generations rock musicians would be inspired.
Now, with the onslaught of suck created by bands such as Evanescence, Papa Roach, Linkin Park and Staind, Apollo is angry. Apollo has descended to Earth once again and assumed the name Zach Hill.
Hill’s style is a drum-clad monstrosity, often comparable in composition to Daniel Johnston, Jandek and Lightning Bolt. Of the two, Hill’s influence is often unsettling in its effort to compose as much drumming and noise into each track.
Hill recently worked with Deftones guitarist Chino Moreno on the Team Sleep project. Hill has also formed his own band, Zach Hill and Holy Smokes with Carson McWhitter from The Advantage and Rob Crow from Pinback. Zach Hill and Holy Smokes recently produced a book titled “Destroying Yourself is too Accessible” which includes an album titled “Masculine Drugs.” Hill also performs with another Sacramento band called Nervous Cop.
On “Church Gone Wild” the restraint that Seim seemed to bring to the band is missing. Hill produced “Church Gone Wild” to be a twelve-movement opus that is meant to be listened to in one sitting, unfortunately, if you’re not a big fan of the genre “noise,” it is hard to listen to more than about 10 minutes at a time.
Some of it is listenable though. “Earth’s first evening Jimi Hendrix-less and pissed” has a melodic chorus with overlaid fast-paced drum beats that are played at sporadic intervals throughout the track.
“We was just boys, living in a dead ass German Shephard,” is probably the most widely acclaimed track on the “Church gone wild” album, but is also the most unlistenable. The song follows the randomness of the rest of the album, but sometimes delves into a more System of a Down inspired rock/metal rift. It becomes confusing and distracting.
Compared to "Hold your Horse Is," "Bitches Ain't Shit but Good People," and "The Devil Isn't Red," "Church Gone Wild" has delved much farther into noise. People who liked the song "Biblical Violence" will probably like "Church Gone Wild." It isn't very listener friendly unless you're into the experimental metal and punk genre they call "Noise." Overall, I wouldn't recommend "Church Gone Wild," although I would still pay the $17 to get "Chirpin' Hard" along with it.
SPENCER SEIM
Everyone has one of those friends who spends way too much time obsessing over old-school Nintendo. You know, that guy who still has the Super Mario Bros. theme song on his cell phone, not to mention he still has his old-school Nintendo still hooked up to his TV. Spencer Seim has taken his obsession to an all new level by actually incorporating Nintendo samples into his music.
Seim’s influence into the duo Hella is like a mixture of Autechre, Aphex Twin, and The Minibosses.
Seim has continued his work with Legs on Earth as well as playing drums for The Advantage, a professed 8-bit Nintendo rock band.
HELLA
On the fringes of musical culture there lies genres like "noise," "math-rock" and "8-bit." Each is a spin-off of another kind of music, with one or two aspects magnified. Take for instance 8-bit: it's an adaptation of music borrowed mostly from 8-bit Nintendo games and set to rock or electronica. Noise is best described as a bunch of mental patients trying to emulate "Stomp." At the epi-center of all these fringe genres is Sacramento's Hella.
Hella, made up of Zach Hill on drums and Spencer Seim on guitar, is appropriately named after a Northern California slang, meaning “very.” “Church Gone Wild/Chirpin’ Hard” is the bands third release. Hill and Seim both met performing in a Sacramento band called Legs on Earth, which still tours.
Hella is unique because Seim and Hill both have very different styles and their music is a composed battle between the two. In each track it’s clear who conceptualized it. “Church Gone Wild/Chirpin’ Hard” is two separate albums released in a two CD set. The composition for “Church Gone Wild” was produced by Zach Hill while the composition of “Chirpin’ Hard” was produced by Spencer Seim.
Seim and Hill are both involved in side projects.
ZACH HILL
The first time I saw Led Zeppelin’s Live DVD with the full version of John Bonham’s drum solo during “Moby Dick,” I decided that he was not a man, but Apollo, the Greek God of music, descended to Earth to rock out on the drums so hard that for generations rock musicians would be inspired.
Now, with the onslaught of suck created by bands such as Evanescence, Papa Roach, Linkin Park and Staind, Apollo is angry. Apollo has descended to Earth once again and assumed the name Zach Hill.
Hill’s style is a drum-clad monstrosity, often comparable in composition to Daniel Johnston, Jandek and Lightning Bolt. Of the two, Hill’s influence is often unsettling in its effort to compose as much drumming and noise into each track.
Hill recently worked with Deftones guitarist Chino Moreno on the Team Sleep project. Hill has also formed his own band, Zach Hill and Holy Smokes with Carson McWhitter from The Advantage and Rob Crow from Pinback. Zach Hill and Holy Smokes recently produced a book titled “Destroying Yourself is too Accessible” which includes an album titled “Masculine Drugs.” Hill also performs with another Sacramento band called Nervous Cop.
On “Church Gone Wild” the restraint that Seim seemed to bring to the band is missing. Hill produced “Church Gone Wild” to be a twelve-movement opus that is meant to be listened to in one sitting, unfortunately, if you’re not a big fan of the genre “noise,” it is hard to listen to more than about 10 minutes at a time.
Some of it is listenable though. “Earth’s first evening Jimi Hendrix-less and pissed” has a melodic chorus with overlaid fast-paced drum beats that are played at sporadic intervals throughout the track.
“We was just boys, living in a dead ass German Shephard,” is probably the most widely acclaimed track on the “Church gone wild” album, but is also the most unlistenable. The song follows the randomness of the rest of the album, but sometimes delves into a more System of a Down inspired rock/metal rift. It becomes confusing and distracting.
Compared to "Hold your Horse Is," "Bitches Ain't Shit but Good People," and "The Devil Isn't Red," "Church Gone Wild" has delved much farther into noise. People who liked the song "Biblical Violence" will probably like "Church Gone Wild." It isn't very listener friendly unless you're into the experimental metal and punk genre they call "Noise." Overall, I wouldn't recommend "Church Gone Wild," although I would still pay the $17 to get "Chirpin' Hard" along with it.
SPENCER SEIM
Everyone has one of those friends who spends way too much time obsessing over old-school Nintendo. You know, that guy who still has the Super Mario Bros. theme song on his cell phone, not to mention he still has his old-school Nintendo still hooked up to his TV. Spencer Seim has taken his obsession to an all new level by actually incorporating Nintendo samples into his music.
Seim’s influence into the duo Hella is like a mixture of Autechre, Aphex Twin, and The Minibosses.
Seim has continued his work with Legs on Earth as well as playing drums for The Advantage, a professed 8-bit Nintendo rock band.
posted by Sassmo at 12:04 PM
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