50 Years Full of Dreams
"Down River" by Dave Hill Jr.
"Song I'm' Afraid to Write" by Dave Hill Jr.
Story Songs
At 8 years old, Dave discovered his mother's 45 The Gambler by Kenny Rogers and fell in love with the art of storytelling through songs. A few months later, his mind was blown when Kenny appeared on The Muppet Show. Dave's passion for music grew as he dug into artists such as Freddie Mercury, Prince, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Bill Withers. He eventually chose the drums as his main instrument, leading to three decades of professional collaborations and performances. At 50, after years of battling self-confidence issues, Dave finally found his own voice. His first release, "Run With the Dog," was inspired by the loss of his best friend, and his second song, "Song I'm Afraid to Write," reflects the struggle of introducing original art into the world.
Over the Line by Dave Hill Jr.
Liberation
Dave has composed over 20 songs and plans to release at least one per month for the foreseeable future. Sign up below and he’ll send you one.
“It’s time to liberate my soul from carrying of these melodies and share them with others. I hope my story of overcoming self-doubt and insecurity can inspire others. I believe everyone can sing and celebrate music’s great healing qualities.”
Seattle in the 90s
At 19, Dave became the personal assistant to ex-Santana drummer Michael Shrieve and even performed with him at Bumbershoot's legendary drum finale. He also composed and produced a piece of music set for a 2024 release.
From 1992-1997, Dave recorded and toured with Seattle's own Inflatable Soule, managed by Susan Silver of Silver Management. In 2000, he moved to NY to record and perform with his band Jettatura. Their album, Squadra Fantasma, was released in 2003. While in NY, Dave also collaborated with Shawn Pelton to record, produce, and perform music.
Here’s a playlist of Inflatable Soule’s first album. I played all the drums and percussion on this album which was produced by Gary Thompson at Little Dog Studios.
Michael Shrieve, Stanton Moore, and Dave Hill Jr.
Music Tech Geek
Antelope by Brainboxing my electronic music project
"As I Remember You" by Jettatura
My band in NY with James Rotondi
"From Fifty Miles High" by Brainboxing my electronic music project
"Bed of Stars" by Jettatura
My band in NY with James Rotondi
While working for Michael Shrieve, Dave delved into electronic instruments, synthesizers, and samplers. He became known as an expert on music production software writing for a long list of industry magazines and online publications. After meeting the founders of Ableton, Dave joined the company in 2003 and founded Ableton’s US office in New York City. After 8 years at Ableton, he joined iZotope as the VP of Marketing and Sales.
After 5 years at iZotope, Dave returned to the Pacific Northwest to care for his parents and focus on his coaching, writing and music. During this time, he found solace in songwriting, which became his source of joy, healing, and sharing of the human experience. Dave now coaches others using a wide array of methodologies and practices.
