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Brenn Hill

About Me

WESTERN UNDERGROUND Features
Brenn’s "One Hand In The Riggin’" On New Album
Brenn’s "One Hand In The Riggin’" has been featured as the second track on Western Underground’s recently released debut album Unbridled. Here’s what Western Underground had to say about the song: "This is a great rodeo song that was written by Brenn Hill and Bruce Bouton. Chris was a big fan of Brenn, who is a cowboy singer from Utah. He’s an extraordinary guy and an excellent writer. The song tells a story that’s familiar to most cowboys. He’s short on money, short on sleep, and short on time, but he’ll do whatever it takes to make it to that next rodeo." Brenn is very excited to have Western Underground perform "One Hand In The Riggin’", which was originally released on Brenn’s Endangered.Click here to check out Western Underground’s Unbridled.
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Brenn Hill Bio:
There’s a certain mystique surrounding the West that has continued to fascinate people for centuries. It’s reflected in the rugged beauty of the land and the spirit of its people. It’s those compelling landscapes that are brought vividly to life in the music of Brenn Hill.
The Utah born singer/songwriter creates music that not only pays homage to Western’s music’s finest traditions, but also serves as a passport to today’s Mountain West. He does just that again on his sixth album, WHAT A MAN’S GOT TO DO, a potent collection of songs filled with interesting characters and eagle-eyed observations on life, love and the indomitable western spirit.
"Every record represents a chapter in my artistry and I don’t try to confine the art to a specific theme," says Hill as he gazes out across a pasture watching his colt Stormy. "This one is a collection of songs that came from the last three or four years of my songwriting. If they make it past my ears, that’s the first test. If I believe in a song, if I think that it is really valid to this place and time, I’ll stand by it and carry it through."
And “carry it through” he triumphantly does; WHAT A MAN’S GOT TO DO showcases a gifted artist in full creative stride. Brenn’s writing is rife with cinematic imagery that connects the listener to the characters and places in his songs. Meet Me In McCall, penned for his uncle who passed away, boasts a memorable chorus that places the listener on horseback in some of the most beautiful terrain on earth. Caffeine is an up tempo romp that takes a look at modern man’s favorite energizer. "If you spend a lot of time on the road out West, you’ve got to have a little octane in your blood," says Brenn with a smile.
As always, his music reflects the values of the American West, but where some of his previous outings sometimes leaned more toward the nostalgic and offered up a young man’s idealistic views on life and love, WHAT A MAN’S GOT TO DO reflects a more mature take on the complexities of this world. The Ballad Of Buffalo Brogan is a compelling love story with a lyric so vivid you can see the characters as their story unfolds. Yet it’s a tale about love and loss that doesn’t have a happy ending.
The songs on the album cover a broad range of topics and emotional territory. Now 30 and a father of two young sons, Brenn never lacks for inspiration. She Loves Me Anyway is a light-hearted portrait of a relationship in which the wife’s love overcomes the husband’s shortcomings. Among the album’s highlights is the poignant Simple Things, which celebrates what matters most in life. On the more somber side, The Ballad of Pogue and Elms chronicles the killings of two law enforcement officers in a notorious incident.
WHAT A MAN’S GOT TO DO marks the first time Brenn has produced his own album. "I know these songs more than anybody," he says. "I hear them as I write them now and I guess that’s something that only comes from experience. I wanted to serve the function of producer myself to be true to the songs that I’ve written. I know I couldn’t have done that 10 years ago, but five or six records and having the opportunity to work with great producers who are songwriters themselves, like Ian Tyson and Eddie Schwartz, has allowed me to do that."
In addition to writing, singing and producing, Brenn is very hands on in other aspects of his career. He’s toured relentlessly over the past few years and developed a strong sense of how to connect with his audience. Such experience has bolstered his confidence and is evident throughout WHAT A MAN’S GOT TO DO. "I know who I’m making this music for and why I’m doing it," he says. "All of that certainly was part of the approach here, even down to the title, WHAT A MAN’S GOT TO DO. That’s a title that is all about a sense of purpose."
Brenn Hill is a young artist with a very well-defined sense of purpose and the talent to carry it through. "I describe myself as a little bit of George Strait, a little bit of Bruce Springsteen, and a whole lot of Ian Tyson and John Denver," says Brenn, who has been inspired by many kinds of music, but has always known he wanted to make Western music his home. "The music is a way that I can try to bring that lifestyle back to the forefront of people’s hearts and minds, and it gives me a sense of purpose. I feel like I’m accomplishing something with my music. If I can activate the people who live this Western lifestyle as well as the people who are fascinated with this lifestyle, maybe I’ve accomplished something beyond making music."

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/4/2007
Band Website: www.brennhill.com
Influences:

Sounds Like:
“One of the western community’s most promising stars”
– Billboard

"Every time I see and hear Brenn Hill, he just keeps getting better and better. His love of the west shines through in his music."
– Ian Tyson

“Hill is a bridge between western music’s best traditions and the future of the genre as cowboys and cowboy singers evolve with the changing times. Hill’s music echoes the integrity, morality, and character associated with legends like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry while also exploring contemporary themes.”
– Billboard


Click Here to Buy
Endangered

Record Label: Red Cliffs Press
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Message from Brenn re Briggs Hill

To All My Valued Friends, On November 11th, 2008, my son Briggs was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer.  On the 12th of November, he had a massive brain tumor removed.  It was loca...
Posted by on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:44:00 GMT

Brenn guests on Ralphs Backporch radio show this Friday, October 17

This Friday, October 17, at 7:30pm CDT (6:30pm MDT), Brenn appears on Ralph's Backporch radio show.   If you're unfamiliar with the show, it airs every Friday evening from 7pm to 9pm Central ti...
Posted by on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:17:00 GMT

UNITED KINGDOM COUNTRY MAGAZINE FEATURES BRENN ON COVER

In the United Kingdom and throughout Europe (indeed, around the rest of the world outside of North America) the term 'country music' embraces all forms of the genre - new country, traditional count...
Posted by on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:07:00 GMT

WHATS IN A SONG FEATURES BRENN THIS SUNDAY ON NPRS WEEKEND EDITION

This Sunday, August 3, What's in a Song, the Western Folklife Center's occasional series aired on NPR's Weekend Edition about one song and its story, features Brenn and his song Debt, written afte...
Posted by on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:55:00 GMT

BRENN TO PERFORM WITH RENO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Brenn makes his debut with a symphony orchestra when he appears with the Reno Philharmonic at the sixth annual Wells Fargo Rhythm & Rawhide Benefit Concert on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at the new Tus...
Posted by on Fri, 09 May 2008 11:49:00 GMT

Benefit Concert For Scott Eastman - Randolph, Utah, 4/5/08

On Saturday, April 5th, I’ll be performing a concert at Rich High School gym in Randolph, Utah to benefit Scott Eastman, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Recently, Scott has been diagnosed w...
Posted by on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:37:00 GMT

Western Horseman Interviews Brenn for November 2007 Issue

Brenn's "signature sound" was recently profiled by Jennifer Denison for a three-page feature in Western Horseman's November 2007 Issue. In the article, Brenn discusses his songwriting inspirations, mu...
Posted by on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:33:00 GMT

Brenn To Headline Benefit For Crandall Canyon Miners on Saturday, 8/25

My heart goes out to the good people of Carbon and Emery counties here in Utah. The Crandall Canyon Mine tragedy has literally hit home. The people of this area are faithful and value their tradition...
Posted by on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:52:00 GMT

AMERICAN COWBOY Praises Brenns What A Mans Got To Do CD

Here's what American Cowboy has to say about Brenn's latest album in their September/October issue:Songwriter/singer/musician Brenn Hill has been among the brightest names in Western music for the pa...
Posted by on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:40:00 GMT

WHAT A MAN'S GOT TO DO, Brenn's new CD, is now available!

WHAT A MAN'S GOT TO DO, Brenn's sixth CD, is now available here. Like Brenn's previous albums, WHAT A MAN'S GOT TO DO contains songs that speak boldly of ...
Posted by on Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:35:00 GMT