MICHAEL LEE HILL: Music From Here To Andromeda

Michael Lee Hill

Music From Here To Andromeda

© 2007 Michael Lee Hill (837101319812)

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A moving collection of rock instrumentals by Michael Lee Hill, the artist personally selected by Steve Vai as the winner on the Ibanez/Steve Vai/Tonos guitar challenge.

notes

For as long as he can remember, musician Michael Lee Hill has been hopelessly addicted to the guitar. At a young age he discovered a natural talent for the instrument, easily learning songs by ear from the radio and quickly absorbing any learning material he could find. His appetite for making music increased in leaps and bounds when the guitar became a means to express complex ideas and emotions largely unaddressed in his “normal” life of school and growing up. Mike was soon spending several hours each day and night concentrating on his craft, often forsaking his friends and social life so he could continue creating music and reaching new heights on the instrument. This would continue through his teens and twenties. Now at age 38, with more than 25 years of playing under his fingers, Michael Lee Hill emerges from obscurity in Ohio with the release of Music From Here To Andromeda, a 23-song concept album showcasing Michael's guitar mastery and exposing deep-running spiritual & metaphysical interests as well. This collection of music is being used in the new David Sereda film From Here to Andromeda and was remastered and compiled from Michael's past two CDs, plus there is a lot new material for your listening pleasure as well.

Music From Here to Andromeda was written, recorded and realized by Michael himself, who created his own indie label, Moment Point Records, to release the CD this year. Counting Edward Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Prince as his most significant musical influences, Michael Lee Hill draws from these and other sources of inspiration while never sacrificing one ounce of his own identity; tracks like “Feeling September” and “The Lifting” capture a tenderness and musical sensitivity that runs throughout most of Music From Here To Andromeda while “Testing 1,2,3” pulls out the stops and keeps punching. Michael also gets to salute his hero Jimi Hendrix in “Jimi's Communication,” a recorded improvisation with a groove that feels five feet thick. In an age when too many guitar records sound like everybody else's, Music From Here to Andromeda is a refreshing and satisfying disc of mammoth proportions.

In 2001, Tonos.com teamed with Steve Vai and Ibanez Guitars for the Tonos Guitar Challenge, which sought the guitarist who could record the most creative and “best” re-interpretation of the famous Steve Vai recording "Jibboom". Thousands of guitarists from around the globe entered but Steve Vai personally selected Michael Lee Hill's entry as the winner of the competition (Hill also received an Ibanez guitar designed by Steve). A mentoring session with Vai would follow, in Detroit at the G3 concert with Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Billy Sheehan, and Vai granted permission to Michael to release “Jibboom” (Michael's version, featuring the original drum and bass tracks by Mike Mangini and Philip Bynoe) on Michael's previous release Frozen Thought.

Music From Here to Andromeda follows Hill's 1999 debut solo release, All That Is, which was well received in the “guitar underground” but never gained national attention, and Frozen Thought which was released in 2001. Fiercely independent, Michael Lee Hill recorded, produced, and released Music From Here to Andromeda himself, and is supporting the release with music press and live performances. He has recently signed an endorsement deal with Peavey and Michael now proudly endorses Peavey Joe Satriani JSX amplifiers and HP Special Guitars.

Michael is also an avid UFO researcher and his own UFO footage has been featured on Fox News, CBS news, Coast to Coast, Rense.com, hbccufo.org and in the feature films UFO's Unplugged with Dan Aykroyd, and David Sereda's latest film From Here to Andromeda which Michael also Co-Produced. Michael Lee Hill's official website is michaelleehill.com.

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  • We have “lift -off.”
    author: Jasper the CD Review Guy

    CD Review Michael Lee Hill …Music From Here to Andromeda. By Jasper the CD Review Guy Five - Four-Three-Two-One …We have “lift -off.” We now are embarking on our journey to Andromeda. If there was traveling music for a long spaceship ride, Michael Lee Hill’s Music From Here to Andromeda is it! No kidding man. This all but one instrumental 23 song concept CD travels through the tests of light years. And traveling 2 and a half million light years to Andromeda, 75 minutes of Michael Lee’s guitar mastery will make the travel time seem a lot shorter. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own, the Milky Way, and is visible as a faint smudge on a moonless night to the naked eye. In his recently released DVD From Here to Andromeda , David Sereda is convinced we will not survive global warming because there is not enough people to support the fight against it. He plans to travel to Andromeda to find a new home for him and his family. Michael Lee provides us with the music soundtrack as well co-producer of the DVD. You remember the cover story in the Voice, Issue 2 Vol. 8. Michael Lee has told us of his UFO sightings, and what they are trying to tell us. We also learned how Michael entered, and WON the Steve Vai Guitar Challenge. The music is quite fitting for the spirituality and metaphysical feelings we get throughout the trip. How did we go from UFO sightings to Steve Vai ? The answer is in The Voice Vol. 8 Issue 2. Michael Lee Hill is heavily influenced by Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Two guitar wizards that are, without a doubt, respected by the entire music industry. These influences very much are showcased in Music From Here to Andromeda . If you like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, you can easily add this CD to your likings. Michael Lee’s original style of playing coupled with these influences definitely puts him in a class all his own. I like how Michael put’s the music first as opposed of just showcasing his guitar virtuosity. With so many variations of sounds, it is very easy to listen to, over and over. You can listen to it while driving, working out, or even flying, not to mention just to sit and listen to. The songs all have a picturesque meaning to their titles with Michael’s instrumental compositions for each song. Song’s like “Emerald Hill’ and “Above The Clouds“ gives you visions of just that. Carefully orchestrated, and well thought out designs to these songs, Joe and Steve can be proud of their mentoring Michael Lee. I will say “Wormhole Boogie” reminds me of something from Joe’s Surfing With The Alien album. “Island Haze” has such a pleasant melody to it then Michael adds his poetic sounding leads in. Title tune,” From Here to Andromeda” is the most ethereal, celestial sounding thing you will hear in the CD. You’ll appreciate it much more once you watch the DVD and hear it there. “This is The Real Me” has a funky beat and a spooky voice exclaiming “this is the real me” very faintly in the background. The thought provoking title, “The Anima and The Animus” defined as the unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the persona, or outer aspect of the personality. In the unconscious of the male, it finds expression as a feminine inner personality: anima; equivalently, in the unconscious of the female, it is expressed as a masculine inner personality: animus. With some melodic acoustic picking and strumming, shows how well Michael can be so versatile. The final track, “The Reason” is the only song not written by Michael and the only one with lyrics. Written and sung by Thom Cordiak, also featured on guitar and bass to his credit. An emotional ballad “The Reason” is an excellent way to close out this CD. “The Reason” speaks of a lifetime of waiting and being gone which makes us feel how alone we will be when David finally finds his way to Andromeda. Because the reason he is gone, is there was no way to sing his next song without us by his side. Music From Here to Andromeda is available just about anywhere. Check out www.michaelleehill.com and www.fromheretoandromeda.com for more info.

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