The list of Frequently Asked Questions and the News Page of Trajectory, the Veda Hille mailing list.
She's wonderful, and like most of the ecto pantheon, rather hard to describe. Quirky. Lively. Great lyrics. Distinctive voice. A little folky, rocky, jazzy, with rich and evocative songwriting. One of the most amazing songwriters and performers around. I can't recommend her music highly enough. Also wonderful live. Veda's work continues to resonate for me over time—each of her recordings give me more each time I listen to them, as though they're going through a continual opening, or I am each time I listen to them, I don't know. All I know is that I never tire of her music, and Veda is now by far my favourite musical artist.
I was lucky enough to start listening to Veda with songs about people on buildings immediately followed by path of a body. I liked her a lot immediately. When I started seeing her live and spine was released I really began to notice her technical range and emotional power, and the very crack-my-head-open nature of songs like "26 years" made her one of my personal musical goddesses. spine grew to be one of my very favourite albums of 1994 and one of my favourite albums ever. It's Veda's combination of willingness to take musical and emotional risks with killer hooks that get me every time.
Those who are into the more folk side will like songs about people and buildings. path of a body is easier to take than spine. spine is edgy and brilliant. Here is a picture is the most amazing portrait of someone's artistic life that I can imagine. Different people will like different albums, but might consider starting from the beginning, at least on first listen if that's at all possible.
With the release of each of Veda's albums since the first two (songs about people and buildings and path of a body) which I got at the same time, the more I've heard the albums the more important to me and rich they have become. There's at a slow start, then a huge upsurge but it never seems to level off: each time I listen to spine and here is a picture and now you do not live in this world alone I hear more and am affected by more. I always immediately like them, but get more and more enthusiastic about them the more I hear them until I suddenly adore them. Each one of them has to build for me. My theory is that it's because her songwriting is unusual—it takes a while to be able to really hear it. And gradually, I grow to adore them all.
This is why Veda is my favourite artist, and shows every sign of staying in that place in my heart for a long time. There's something so rich and human about her hesitancies, her passions, her pains, her angers, her joys, her peace.
Given/despite all the hundreds (well, probably thousands) of artists we've discussed here on ecto and I have subsequently listen to over the years, Veda is my ultimate favourite artist. She has been since spine, and everything she's done since then has simply confirmed that opinion. If you don't at least try her music, you're really missing something. Surprisingly to me not everyone here adores her as much as I do, but many here do. She's challenging, and some people don't like that. I do.
After reading message after message raving about her, I was anxious to hear her music, and I have to say that I was unprepared for what I heard. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn't it. Her voice was nothing like I thought it would be, and the songs seemed...well...depressing. BUT...I still thought it was very intelligent and emotional music.
I do adore Veda Hille, her piano work is incredible...and distinctive, as well...I can't compare her to any other female pianists...she doesn't sound like Tori *or* Sarah Slean *or* Fiona Apple *or* Emily Bezar. She sounds like Veda Hille, which is the mark of a good artist: the ability to have a distinctive style.
You might think it's impossible for me to be objective when it comes to the music of Veda Hille, but the truth is that I can totally see where everyone who's confessing to not being able to get into her is coming from. I felt the same way for a long time.
We had Path Of A Body for well over a year before I ever really listened to it. woj had put it on quite a bit, but I was always doing something else and I never paid any attention to it. I wasn't wowed by it at all. Then we got Spine, and I didn't really like it all that much until one night I stopped and actually *listened* to "26 Years". I immediately started the album over again and I realized just how wonderful it is. Then I really listened to Path Of A Body, and discovered that what sounded generic in the background was really a layered, offbeat work of art that unfolded itself in all sorts of wonderful ways. I actually listen to this album a lot more than I do Spine—Spine makes me uncomfortable when I listen to it, which isn't a bad thing, and I think it's a brilliant album even so. And I hate the artwork too. But artwork does not a good album make. I just put it under something so I don't have to look at it. It is true that there really isn't anything special about her voice—but it's what she's singing and what's going on underneath it: that's where her brilliance lies.
I guess what all this is saying is, sometimes it takes time. I went from an "eh" reaction to Veda, to her becoming my supreme musical goddess. Seeing her perform live helps, too. She is simply one of the best live performers I have ever seen. You should definitely pick up her other albums, though—I'm sure you won't be disappointed! And yes, if you ever get the chance, you *must* see her play live.
Regarding Veda's albums: "ALL OF THEM! GET THEM ALL! YOU KNOW YOU NEED THEM!"
Path of a Body is, to me, more of a rock album with more traditional song structures. It's great, but not as out-there-interesting as some of the later stuff. I'm a big fan of here Is a Picture, though for some reason I seem to always fixate on Veda muttering, "dirty dirty dirty". But how could you leave out You Do Not Live in this World Alone? While some of the interludes drive me a bit batty, it's got some of her most amazing songs, including "Killzone!" and "The Williamsburg Bridge".
One thing that strikes me about Veda every time I see her live is how comfortable she seems relating to the audience, how mature and strong she comes across, and how funny, too! Another thing is, she keeps getting better and better each time I see her. I assume it's because I'm able to appreciate her more with each exposure, and to me that's a sign of an artist with substance and depth. She was better than ever last night. One of the things I love about Veda is her willingness to muck about with unconventional keys and chords and times and so on. And as she bangs away at the keyboard like a woman possessed, I'm reminded of an interview of Tori Amos in which she says something like she's not a great pianist in a technical sense, but she *understands* the piano. Well, here's another woman who *understands* the piano, and music in general. Veda is one woman whose capacity for musical expression seems boundless. Unfortunately those things that I love about Veda are perhaps those that keep her from mainstream success.
I was blown away by how brilliant she was live.
Veda Hille played a great show at the Acoustic Cafe (Bridgeport, CT) in June. It was my first time seeing Veda in... well, way too long. Veda was simply jawdropping.
When I'm sitting in a room watching Veda Hille perform I am 100% sure that if a brick were to fall on my head in the next five minutes, I'll die happy.
The a cappella "birdsong" aria is an as-yet-unrecorded piece which was commissioned by someone. It consists of Veda singing in the style of the indigenous British Columbian songbirds, and as the piece goes on you realize that not only is she singing words, but they're lyrics and they tell a story. It's incredible. (The first few lines are: "Heeere, sweetsweet...Heeeere, sweetsweet, chickadee chickadee sweetsweet sorrow....") I was amused to see her run that straight into "Killzone" (the most kickass song she's ever written) again, like she did at the Vancouver Folk Festival—that just works SO well. It's jarring and subversive and makes everyone jump about a foot when it happens. I love it.
"Shamus And Stone" was the surprise of the night. I'd never heard her play it before, and Zubot & Dawson added just the right touches with their fiddle and steel guitar, respectively. I usually skip over that track on Spine, coming as it does at the end of the album and it's never really done much for me, but live it was a revelation.
The second, solo encore was a delight. I didn't recognize the Morrissey song as such, but I knew it was a cover. Then when that was done she was noodling at the piano obviously trying to decide what to play, and into that moment of indecision I tossed out a request for "26 Years", which she immediately launched into. I was really happy—I'd been thinking to myself that that song was the only thing missing from the evening, and others in the room were obviously happy to hear it as well.
Personnel-wise, there weren't any surprises—I'd sort of been thinking some people besides the Skilled And Devoted Band might show up, it being a hometown show and all, but it remained just Ford Pier, Barry Murachnick, and Martin Walton backing Veda up. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. :) Ford managed to play every instrument on the stage over the course of the set, including French Horn and melodica at various points. He never ceases to amaze me.
EctoFest West: Next it was Veda Hille's turn to take the stage. I was almost beside myself by that point, as it had been almost a year and a half since I'd last gotten to hear her play. She opened on the tenor guitar with "INSTRUCTIONS", then moved to the glorious grand piano and did a set of songs from Field Study, interspersed with some songs that really allowed her to cut loose on the piano, including the loosest rendition of "Driven" that I've ever heard. She remarked after that song that she wanted to take that piano with her everywhere, and play it every night for the rest of her life. After each song the applause got louder, until the standing ovation at the end of her set which brought her back for the first encore of the evening, a stunning version of the hymn "Tuktiaktuk" from Field Study.
i was lucky to be at the cd launch earlier this month (with art), which was wonderful. veda puts on such a great show. first she opened with duplex, which was fun—i hadn't seen them perform before. then, out came the eight-piece veda orchestra and off we went on another veda musical extravaganza. some new faces and some people she's been playing with forever like ford pier, patsy klein, peggy lee, and the bass player whose name i forget.
i had not even heard samples of the new songs before this, and i must confess i don't have great concert hearing, but i thoroughly enjoyed the show anyway. i haven't actually had much chance to listen to the cd yet, though i think if it weren't veda i might have had a somewhat nonplussed first reaction, but i *know* by now that most anything veda does is going to grow on me pretty quickly, so i just kept listening and i quite love it now, though i still don't feel i've fully grokked it.
Blame it on Halloween, on the sudden cold snap, or on the fact that London was all ectoed out, but Veda played to a dismally small crowd at the 12 Bar last night. For those of you out there who know the 12 Bar, it's quite something when that place feels cavernous and cold.
I spoke to Veda beforehand, and she admitted that this tour hadn't been very highly publicised (I only found out about it last week, myself), but she still went on to give a great show, although at 45 minutes it was a bit shorter than I'd hoped. It was great to finally hear songs from the excellent Return of the Kildeer done live, and she threw in some new songs from an album she'll be recording in the new year which sounded great. She'd brought the tenor guitar along, but only played a couple of songs on it and mainly stuck to keyboards.
I just wanted to be the first to praise Veda's concert in Seattle last night. She appeared solo, but managed to captivate everyone.
Just a few interesting facts for you all.
Veda announced at the start of her concert that she had just gotten married twelve days ago. She flashed her ring to my friends and I before the concert. Veda seemed happy and in top form. No odd Veda-hair; perhaps wedded bliss has calmed her hair?
Veda also talked about the new cd she will be recording this fall—whose themes/obsessions she said are science and nature—and then went on to play an absolutely beautiful new piece whose lyrics were in part taken from a science report she wrote at the age of six.
There were a few technical difficulties at the onset of her set, mostly revolving around her breaking two strings during her first song.
Veda played a selection from Here is a picture, and did a stunning acoustic version of "Williamsburg Bridge." Also, highlights for me were "Born Lucky" and "Thin."
Veda was premiering and also recording live a new series of songs (Field Study) based on science and nature and on her trip to the Yukon this past summer with a bunch of other performance artists. It is an incredible sequence of songs, incorporating, seamlessly, a couple of her earlier pieces. It was really affecting, and I feel honoured to have been there to hear it at the actual recording. And I tried to be quiet as a mouse, honest I did. And I managed to sit on my hands and not applaud in between songs, as she asked us not to do because it would interrupt the flow of the songs, and I'm so glad she did. It made the experience that much more powerful.
It was just her, solo, at the piano, and behind her some stunning video work that she herself had commissioned to go with the songs.
An amazing show. Veda truly knocks me out every time I hear her live. And on record, for that matter.
We saw her for a brief moment before the show, just long enough for her to say that she was sick as a dog. You would never have known from the power of her presence, or of her voice, or of her performance that she was feeling a hair less than magnificent.
U.S. and Canadian stores that sell independent recordings and by mail order from Ball of Flames Productions. Also available at most online disc sellers.
The first thing that struck me about the CD was the packaging—it was kinda repulsive when you looked closer and realised the "Spine" placard was sewn onto her. (Then again, I put myself into those situations when I look at pictures like that and think, "wow, if I did that it would really hurt!") The music itself is pleasant, which probably sounds like damning with faint praise. I have a feeling I'm going to have to see her live for so much of these songs to go beyond the pleasant stage and actually register with me. I like her dark, aphoristic songwriting and strong voice, but some of the songs sound like tributes to other songwriters I like. Which isn't necessarily an insult, since it's not as blatant as, say, Jewel's "tributes" to Ani Difranco and Tori Amos—I can actually hear Veda underneath. There are sections of the first song that sound like Tori Amos' new single, and parts of "6 Feet of Silence" remind me of Nina Simone's "Four Women". My opinion of Veda is overall favourable, though a bit lukewarm. Spine made me want to seek out more of her stuff, which is hardly a bad thing.
Yes, Spine is a very uncomfortable listen, and the cover art does match the whole feel of the album. (For those who don't know, the cover shows Veda's upper back and the back of her head with a placard reading "Spine" sewn—yes, sewn—between her shoulder blades. Other pictures show various stages of the attachment.) It sounds like the instruments are all just slightly out of tune—not enough to be annoying, but just enough to put you on edge. Which leads me to my theory: Some people will find, like riding in a boat or car, that it makes them sick. Some may not be able to physically listen to the album.
A 7" 33rpm spinner. Cover has the Fig. 53 Pulse sketch. Inside labels have sketches of two men trying to revive a woman.
Presently in Canadian stores that carry indie releases or by mail from Ball of Flames Productions. Soon to have U.S. distribution.
Barry Mirochnick—drums, tambourine, toy piano, real piano on "Clumbsy," voice, small things hit with sticks, keyboard on "Ponyride," guitar on "3xthin"
Alex Varty—glassy guitar on "Veterans," right side of the guitar argument on "Killzone!"
It's worth the trouble to get it. I'm starting to get used to the studio versions after hearing the songs live so many times, and after a shaky start it's growing on me very quickly. It's strange to be already intimately familiar with every single song on a CD before you ever hear it. I have the live versions ingrained in my brain, and it's taking time to sort them out so I can deal with them not only from the studio, but in the order in which they've been placed. Plus, there is some electronic noise/noodling underlying the entire thing, which instead of enhancing the experience for me is just distracting.
Bessie Wapp, SB Boyko, Christine Duncan—vocal contributions on "birdsong"
Ford Pier, Martin Walson—electric guitar, lap steel on "Little Wind"
Christof Migone—"donated som clicks for bloom"
Overall it's a very understated album, focusing mainly on the piano. I was expecting this since I knew she had recorded the piano and vocals in live performance last December. I had heard 5 of the songs on a sampler, and honestly wasn't sure if I was looking forward to the whole thing, but with everything in context it works wonderfully. It's a beautiful piece of work. Veda continues to be a master at telling stories with her songwriting, in particularly the stories of other people ("Yukon Ho!"). Even her little stepdaughter shares a writing credit, on the relatively bombastic "Evolver".
The liner notes are great, and come complete with footnotes. I don't like the packaging (digipak, ugh), but that's a minor thing.
I found myself wondering as I listened to it, where on earth I would file it if I owned a record store. You don't see too many "brilliant conceptual art" sections nowadays. I would imagine it would go into a bin with Robin Holcomb and Christine Fellows, labeled "gorgeous slightly twisted piano soundscapes".
Barry Mirochnick—drums and xylophone, electric tenor guitar on "The Ballad of Marie Sanders"
John Korsrud—trumpet, flugelhorn, musical top, horn arrangements, shouting on "Instructions"
Henry Christian—trumpet, flugelhorn, shouting on "Instructions"
Dennis Esson—trombone, shouting on "Instructions"
There's a lot about this album I love: The exuberance of songs I already know and love like "INSTRUCTIONS" and "Killzone!" and of new songs "Bedlam" and "Lying." The interludes, very funny, which are such a wonderful offering into her personality. The horns on "A Peculiar Value." "Seasoned" which is stripped-down, slowed-down, and quite haunting. The version of "Tuktoyaktuk Hymn" with the crowd softly singing along is beautiful; I like it much better than the version on Field Study which I almost always skip over.
There are a few things I don't like: "The Ballad of Marie Sanders," "Song for Snake," "With no caring" (mostly because of the horns, I think). And "Precious Heart," one of my favorite songs ever, I find fairly unrecognizable here. I hope it will grow on me.
"Being a happy roughshod edition of the song cycle commissioned by the Vancouver Folk Music Fetstival in honour of their 25th Anniversary, July 2002."
I just absolutely love this album, and it's such a pleasure. It's the first Veda Hille album in a while that has not had to grow on me; I just loved it from the start. "You Know That Song?" is a clever amalgam of songs, many of which you will recognize. "Instructions" is redone on the theme of campground rules. "Road to Nowhere" is so joyful, I can picture a crowd singing along, and I feel like I am there with them.
All the songs are wonderful, and they range in styles. Some like "Nostalgia Song" sound like they could have come from Here Is a Picture. "Stepdaughter's Delight" is solo piano with traditional Irish elements while "Comrades" contains some words from "Selected Jewish Songs for Members of the Armed Forces," and I hear traditional Jewish elements or influence in the music too. "Bedlam" would fit on Spine or You Do Not Live In This World Alone.
I love it too—it's kind of funny to think of it as an "album", though, since it's basically just a quick recording of a one-off song cycle that may never be performed in the same way again. Silver was a wonderful surprise. I had no idea what to expect—all I knew is that it is what she did for the Vancouver Folk Festival this year, and that was it. Well, it's by turns brilliant and hilarious, even hilariously brilliant. The pastiche of lyrics from classic folk songs (called, I believe, "Do You Know This Song?") is great...and the revamped version of "INSTRUCTIONS", in which the "instructions" are a recitation of the rules of the Festival ("One: Pick up your trash. Two: no booze here...") is absolutely hilarious.
Veda Hille—vocals, piano, organ, keyboards, tenor guitar; string arrangements for "Book of Saints"
Just resurfacing, briefly, to announce the imminent arrival of "this riot life," Veda Hille's latest album, I was lucky enough to get a slightly advance copy of it, and got my first listen at 2 am one morning, swathed in a fevered insomnia and reading the third volume in Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" sequence. All very atmospheric and fitting, as it turned out.
In recent years, I've felt, Veda has been fusing Americana with a sort of rocked-out Kurt Weill sensibility. In this one, she puts aside the Americana and picks up....the hymnal. What we have is a collection of songs mostly constructed around the lyrics of hymns (one track, "o come on" has lyrics pieced together, mostly, from the first lines of hymns collected in one hymnal). I used the words baffling, intriguing and enchanting to describe my initial reaction to this (Veda found that amusing). As an atheist, it's hard for me to be engaged by some of the words, but there is such a wonderful, haunting, devotional tone to the whole piece that it's hard not to get carried away. The arrangements certainly help: string and brass and heart-breaking harmonies all combine to make this an incredibly tender and uplifting experience. One song, "Cowper's Folly" (based on a poem by William Cowper) is fast becoming my tune of the moment, played over and over and over just for the sheer, breathtaking beauty of it. The album also includes "lucklucky," which has already become a personal anthem of mine, and "soapland serenade," which Hille composed with Maiko Bae Yamamoto for the show Sexual Practices of the Japanese by Theatre Replacement.
Veda once again, has delivered the unexpected (even the riot life sampler didn't prepare me for the scale of this) and it is a winner.
As always, I had my early moments of worrying that I wouldn't like this album as much as her previous efforts, but over time grew to love it more and more until it's a favourite (just don't ask me whether I like it better than any of her previous albums because I like them all best for their own different reasons).
This album is yet more proof (as though that were needed) that Veda is one of the most creative forces out there, and one of the few artists capable of exploring new territory and yet keeping it all powerfully, hit-the-repeat-button listenable. Who thought I would love an album where a lot of the material is inspired by hymns? I would never have, would have sworn I'd hate it, yet I love this album. The first time I heard it (and I have to admit, this happens the first time I hear any of her albums) I thought, "well, she's finally lost me," but that initial impression disappeared immediately on the second listen, and turned to "wow, listen to this, and *this* and **this**".
I put off buying this for a long time. It hadn't hit Amazon yet, I rationalized, and besides, and besides...I suppose I had expected it to be too arty, too impenetrable, something I can admire at a distance but not quite love. In fact, it's the opposite. It even has a grenade of a pop song. There's a lot of artistry here, but at the same time, it's incredibly forceful—not that those two things are mutually exclusive by any means, but when they come together, you get amazing things. At least one reviewer has panned "Ace of the Nazarene" as "megachurchy", but if I ever ran across megachurch music with this much genuine drama and bombast, I may be convinced to reassess the whole concept. This may be the most accessible song on the album, but it isn't the one that grabbed me first. That would be "The Moon," with its dotty piano part that perfectly complements the lyrics (a poem by Shelley).
Veda duetted with meryn cadell on a live Bob Snider tribute album called poetreason, released in 1996. Her spoken word track, "well i guess not", appeared on the lit from within compilation. She also contributes "bellyfish" (recorded live on 26 june 1997) to the WFUV (New York City)'s compilation, city folk live. Two duets with Robin Holcomb appear on the 2004 tribute album Poor Boy—Songs of Nick Drake.
Entry last updated 2017-04-12 21:28:49.