Interview with Sano Hill about "Time Out"

Hey Sano Hill, could you tell me a few things about yourself?

I’m a singer songwriter based in Galway in Ireland who writes and performs melodic acoustic rock songs that are influenced by life, love and loss – and my musical and literary influences. I try to bring integrity and emotional honesty to what I do both in composition and performance and hopefully it comes through in the songs. I come from a musical family originally from Cavan (a small rural county in South Ulster) – my mother leads a traditional music group still there! – so I was always surrounded by music growing up and have been writing my own songs as long as I can remember. I moved to Galway to go to University and have been here ever since and Galway has such a rich music and broader cultural scene – my music has grown out of that background. Though I wasn’t recording or performing publicly for some time, when the pandemic arrived I went back into the studio and have put together my tracks for a forthcoming album due out in the Autumn.

What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?

I believe that the songs I write speak to people – they have soul and depth and strong melodies that connect with listeners. When I write I try to bring integrity to what I do and say something meaningful in the songs that people hopefully can connect with – and maybe sing along with! These are songs of hope ultimately, though they also chart pain and challenging circumstances, be it in relationships, life or the challenges we face as a species given how fucked up the world is right now socially and environmentally. But there is always hope and that’s what I try to communicate in my songs. The possibility that we can overcome.

What does music mean to you?

Music for me provides a way of making sense of what’s going on in my life and the world around us – it can also provide us, as artists, performers, and listeners, with the possibility of connecting with a key component – perhaps the most important aspect – of who we are: creativity and compassion.

What could you tell me about your new single, ”Time Out ”?

‘Time Out’ charts the story of a singer/songwriter trying to make a living and dreaming of success. Set in Galway city, I’ve tried to capture some of the colour and feel of the place, with references to experiences I’ve had, stories I’ve heard and places associated with the city. It starts out as I usually start out in terms of the composition of most of my songs with me and my guitar before bringing a full band arrangement to capture and reflect the hope of rock success in the future expressed in the song – the reference in the chorus ‘I could be a rockstar’ is somewhat mischievous however – I don’t seriously expect that to ever happen (hence the laughter on the track) but it’s fun to imagine it might! I was fortunate to collaborate with some incredible people on this and all the tracks on the forthcoming album, including the Irish producer Larry Hogan (who plays bass and lead guitar here), with final mixing and mastering completed by the brilliant engineer and producer Braddon Williams who has previously worked with some amazing artists, including Beyonce, Mark Ronson, Billy Joel, and The Script.

What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?

To truly create and connect with music and song, it has to come from and be expressed with passion – otherwise it’s mostly just noise or wasted effort. You have to feel passionate about the music and (as a singer) the words you sing, to bring integrity and real meaning to what you do. That’s critical to me as a singer in particular.

What are your plans for the future?

The big focus for the remainder of this year is to get the album – titled ‘If Not Now, When?’ – out. It’s nearly there – final mixing and mastering is ongoing – ‘Time Out’ is my seventh single so for those who want to get a further taste of what is coming there, check out my profile wherever you stream music (and on my bandcamp site) with videos for all songs also on my YouTube channel – you’ll find all my links at https://linktr.ee/SanoHill

What important message would you like to share with our readers?

Please give the music a listen, and if you like what you hear, help me continue to make music by liking/downloading the tracks where you stream, subscribing on my YouTube channel, and telling others – and maybe downloading some of my music through my bandcamp page. With almost no return from streaming, bandcamp is critical for indie musicians trying to make a living.

What do you feel is the best song that you have ever released and why?

Leave the hardest question till the end why don’t you! I’m really not sure – maybe CircleWalk. That was an incredibly hard song to write as it came out of a very dark time in my life going through relationship breakdown and trying to capture what it is like when a couple can’t communicate anymore – I worked hard with Larry on getting the instrumention right, including bringing in brass as well as a retro guitar and percussion sound – I think overall it is perhaps the best I’ve released to date – but ‘Time Out’ is very close, and hopefully there is even better to come!