Micah P. Hinson’s first appearance to the world at large was 12 years ago with the release of …and The Gospel of Progress. At the time, being accused of being a scumbag, a drug addict, being raised by a God-wielding parental set of snake-handling weirdos, bouts of homelessness (these all to be contested by what is truth and what is not, as both run a heavy stream splitting his world), he is now headlong, and worlds away, from these allegations, truths and fibs, and has toured the world, put his songs to tape and released records (some acclaimed, some not), and always holding the flame of songwriting as something like a Holy Grail to his chest.
With albums under his belt such as The Baby and The Satellite, The Opera Circuit, The Red Empire Orchestra, The Pioneer Saboteurs, and The Nothing, along with others, we can still find him pushing forward with new work spilling out of his hands, always looking for the new melody or the new song for the People. Although he hasn’t released a record in sometime, due to the birth of his first born son, there seems to always be something going on in his life that would attempt to hender his productions, such as broken spines, near fatal van accidents in strange lands, the temporary loss of his arms and split nerves, Hinson never lets that torch flame dwindle or let a plume of smoke be seen instead.
With Hinson’s new tour of Europe this coming Spring, he his glad to be able to begin playing live what will be his newest LP, as well as promoting his project Broken Arrows, which has been called anything from ‘Desert Metal’ to a ‘Santo and Johnny Acid Trip’. 12 years is quite a long stint in this modern age, with the masses always seeming to bend an ear and eye to everything new and shiny, but only Father Time knows, or will tell, when that stretch will coming burning and crashing beneath him.
He is faithful to Music, ever hopeful that Music is faithful to him, and he is coming to tell you all about it, as always, with his eyes set to the Future and all that that will and can be.
WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL
THEKLA BRISTOL The Grove, Bristol BS1 4RB Doors 7:00pm Ages 14+
Micah P. Hinson was born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, into a Christian household. He began to experiment with music, living in Abilene, Texas in his early teens. In the relative isolation of this town, he became immersed in the local music scene. In 2003, Hinson teamed up with Texas collective, The Earlies, who provided a lush backdrop for his winsome tales of love, loss and regret. ‘Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress’, his debut full-length, was released on Sketchbook Records, UK, late 2004. The album received excellent reviews from a number of critics, captivated by Hinson’s stark exploration of the emotional fall-out from a failed relationship. The following year his early recordings were given a proper release on Sketchbook Records, UK, and Jade Tree, US, under the title ‘The Baby and the Satellite’. Tours followed, with the young artist opening for acts such as Will Oldham, Calexico and Iron & Wine. 2008 saw the release of ‘Micah P. Hinson And the Red Empire Orchestra’ – his first album for the UK label Full Time Hobby – followed by the covers album ‘All Dressed Up and Smelling Of Strangers’ – a collection of songs with obvious personal resonance – and in 2010, his most recent, the stunning, ‘Micah P. Hinson and the Pioneer Saboteurs’. ‘Micah P. Hinson and the Nothing’, his first release on French label Talitres, comprises a collection of songs written before a bad car accident, whilst touring Spain during the summer of 2011. Flown back to Texas, doctors were consulted and the future use of Micah’s arms hung in the balance. With this in mind, he began listening to demos he’d made before the Spanish trip. The songs took on a new light and he began sending them off to people around the world including The Twilight Sad and his Texan side-kick, T. Nichols Phelps. With their help Micah began to create a record without the use of his arms. Micah was subsequently invited to record in Santander, Spain, at Moon River Studio. For two weeks and two days, with the assistance of engineer Fernando ‘Mac’ Macava, Micah realized what was to become ‘Micah P. Hinson and the Nothing’, working with an astounding array of local musicians, The Puzzles, The Aquattro String Quartet, amongst others. According to Micah, “A grand amount of time and a grand amount of love was put into every song.”
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