Matt Connarton Unleashed: Darling Hill

And joining us a live in studio. She is at the news desk Kate Shimkey of Darlene Hill. Hello, Hello, welcome to the show. Thank you, thank you for having me. Absolutely, we were just playing, uh, coming back from the break there. We played break free, one of the amazing songs that you sent and and that's from your Is that from your most recent EP? It's actually from my only EP. It's my debut debut EP. Oh, very good, very kind of like a sampler. It's not really all that cohesive necessarily, but that's because I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants.

I got you in the studio. Yeah, that's a and that's a that's a long song. I love how it builds really good. Yeah. Jay Bellow of course from the band Chasing the Devil. In the chat room, he says, great tune, Kate, you let's see. Also, yeah, you've been getting some love in there while that was playing. Trying to back Oh. J Fad from Vermont s as I dig this song. Yeah. Isaac Banks from Greensboro, North Carolina says, awesome song, getting a lot of love in there, so very good, very good. It's probably my most cathartic song.

I kind of went in there with no agenda, but that song I didn't want to like edit too much with it. I knew it was long. I knew it was going to be real dramatic and theatrical, and I just didn't care. Yeah, So it was like, this song's really long, and I'm like, I'm not interested, you know, because a lot of when I went in there, a lot of the songs were I didn't really know what I was doing, to be honest, And that one though, I knew for sure that I wasn't going to cut back, you know, if anything was going to add more.

So it's kind of the experience's almost like two songs in one, okay. You know. There's like this intro and then this like epic build, like you said it just it starts really seople and then ends with this basically Caylin Chase screaming. So yeah, DJ Seves in the chat room from Retrospectrum Radio and he says, good afternoon, Matt, great song, and yep, you're getting a lot of support. Hello to Lee Renski. That's a new name in there. I don't know if that's a fan of yours. No, I actually I'm fairly new, so this is kind of like my first time really being exposed.

Oh, very good, very good. I'm on all streaming platforms, but like, unless people don't know you exist, you know, so please all these people, please please subscribe. You know, I'm on Spotify, TikTok, all the streaming platforms. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Do you want to tell us more about that song break Free? I read a little bit in your bio on the OAH side, but sure, it's it's you know, it's probably the most how do I put it in a nutshell, you know, so to speak. Basically, if you listen to it, you can kind of, you know, get the vibe.

But about let's say nine years ago, I moved back home from Maryland and experienced just a real bad thing. You know. It was just like one bad thing after another. It was just all the bad things that could happen, as somebody happened to me in like a month. Yeah, you know, Yeah, so I was really broken down. I was an alcoholic, I was arthritic, I was newly divorced, I was on a rebound with the real abusive guy, and my dad was passing away from cancer. So it was just like I was literally in the gutter.

I was in that moment. That's a lot now, and some of it was brought on by my own alcoholism. Some of it I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But basically the reason why my name is Darling Hills because I experienced an assault on that road. But I actually also live on that road now. And so when I was healing after this traumatic assault, I decided to put down the bottle and pick up an instrument, yeah, and decided to start my life over. I had a lot of support, and so I just started playing music and just really becoming obsessed and addicted to that.

And I ended up writing this song you know about my history with my father and stilling me self love and courage and empowerment, and you know, just warning me of all the things in the world that you can encounter that are dangerous, but to hold true to yourself. And it ends with this moment of breaking. I broke free from those chains. Basically I broke free from the alcoholis that I broke free from the abuse. I broke free from from all of that. And now I live on the other end of the street on Darling Hill, and I live in a little cabin in the woods, and that's where I fostered my music.

That's all I fostered my art. So now every day I wake up and go and leave the house, I see the place where I really hurt. But I ask to see the place I heal right, right, wow, this song is very cathartic. When I brought it to the studio, That's why I was so hell bent on it being just left alone and just see what manifests around it. So the producer in the studio knew, he knew exactly what I was putting down and helped me create that environment in that vibe. So that that was the first That was the first song you recorded for the EP, or actually the first song I recorded was Quiver.

Okay, I went to Nashville twice. So I went to Nashville. My girlfriend, who is a fabulous agent for a Granite State Blue Society and a booking age, a booking agent for blues pros. But she's she works for blues musicians and I'm not blues. But she was like the lantern in the dark for me. She knew. She's like, look, I know these people in Nashville go to Nashville, just try it on, and I went. I went down there and the producer squeezed me in and I did Quiver and Garden of Crowns. And Quiver really lit me up though, because I put down the acoustics.

You know, I still play guitar. You can hear me in the back. But I really wanted to dabble with like the buttons and the knobs and the synth and like all the samples and get out of that folk rut. Because as much as I love folk music, really I grew up with it. Like I really wanted to break free of that and find my own voice. So like people are always asking me, what's your genre, and I'm like, I don't really know yet. But when I went to Nashville and sat next to a producer who could pull those sounds out of me and create them, That's when I got really excited.

So I went back and finished spent about eight days studio and finished up the other tracks. Oh very cool. Yeah. Our guest yesterday, Dakota Smart, also recorded in nash I watched him yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, what five nominee? Oh? What the New England Music Wars yeah, five time nominee. Yeah, yeah, yeah, just amazing. Yeah, what a voice on that guy. Nashville's magic. You know, there's something about going down there that that my life is different now that I've been back here.

Yeah, you know, I've been immersed in the local music scene at the probably the most local level I could, and I was just itching for something else. And when I went to Nashville and gotten the I didn't even care about anything outside the studio. There's a lot of cool stuff like John and June Cash were buried down the street, like I was really close. Yeah, so the music history, but all I wanted to do was just be in the studio and create. Yeah, Miriam banishing the chat room says amazing music. She has a beautiful voice, thank you.

Yeah. It's funny too, because some people, I assume, still have kind of this idea that, oh, Nashville, that's all about country music, and it's like, no, it's all kinds of music being made there. And that's what I thought too. I thought the same thing. And then the more and more I started meeting local musicians, you know, some of them are coming back from Nashville, I'm like, wow, I thought you would have to go to New York, Boston, LA. But I guess from what I'm hearing, there was was like this mass exodus from LA of producers to Nashville.

They just just I don't know what happened, but a lot of people came to Nashville. And it is a little surreal because there's like really iconic musicians just walking around everywhere. Yeah, it's like I had to pinch myself. I'm like, I had to remind myself where I was. I was like, wow, they're just like hanging out like, you know, like it was just wild. It was really wild. Did you have a chance to get on a stage anywhere while you were there? No? But I got to see some shows, you know, because I went with friends who know the scene.

I went to a couple really cool, like low key places to see some like Leroy Powell was one at the Underdog, the five Spot. There are all these cool, you know, local joints you could go do in like everywhere you go to. Music's great. Yeah, but no, I didn't get on the stage. Yeah. Yeah, I don't even think I knew what I was even doing in the studio at that point. Yeah. Now I'd like to yeah, so so part of the EP was recorded there. Oh the Holy p was down there. I don't get it into different. I did it in two trips.

Oh I gotcha. Okay, okay, cool? Cool? And when did this come I think you said already? But when did this come out? I believe I dropped it in August? Oh okay, so not that long ago? This is? This is so you hadn't released anything prior to this? Correct? Wow? Yeah, I've recorded, and I've played gigs, you know, like bars and coffeehouses and small events. But yeah, not really. I don't really have like a big band. You know. That's the thing. So that's the thing you go in too. I go to Nashville and I have this epic experience working with very qualified people in industry, Like the supporting musicians on that album are top notch, Like I I was very lucky.

Oh yeah, I'm still astounded every time I listened to it that I have the people on my album that I do, and if you go looking at my profile, I have links to who these people are. Ye. And now I got back home though, and I had a moment of like pure depression. Really Oh yeah, no, I you could ask my hubby Aaron, like, I do have another half that comes with me on these things, but I wanted to fly solo today. But he can tell you. I got home, I was like riding this high, you know, And then I got home from Nashville and they listened to it.

I'm like, I'm a fraud. I'm a fake. Everyone's gonna know that. I'm like, I don't sound like this, Like, oh, I have a guitar, I don't have a band. How am I going to deliver? You know? Like all this anxiety built up, but then I recognize that, like there's no linear way, there's no playbook on how to do things, and like I took I took a moment and an opportunity and ran with it. And now I'm applying myself and I'm I got a keyboard, I'm learning how to play to back in tracks. I'm starting it. Lit a fire under my took it, So let's put it that way.

Oh cool. So Jennifer Christman, if I'm saying that correctly, is in the chow room, says it has been beautiful watching Darling Hill grow keep blooming, very nice, very nice. Should we play? Uh? You mentioned quiver? Should we give that one a listen. Yeah, I got a handful of tunes that I feel like to find the sound in the direction I want to go in and Quiver, break Free and Damsel Disorder, the ones that I really I'm really proud of. Let's let's give this a listen and then we'll come back and uh and chat more.

If you're just tuning in, we have Kate Shimkey of Darlene Hill joining us here in studio. But this is called Quiver. Walking through that room and see you sitting there

drinking in my stair won't be long now, you'll be mind somehow. I want you to my words. I wanna hall. Let the moon whoa oo woo. I see the stars in his eyes and it's no surprise. Let the symbols on our souls have a common bowl. He scream. There's a hole in me, A hole in me, A hole in me where I go to hide. You know there's room for two a painted blue can here. Your phantasies won't die. I want a piece of you inside. My knees are shaky, shaky, shaky, and tongue between ninety. My knees are shaky, shaky, shaky, and town between ninety and there's something so familiar I cannot divide.

I think I found my own uncle Sid. And you think it's when will I see you again? Boy? We don't have to make plans. We can leave it to baby, the baby. You know it's affective. We leave it up to that. Oh, we might be too late. Nine needs a shaky, shaky, shaky and tongue between ninety nine needs a shaky, shaky, shaky and tongue between ninety there's something so famillion I cannot buy. I think I found my guy. I think I found my Well, that's cool. That is quiver Kate Shimkey also known better known as Darlene Hill, and she is here with us live in studio at the news desk, and uh, yeah, that's you know, it's funny.

I we were talking earlier about genres and so forth, and yeah, I don't even know how I would describe that to someone. If I was trying to describe what it sounds like. You know, I wouldn't know either. I was. I was in the studio and I looked at the producer, I go, what did we just do? Like? I literally, I go, what is that? He's like? I don't know, and he's so when I went there, I was like, I looked at his portfolio. You know, by the way, my friend who brought me there, her name's Rachel Barnard.

She's a phenomenal booking agent and very supportive, and she's like, I want to hear what you sound like. You know, I want to know too. And so when I got there, I looked at his portfolio and he's worked with, you know, Beck, He's worked with I can't even think of it right now, a lot of people, but Beck stuck out to me because Beck is like out of the box. So I was like, okay, I can go in here and like ask him for the weird stuff, like I want to get weird. I looked at him, I said, I want to get weird.

These are the people I want to emulate. These are the sounds I like. You know, I'm a big fan of Danny Elfman. I'm a big fan of like this since nostalgic eighties, weird dark stuff. Yeah, so he's like, all right, So I just got in there and we started playing with sounds and some of those were happy accidents, some of those moments in the song, you know, and I quite frankly, don't even think it's finished. I actually left really oh yeah. If I had more time, I probably would have ruined it. Maybe I don't know, but like I, you know, some things you just got to let them be.

They can develop over time, move on to something different. So Quiver was the song about just feeling weak in the knees over someone across the room you don't even know, right, you know, and you think you have something in calm with them, or they make their heart your heart like beat faster. You just feel lusty for them, not necessarily love, but yeah, kind of quivery. Yeah, yeah, do any of these songs, I mean, did any of them come out like really different than what you had in mind when you first wrote them?

So Damsels Disorder was literally like right before I got in the car to drive to Nashville. We drove down there and I found a songbook from like two thousand and six, and I was flipping through it and I saw like two verses in a chorus and I had no idea what that was going to say. I had an idea in my head, I guess you could say, like a direction that I wanted to go in. But I was like, you know what I'm gonna like, what do they say, Throw it at the wall and see what sticks. That's going to be the one I'm going to do this with.

And before it was called knives, and if you listen to it you will know why. But I didn't want to be that literal. So I was looking at it and I remembered writing it. I was sitting in my kitchen and I was looking around the room. So because I was, you know, i'll dip back into my past, I was pretty violently assaulted, and it left me with some symptoms. You know, and I'm not the first to discover that you have some magical powers. After you've gone through such physical things. You tend to have situational awareness, Yes, you tend to have You tend to want your back to the corner.

You do it. You just do it naturally, you know, it just comes with the territory. And so I was I was mad about that though at first I was really angry. I was like, I don't want this burden and I want to just go places and feel safe and feel good about it. I was like, well, why don't I write it, write a song about how I'm feeling? Yeah, And so I was just sitting in the kitchen, and I recognize that. I do notice where weapons are, you know, like weapons was a big thing, like, oh that could be a weapon, this could be a weapon, but knives, I was like, in the kitchen.

Cool. Yeah, So when I walked in there, we kind of built built the song together. And that's that was one that surprised me. Yeah, and I was real excited about that one because it was catchy, it was quick, and it was a little edgy no pun intended. Yeah. Yeah. Marian Banish in the chat room says, very powerful music. I love it, thank you and oh, she said, gives me chills. Oh, very cool. And our friend Charles Richardson from Florida also has joined us in the Facebook live chat. So as far as so, are you actively performing these live yet or are you still kind of figuring that out?

Well, I mean, I'm I'm open to bookings. I am. I am working on like I've been practicing two times a week. You know, I got my keyboard. I need a drummer, and I don't think I could get a drummer, you know, overnight. So I get real shy about who I share my music with. And I really need to let that go and if I want to break free of that. But I do play out. I'm playing the bull Run, you know, I'm right now. I'm just getting my foot in the door at the bull Run, which is in Shirley, Massachusetts. I'm gonna playing in the Tavern, but they do have an events center there.

I would love to play more house concerts, you know, if people want to book me for a house concert. I like those intimate environments. Yeah, I am a recovered alcoholic, so I'm not a big fan of playing bars. So much self preservation kicks in and I'm like, that's cool. I would love to play that. But is there is like I'll do it, you know, but I usually get in and out of there. But I am I'm ready. I'm excited, you know. So if anybody would like to book me, please go to my website, and you know, I can be flexible.

See what works. They would get a version of Darling Hill. That would be me, my partner Aaron Durman, who plays guitar, and my friend Nicholas Chico who's playing bass and pretty much picking up the slow back and everything else with the with the electronics and all that we are growing, but I don't have any intention of stopping right, so, you know, any support we could get to be showcased would be great. It's funny you mentioned, uh, you needing a drummer, because it's something that's been a big topic on the show recently with musicians.

As you know, every drummer you talk to, it's like they're in already intended. Yeah. Well there's a lot going on with drummers too. They got the gear, you know, just carrying the gear. And I live in a cabin in the woods that's eight hundred feet walk in sight only. Oh really yeah, So I live on a land trust and we live according to the land. So it's really great for creating art and music and post house concerts in my backyard. So that's like a whole nother thing. That's how I It's how I've nurtured myself.

I created my own music community, and so I would I would book, promote and donation based house concerts in my backyard for nine years and just the getting the musicians to come and telling them you have to carry your gear through eight through a forest. And then, by the way, I don't even have a real bathroom. There's an outthuse. So it humbles the musicians real quick and they either go, oh my god, that's awesome. Yeah, I can't wait to do that, and they like they love it. And then I got others that are like, okay, you know, and they're a little hesitant, but once they get there and they see in the environment and they see how intimate it is.

Because I really am at the root of it. It's about the art to me, like I love the whole marketing and like making the catchy songs and see what. But but to me, I mean, the whole reason why I created this was so I could not let my mind go dark places. You know, it's very very typical. So I did it in my own backyard because I could. I had the property, and so now like I could book myself in my backyard all day long, but I would like to I would like to get out. And you know, if there's a drummer out there that just needs a workout routine, yeah, I always say.

My theory about why drummers are hard to find is because when you're growing up and you first become interested in playing a musical instrument, when you when you have to have the talk, you know, with your parents about it. And if you say, well, I want to play drums, you know they're like drums. What a full body experience that must be though, Really like watching so I had shaky folks, real sought after drummer in Nashville, and he got in there and just ripped it up, like brought those songs to life.

I was just lit. I was turned on. I've never got my rocks off so hard. And it's in any watching him play my music and wondering what it must feel like to really embody that full expression of like over here over there, you know, like wow, Wow, that's just a full body physical experience that you're having. And you know, I'm willing to buy a drum kit and keep it in my house right right, if someone would just come and play and practice for me and book out right right. Jenny shared the website in the chat room too, Darlenehill music dot com.

Who does your website? By the way, so really nice. I'm a web designer, so I really yeah, you did a nice years of practice, Thank you, Thank you so much. It took a long time of observing so when I while I was creating, honing my craft and learning how to play music and convincing myself that I could be different and still succeed. Yeah. I I learned through other musicians, watching other musicians and booking them and promoting them and going to their shows and learning about the gears, you know, behind the curtain and like all that stuff I I you know, And so by the time I was ready to do my own music, I wanted to make sure I at least looked like I knew what I was doing.

Right, so far, I sound like I know what I'm doing. Now I look like I know what I'm doing. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, Well let's uh, what do we What was the song you just Damsel Disorder was the other one? I said, you, Yeah, you sent me the whole We might have time to play all all five tracks. But but yeah, you had mentioned Damsel Disorder a few minutes ago, so maybe we should give that one a listen, not next, And you said this, this is the one that was It was originally called Knives, but yeah, and you'll know why when you hear it.

But you didn't want to go with the obvious. Uh yeah, yeah that makes sense. Yeah. Now I'm kind of hoping I did do it, because then like that meme with Britney Spears making the knife gestures. Have you seen that? Oh? I like, I'm like waiting for somebody to find my song on TikTok and make a meme with it. Right, But it's called damsel disorder. All right, very good, this is damsel disorder, Darling Hill, check it out, Damsel in distress. Pace what I do best? Because I know we've on the knives on, because I know we've all the nives are unfished, business has already left.

It's scars. Because I know where all the knives are. Because I know where all the knives are. That's turning in the lyrics, like summer names, spirits of whom, thoughts in the lyrics, tum thoughts in the lyrics. Don't let them all be break the only New York nemies life with missed weakness, say, held them closing, kept them mysy. Now I know where are the knives are? Now I know where all the knives are, dranomen tasted. It's my territory. I'll stake it. Oh whoa, Now I know where are the knives are?

Now I know where all the knives are. Don't have them home New York and nies life. Now I know where all the knives are. Who now I know where all the knives are when the puts in the lyrics. Now now damsel disorder is the name of the song. That is Darling Hill. And we have Kate shim Key of Darling Hill here with us live in studio. That's great. It's catchy, and I uh, I like how cheerful it sounds, you know what, But now I know where all the knives are, it's very cheerful. Well, I would. I used to busk, so I started with ale and then I shifted over to a banjo lately really, which is basically the same thing, but I threw it like a metallic string in the sea chord, yeah, and it gave it a twang.

And like, I did find it quite funny when I'd be busking at like Parker's Maple Barn or like on the side of the road that people would be like bopping their heads and I'd be singing like folks songs about murder and like crying and stuff. Right, So I kind of liked that what's the word that contradiction of peppie and sad? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I dig that. No, that that song really does it? That's cool. Jennifer Christman in the chat room, says a message from Ellen Shimkey. She loves your music, watching you grow and is so proud of you.

That's my mom. Oh, very good, family, very nice, We've been very supportive. Let's see. She also said from Judy Russo, how awesome it is that you are able to turn pain into purpose. Just love hearing your voice, whether it's talking or singing. So well, so sorry, oh so happy you are now no longer a damsel in distress. Keep on rocking. So these are people that have witnessed the whole lifetime movie. Yeah, started from the bottom. Now we're here moment ye right. Yeah. Mariam Banish says, mister B gentleman rhymer plays a what'd you call it?

A banjo lately? Yeah? I played a banjo lately. Yeah. I didn't know that was a thing. Yeah, I mean, neither until I you know, I didn't want to. Like. I like the ukulelea got me started, It got me started, got my fingers used to playing strings. But that was your first instrument. Yeah, yeah, and you know I got kind of sick of it, you know, And I noticed when I started playing guitar that I sounded better vocally. There was more notes to blend with. I could experiment more vocally, So I started to you know, develop my voice, which quite frankly, it's it's I've been told that, you know, it might be what sets me apart.

It I do sound very different. But because of that, I was always very not confident, you know, because I have a lot of really talented friends that are very Their range is really good. You know, they sound top notch, and I always you know, you're you're going to compare yourself, of course, even you know, no matter what. So I knew that I didn't sound like most people. I was very aware, but I just decided that it didn't matter. I was like, I'm going to do this for me first. That's about all this was about.

For me. I got real selfish. And yeah, the opportunity to go to Nashville was very very expensive, just the travel expenses alone were very expensive. But it was it was a very defining moment. It was it was really yeah, a good thing? Is it? Is it challenging to recreate those songs live? I imagine they change, right, Yes? They do? I mean now my actually I perform it better. Now that I've heard it through a big production studio, I do have more confidence. But yeah, I don't have like a backup vocal like I said, I don't have that drummer, but I still have that energy, you know, vocally, My vocals do just keep getting better.

I'll pat myself on the back there, so you know, it's it's definitely a It was a learning curve coming back there, and once again, I didn't want to let it stop me. I had a moment where I dipped and I was like, I'm a fraud. I'm this. I'm that everyone's going to know. And I'm like, wait a minute, imposter syndrome, That's exactly what it was. But I was like, what comes first, the chicken or the egg, you know. And I started looking into other musicians, and you know, a lot of them don't create their music until they go in the studio and they don't know what they're going to sound like, and then they figured it out later.

I think Blaze Foley was one. I've been learning a lot about Blaze Foley. I've been really captured by his story and he even said, you know, he goes to the studio, creates it and then he would hire musicians later to emulate that. So when I can afford all that, I will, But right now I'm just it was like a goal. You know, I'm forty years old. It was a fortieth birthday thing that I did. And you know, fortunately my husband was very supportive watched me go through all this. My husband also works in audio, so he was very interested in just going in general.

So he's a microphone designer for Earthworks Audio. Oh no kidding. So when we went, there was this other whole agenda, you know, to see because quite frankly, the gear that I used was very iconic. Some of the gear I used was used by Scott Wiland, a very like famous microphone. I don't know, he got real excited about the microphone. All the guys were excited about the microphone in the room. I was just happy that Scott Wiland siging into it. That's all I cared about. But there was like this back end history of like technology that this microphone has never been made the same way.

It was like a Newman U four seven, Like, I don't know, it's real special. Yeah, But all I was hung up on was stone tumble pilots but yeah, I was like, he's telling me Scott Wiland spit into this. Okay, cool, right, right, So that's all I needed to get jessed. Yeah. So he he, he got to see, you know, from an audio engineer perspective, real high end recording studio. He's seen it before, but it's been a while for him. So now are you already thinking about the next one? Absolutely? I already got songs.

I want to go there so bad. I want to go right back. You know, there's there's a lot of studios in New Hampshire that I'm not going to like pretend don't exist everywhere. They are kind of like tucked away, you know. And I did work with a real uh you know. I don't know if you've ever met Charlie Chrinopolis. He's a phenomenal local musician. I don't. I'm very aware of him. I don't think i've met him. I don't think I have. You should yeah, so he So. I was supposed to go to Nashville before the lockdowns, and then the lockdowns happened, and then I just resigned myself to never going to Nashville.

I thought it was a pipe dream. Oh silly me for thinking I could go, and so I just kind of refocused locally and I met Charlie Kronopolis or part of an art community, and I met him through the art community and he's very, very humbling, very grounded, down to earth person, but you would you know, he's phenomenal on stage. So like, yeah, I was a little intimidated at first, but when I met him, I was like, Hey, how do you feel about recording me? So I went up and I spent about a year with him, and he approached me from a very gentle angle where he just put me in the room and let me play live and he worked with me and just having that experience with him.

By the time I was done, Nashville came back on my radar and I had an opportunity to go, so I went. So I give a lot of credit to Charlie Carnovelis for being my coach. Yeah, through that, and if nobody's any of your listeners haven't heard him, go check him out. He's phenomenal, phenomenal and you know, maybe I can give you his contact and he can be Yeah, definitely, definitely, because like I said, I've always been aware of him. It seems like his name has just come up. Yeah, he actually got played locally.

I don't obviously wasn't this one or else he would know, but he was played in a local station and I know he plays, he plays around Manchester and conquered. Yeah. Yeah, but worth your time for sure, Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Are you are you writing a lot? Like do you have a lot of song ideas I have about gosh. I have one that's literally called back burner, yeah, that I haven't recorded. I have one that I did record in Nashville, but it wasn't happy with it. You know. It was like one of the tracks I did where I was like, it was just not it wasn't hitting the mark.

Okay. So I probably have about six songs on in my books that I could probably go back down and record if I wanted to, if I had the money, Yeah, or find another studio. You know, once you go to Nashville, I feel like it's like, you know, it's kind of like crack. Once you go, you want to go back. You know, you get a taste and you want to go back. And like I said, the studio musicians there are like wow yeah yeah yeah, And I did have a really great connection with the producer down there, So I do feel like we it was like I compared working with Zach from Wildfeather.

It was Wild Feather recording right outside of Nashville. Yeah, and he he you know, he really cares about your music. Like it's it's intoxicating how much he cares, like and he will do whatever he can to make sure that he gets that sound. Yeah, and it's like I told my husband, I was like, it's like I got out of class and it's playtime and I get to play in the playground with Zach all day long. Like it was euphoric, Like it was just so much fun. So I'm kind of addicted to working with him, but I do need to I would like to broaden my horizons and work with producers locally here as well.

Yeah. M hm, very good, very good. Are there any so there's a song that you did there that didn't make it onto the EP? Are there others or are just that one that that you decided not to put on there? No, that was the only one that I actually attempted to record that didn't go on there. Yeah. Yeah, I do want to record back Burner. It's like about being the back burner in a relationship. There's a song called Backbone for the Backlash, which is basically I didn't know it at the time when I wrote it, but to put that one in a nutshell, it's basically about cancel culture and just doing it anyway and saying what you want to say anyway.

And you know, no matter what you know, because that's just the world we're living and now, no matter what you say, someone's going to get upset. So as long as you have love in your heart, write all that Buddhist crap, you know, as long as you know, as long as you can sleep at night knowing you're a good person, didn't do it? See what happens? Yeah, So that song I really did want to record, and I just wasn't happy with I just didn't like it. I was like, no, no, it just didn't feel right. So I would like to re record that one as well.

When that happens? Does up? Zach is his name? Yes? Does he? What is he like when when you say to him, you know, I don't I don't think this one's working out? Does he does he try to talk you into keeping it? Does he try to try to help you figure out what's not working, or does he just say okay, we'll move on, like what happens in that scenario. Well, in this scenario, I could tell you. In other scenarios, if something didn't hit the mark, like say on Quiver or break Free, I could tell him and we would you know, work and calibrate, and yeah, there it is.

What happened with Backbone for the Backlash was it was almost like I tried to squeeze too many songs in at once, So this one just didn't develop as well as the others, and to put it in with the other ones would have been like bad news Bears. It would have been like because like, if you do play my other songs, you're gonna notice, your listeners are gonna notice is very different from what you just listened to. So the last two songs on my EP are very folk oriented, they're very folky, and so Backbone for the Backlash was also very folky.

I had like this Irish folk vibe to it, and and it just almost it just didn't hit the mark, and we just didn't have time. Just didn't have time. And I told him, I said, if I can go back, you know, which is a shame because Kaylan Chase gave background vocals for that, and Kaylen's worked with Corn, He's worked with Melissa Ethridge, He's worked with Chris Parnell. He's that's why when you hear those tracks with him backing me up vocally, they sound so epic, you know, and they got they they do hit that mark.

But there was just something about this one. We just didn't have time. I needed to scoot, I needed to come back to New Hampshire. I couldn't couldn't stay anymore. So it's on It's on his radar if we were to ever approach it again. Okay, oh very cool. Yeah, well, I think we have time to fit another track, and I know we think. I think we've three that you wanted to make sure that we were, but but you did sound. If I had to pick the last one, I'm gonna and this one will go out to my family because this song is called Garden of Crowns.

And this song is actually the song that my agent friend heard and she said, you need to take that song to Nashville. It's beautiful. So when I came back home, I met the love of my life, Aaron Durman, and I was getting ready to marry him. But I was also really sad because my father was no longer with us. He passed away within like like three weeks after I moved back home, and so there was this weird mix of like, I had this weird mix of joy because I survived this attack and I survived all these awful things and I was getting out of these bad things, but my family and I were also still grieving.

So I was like trying to write a song to express how I feel. You know. That's what I do instead of picking up a bottle when I start getting those feelings, I'm gonna pick up a pen and paper and just do that. Yeah. So I was looking at my pictures of my mother on her wedding day and she was wearing a daisy crown, and I like the theory of the circle of life and love and like when something ends, something new begins. And so when I would play this for my friends, Rachel Barnard heard me, and she goes take that to Nashville.

She's like, I do wedding caterine on the side. I'm telling you that song should be played it every every wed every anybody who gets married is gonna want to play that on their wedding day. So I would like to dedicate, you know, this to my mom and my sister and anybody else in my family who may have gone through tough times. Just just know it does get better. You know. The only way out is through and things are sicular and oh yeah yeah, and this this is homage to my experiences growing up. Listen to my father.

My father was a musician. He was a bass player, and he was very much immersed with like the Appellation sound and the folk sounds and Johnny Cash and you know, made the circle being broken and like all these heavy stringed instruments, you know. So so it was it was a lot of fun to play this in Nashville. Oh cool, Yeah all right. Oh. By the way, Jennifer Christman in the chatroom says, Garden of Crown owns story of our families. Love so thankful you wrote it very nice. And by the way, Quincy Raymond also known as Quincy Laurie, he's in the Facebook laugh chat.

Yeah, he was on. I just watched him. Yeah, I saw that he was on. I listened to you, Quincy. Yeah, no, he love fantastic. He's played at my house before. He oh oh yeah, Oh yeah, he really worked my crowd. Yeah. Over, my family got to see him. So if my family's listening, Quincy's listening as well. He was on the show last week. Oh very nice. Yeah all right, so let's give this a listen. So this is Garden of Crowns. This is Kate Shimkey, better known as Darlene Hill, and she was just telling us all about it.

So let's take a listen. She wore daisies on her wedding day. Love lank stams that's here to stay, their constant gift tabletops, the proof that their love won't stop or ever lose. Fastened crown of flowered weeds, made by children who and through the trees. The daisy crown will be worn by daughters of a queen and little girls who were never heard an unseen Tell me, love, what can we leave behind for when we die and lie side by sighs? I buy side plant seeds, pray with the sun. You know our stories ended, theirs has just begun.

They'll be watered when the tears start to flow. And in our grave a garden of crowns. Whale grow dood DoD DoD doo root duodats that dude dooda dude doo tatsoodadad to daddat too easy. Frown will fall fast upon leaving love strong in our minds and hearts. But just when you think it's dead and over, our Garden of Crowns comes to light the club. I love it, Garden of Crowns. Darling Hill and Kate is here with us in studio. That is great. Darling Hill Music dot Com is the website if you want to learn more about Kate Shimkey and our project Darling Hill and the EP and oh fantastic.

I love it. Great stuff. Do you have any now? Do you have any live shows coming up that you want to mention? Are you going to be playing out well? I hope that I get some gigs between now and my gig at the bull Run. So I do have a gig at the bull Run onto December thirtieth, so you can pregame your New Year's Eve with me at the bull Run. It's I don't know if you've ever been there. I've never been. It's in Massachusetts, so I'm aware I'm like a New Hampshire but like we're right on the border right So since Shirley, mass it's a really it's like it was built like seventeen seventy something.

It's got a lot of history to it. There's several different rooms to it. There's like function halls, and there's a lot of weird folklore affiliated with it. There's like an ego pantas on the wall. I'm not going to tell you anything else about it. You got to go look. And and so I'm really excited to play there. I'm hoping that'll bring me more opportunities. So No, I just finished some gigs at Marco's on Main and aar So once again, for some reason, I keep getting pulled to Massachusetts. Yeah, so I'm definitely open and willing to book in the area for sure.

I think years ago I worked at do you remember Strawberries? Oh yeah, yes, we sold tickets there, and I feel like bull Run was one of the venues we saw place that was real tickled. So my good friend, uh Nicole Ridgerio from Marty's Driving Range is right down the street from my house and I had the privilege to play her end of the year local music day. So I went and played there, and doing that, I got a gig at the bull Run as well. So I do. Just got to get on my comfort zone, get out of my little cabin in the woods and get out there.

Like I said, house concerts are my jam. You know, I really like house concerts. If people know what that is, it sounds pretty self explanatory, but there's some planning evolved. So if that's something, if you would like to host me, it's like a tuppawaar party but with music. So if you are interested in hosting that and you have the right accommodations, let me know. Hit me up at info at Darlinghill Music dot com or any of my social media platforms or my website. You know, you'll find me anywhere online.

And if you're a drummer, and if you're drummer and you like what you heard, I really need some support there of course. Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. And like I said, I'll buy the kit so you don't have to haul it down my trail. And is it practice? Is there a maximum requirement in terms of how many other bands they can be in? I mean, so long as I'm number UNO, you know that's how you do it. Oh, it's all right. I'm willing to be flexible. I mean, I played just with my guitar for years, so you know I can, I can.

I can wing it for sure. Yeah, yeah, no doubt, Kate. This has been wonderful. Thank you so much for having me. I love the project, Darling Hill really good stuff and Darling Hill music dot com

Matt Connarton Unleashed: Darling Hill

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