Alt-Folk Supergroup Low Country Hill Returns with Title EP Track “A Billion Rooms”
Paul Hogeterp writes and performs songs as Low Country Hill. It’s a loose translation of his Dutch-Frisian surname and a fitting metaphor for what music can be. Low Country Hill has released two records including a self-titled debut album in 2014 and the Guesthouse EP in 2017. Dave King produced and played drums on both releases. Musicians Patrick Sansone (Wilco, Autumn Defense) and Bill Dillon (Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel) lent their artistry to the debut record while Paul Linklater (Bidini Band, Communism) filled out the sound on the new remotely recorded and crowd-funded EP A Billion Rooms.
The title track of the EP was inspired by the emotional juxtapositions of society made forefront during the pandemic in a time of such suffering.Â
“The title “A Billion Rooms” comes from the last verse and chorus of the song. Quite simply it’s just a hunger to feel a broader and deeper solidarity with people in their pain and suffering but also feeling a tinge helpless to do much about it.“
Watch the lyric video for “A Billion Rooms” below and learn more via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi folks. My name is Paul Hogeterp and I’m a singer-songwriter from Hamilton. I record and perform under the name Low Country Hill. It’s a very loose translation of my Dutch-Frisian family name. Terps are mounds of earth where settlements were constructed to be protected from surging flood waters. I like how the terp serves as a metaphor for what music can be in our lives. Songwriting is most certainly my refuge and happy place, my modest hill from where I get a clearer view of the floods and from where I can withstand the surges. I’m not a genre person but you might file Low Country Hill under indie folk and (North) Americana.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
I am really thrilled to share this new body of work. The new album is called A Billion Rooms and will be released on November 17 (vinyl and digital). Many of the songs germinated during the pandemic and I feel that the burrowing time fostered a clarity of expression. It was a massive thrill to work with producer and drummer Dave King for a third time. And being a long-time Wilco fan, I still can’t believe my luck to have worked with Patrick Sansone on this record. He played electric guitar, bass, keyboards, mellotron, percussion and sang some gorgeous and well-placed harmonies. I’m also immensely proud and thankful that my daughter Enye sang with me on several tracks. Each musician showed respect and care for the songs and played/sang with soul, subtlety, and just enough swagger.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
There’s plenty of fodder around. Songwriting is a useful tool for the practice of staying present and taking deeper notice of what’s in and around me. Song seeds come from my immersion in densely urban or isolated natural landscapes, the settled and untamed places of my inner world, snippets of eavesdropped conversation, a glaring injustice, an arresting photo or mental image, the distressing and/or the extraordinary in people, my upbringing as a preacher’s kid, etc, etc.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I am very excited about an album release show on November 18 at The Casbah in Hamilton. Most of the time I perform solo so I will revel in the experience of playing the new songs with an amazing and brilliant band at the release party. I will be playing a number of shows around Ontario in 2024. Check lowcountryhill.com/shows to find out where I’ll be appearing.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Two more singles are going to drop before the November 17 album release. Stay tuned. I hope these songs reach new listeners in Canada and around the world. A lot of rehearsing awaits to get in shape for what I hope will be an unforgettable release show on November 18. Together with my dear ones, I’m going to cherish an inaugural listen of my new record on vinyl shortly after it comes off the press. And…I’m going to hike the North Shore and Grey Doe trails at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton as much as I possibly can. My other happy place.