Biography
Sacramento, California serves as home base for drummer Zach Hill, whose primary recognition stems from his role in the adventurous indie rock duo Hella. Additional projects have included Goon Moon, formed by Twiggy Ramirez and Chris Goss, the experimental supergroup Nervous Cop, and the Ladies alongside Pinback’s Rob Crow, while frequent partnerships have linked him with guitarist Mick Barr. Solo activity began in 2004 when Masculine Drugs surfaced under the Zach Hill and Holy Smokes banner, yet the 2006 successor Talk to Your Kids About Gangs carried only the Holy Smokes name. That same year Shred Earthship, described as unhinged, emerged on the 5 Rue Christine label credited to Zach Hill and Mick Barr. The 2008 solo effort Astrological Straits arrived via Mike Patton’s Ipecac imprint and featured contributions from guests such as Primus’ Les Claypool and LCD Soundsystem’s Tyler Pope; its vinyl edition later appeared on the avanthop label Anticon. Further joint work encompassed Marnie Stern, No Age, Prefuse 73, and Wavves among others, preceding the release of Hill’s second solo album Face Tat in 2010. In 2011 the experimental hip-hop outfit Death Grips was launched with keyboardist Andy Morin and vocalist Stefan Burnett, quickly becoming Hill’s central focus for several years and generating both complications and widespread audience enthusiasm. Boundary-pushing continued in 2013 through Drumgasm, a collaboration with fellow drummers Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney and Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam that consisted solely of the trio playing their kits for forty minutes.
Albums
