Barak Hill Handwriting

Americana Singer-Songwriter and Producer, Winner of American Songwriter Magazine's Santa Cruz Guitar Song Contest

Bio

Barak Hill is a singer-songwriter from Spring­field, Missouri, the winner of American Songwriter Magazine’s 2012 Santa Cruz Guitar Song Contest, and was named one of the top three solo musicians in Southwest Missouri in a 417 Magazine readers’ poll. Barak tours regularly and has shared the stage with a wide range of artists — from popular regional bands like Big Smith and The Ben Miller Band to national artists like Jay Farrar (Son Volt) and Amanda Shires (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit). Barak’s songs and sound run in the same vein as Amos Lee, Josh Ritter, Steve Earle, and Gillian Welch. It’s heartbroken Americana hanging on to a fistful of hope that things might just get better. Honest, well-crafted lyrics set to strong melodies connect with people on an intimate, personal level.

If You Like:
Barak’s lyric-forward Americana is a great fit for fans of artists like Jason Isbell, Josh Ritter, Amos Lee, Neil Young, Joe Pug, Gillian Welch, Steve Earle, and  The Jayhawks.

Barak Hill on stage at Lindberg's Tavern
“Where Hill excels, and so few of his contemporaries do, is in making silence and pause into storytelling devices unto themselves...Hill’s lyrical approach is economical and plain-spoken, the words of everyman. But they’re delivered with the careful pacing and assuredness of a man who knows the impact he wants and how to get it. It’s this sense of when not to sing or even play that lends the songs a gravitas they could lose in the hands of someone else.”
Chris DeRosier
TAG Magazine
“Brutally honest expressions of obstacles to love.”
Ed Peaco
Springfield News Leader
“A masterful storyteller and riveting performer.”
Brett Johnston
Compass Rose Online

Music

Mid-Americana (2019)
Washington Avenue (2017)
All The Empty Space (2015)
Wheels Won't Roll (2014)
This Life I Love (2011)
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You’ll find Barak’s albums wherever you listen to music online. You can also buy copies on CD at barakhill.bandcamp.com.

Show Calendar

House Concerts

There’s some­thing amaz­ing about a con­cert in your home. For the artist, it’s about hav­ing an audi­ence that is focused on lis­ten­ing. For the audi­ence, it’s an inti­mate expe­ri­ence shared with friends in a com­fort­able set­ting where you can hear every word of a song and inter­act with a musi­cian in a way that traditional venues don’t typ­i­cally allow.

Here’s how a house con­cert works:

  • You have a space that can com­fort­ably hold 15+ peo­ple. The aver­age house con­cert seems to be about 25 peo­ple, but smaller or larger is fine.
  • We’ll set a date and time for the event, then you invite your friends. Peo­ple that will appreciate the music and set­ting. These are lis­ten­ing events. It can sometimes be tough for young kids (and some adults) to respect the quiet, inti­mate setting.
  • I’ll have a tip jar and merch to sell. I ask that you let every­one know that a sug­gested dona­tion (around $10-15 on aver­age) is very much appre­ci­ated and that 100% of the dona­tions go to sup­port­ing the artist.
  • Invite every­one to arrive early or to stay after the show to chat. Once the music starts it’s best for the artist and the audi­ence if every­one set­tles in to listen.

If you’ve got a liv­ing room or a back­yard, let’s fill it with music. If you can pull together 10 peo­ple or 100 peo­ple, I’ll show up, gui­tar in hand. Contact me and let me know if you’re inter­ested in host­ing your own house concert.

Barak Hill and Sky Smeed playing a house concert in Kansas City
Barak Hill with a Santa Cruz Guitar
Barak Hill, Kaston Guffey, and Jody Bilyeu

Mid-Americana Sound

Mid-Americana sound is a small recording and production studio Barak owns and runs. Built primarily to facilitate his own recordings, he has opened it up to select artists and projects. Visit the Mid-Americana Sound website for more information.

Contact

For USA booking, email Barak.

For booking in UK/EU/Netherlands email Robin Ploegstra at Flashback Bookings.

Mailing List

We promise not to pester you with tons of emails—usually just one a month or so. And we promise never to share your email address with anyone else.