Sacramento’s Zach Hill is ranked #24 on SPIN Magazine’s new list of the Best Drummers of Alternative Music. While lists like this are a paradigm of subjectivity, it is a solid complilation that only sometimes ignores the definition of alternative music. Lenny Kravitz? James Brown? Slayer? Sigh.
But Hill is a solid choice in terms of talent, influence and indie-cred. SPIN notes that he is a “Present-day mythical… superhero of drumming” and “a reminder that I don’t know anything at all”. He is currently listed above widely worshiped contemporaries Danny Carey and Glenn Kotche. Only 33 years old, Hill is a strong candidate to be a future top ten lister among similarly bombastic legends Terry Bozzio and Stewart Copeland.
Hill rose to prominence with Hella, check out their performance of “City Folk Sitting, Sitting” at Capitol Garage. For a recent example of his work with the hip-hop combo Death Grips, listen to “World of Dogs“.
The Sac Rag 