We sat down with country artist Matt Hillyer, formerly the front man of the renowned Texas swing band Eleven Hundred Springs. With over 23 years of experience playing shows around the world and releasing over a dozen albums, the artist has established himself as a standard in the Texas country scene. Now, he is set to release his new solo album Glorieta on State Fair Records, February 24. Hillyer’s music is steeped in rich history and his reputation as a dynamic crooner is well-deserved.
Eleven Hundred Springs stayed together for about 23 years, which is an incredibly long time for such a competitive and cutthroat industry. I asked Hillyer the secret to their longevity and he had a few things to say, The band’s foundation was based on the working relationship and friendship he had with Steve Berg. After meeting in high school and participating in a few bands together, the two saw something in the connection they had, which seemed to keep their own band together. Hillyer stated that friendship and loyalty played a big part in the band’s success.
As we all know, life happens, and as Eleven Hundred Springs took a step back and reduced the number of shows they were playing. Hillyer took that opportunity to play more acoustic shows and found that he really enjoyed doing it, stating he could be spontaneous and have intimate conversations with the crowd. “That’s been really really fun to me,” he shared.
Forging His Own Path
Hillyer described his sound as compared to the band’s. He said, “I’ll tell you for folks who would listen to this new record, it’s not such a major departure from stuff that I’ve done before.” He stated that there are a few songs on the album that wouldn’t have fit with the band’s style, pulling influences from 50s rock and the Beatles.
The Making of Glorieta
During the pandemic, Hillyer joined a songwriting group, where he wrote a song per week based on writing prompts. When tasked with writing new songs, he exceeded expectations, producing an abundance of material. Choosing which songs to include on the album proved to be a challenging task due to the wealth of options available.
The title track was inspired by the city near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he took his family to get away during the pandemic. He explained that after being cooped up for so long, his wife and he took the opportunity to visit his mom’s place and he was grateful for a break from the city and being stuck in the house.
“Diablo Motel”
“Diablo Motel” is my favorite song on the album, simply because of its storytelling and imagery. A man wakes up in a strange room and begins to notice bizarre things around him, later learning that he is trapped in the room, which is hell. Hillyer explained that this tune came out of one of the prompts from his songwriting group, which required a hotel to be worked into the lyrics.
Track Listing
- Glorieta
- Stolen Kisses
- Just Passing Through
- You Gotta Keep Moving
- Ordinary Man
- Dirty Little Secrets
- What Kind of Fool
- It’s All About the Ride
- Holding Fast
- Diablo Motel
- That’s How You Know
Watch the Official Video for “Holding Fast”
In conclusion, Glorieta is a must-listen for all country music fans, and Hillyer’s new direction is something to keep an eye on. With his busy touring schedule and plans to keep creating new music, we can expect great things from this talented artist.
To learn more about Matt Hillyer, visit www.matthillyer.com
