Photo: Frankie Cavone

Capital Region based Hilltop has been making big strides as a band breaking out of the area and writing even more original tunes. These guys aren’t afraid to be different and have what it takes to become a long-term touring band. The jams have thought, the songs have truth and the tone is on point. What help makes this possible? The bond that they all share together. We first met Hilltop when they were young lads in 2019 as they were developing their sound and laying down the footprint on what the band presents today.

The jam band has upcoming performances at Parish Public House in Albany, NY on February 24th following moe.’s performance at Palace Theatre and at Brooklyn Music Kitchen in Brooklyn, NY on March 31st. Check out quick interview with Hilltop below:

2022 was a big year for you guys, playing tons of shows away from the homeland and have dialed down the sound even more, what has been working great for all of you collectively?

Honesty and consistency help us make progress as a group. We try to see each other regularly to play music and hang out. When we’re together, we do our best communicate about the music or whatever is going on in our lives. We don’t B.S. each other and we speak our minds.

Camera shy is a phrase not to be associated with Hilltop as your promos and content is some of the funniest around. Where do the ideas come from?

We have a lot of influences in sketch comedy world, like Tim Robinson and Tim and Eric. We’re comfortable creating together, so we normally brainstorm goofy ideas and then go set up the cameras!

One of your end of the year performances was at Nanola which featured a cast of musicians who sat in including moe.’s Vinnie Amico. What was it like playing with one of the area’s legends?

Vinnie is a powerhouse drummer who loves playing Dead and JGB. It was a treat to play in the pocket with him on ‘That’s What Love Will Make You Do.’ Aris broke a string and it lead to a wonderful on stage moment while our friend Logan Whaley jammed with us + Vinnie. We also had lots of other great friends from our community join us on stage that evening for an amazing debut of “Hilltop & Friends.”

What can people expect at your official moe. after party at the Parish Public House on February 24th?

On February 24th, we’re not only performing a moe. After-Party, we’re performing an experiment where we’ll have many surprises in store. We’re ready to try new things for our first ever Experimental Set.

Who are some of your favorite acts to listen to in the scene and why?

We came up listening to Grateful Dead and Phish but in 2023 there are so many growing bands that we look up to and listen to. Goose, Eggy and Dopapod are bands that are moving in great directions and defining success on their own terms. We absolutely love the songwriting and jamming of those bands and love to see them live.

What can people expect from Hilltop in 2023?

In 2023, you can expect Hilltop to throw the most fun shows in the area! Our whole production team has helped bring our shows to the next level with an awesome lighting rig. We’re excited to see that continue to evolve and improve with time. We’re also psyched about our growing original catalog, we can’t wait to keep writing and performing new music for our people!

Is there anything you guys would like to plug?

Stay tuned for our next single, “Sunshine,” a song about working together and manifesting positivity. We started out 2023 on a positive note by recording this song at MEI Studio on Long Island and we can’t wait to share it with the world! Follow us on Spotify, Apple Music and social media to stay up to date with our music and live performances.