Killick Hinds lives in Athens, Georgia. His music is self-described as Appalachian Trance Metal, performed on unusual stringed instruments with an emphasis on unquantifiable rhythms, intuitive intonation, and shamanistic ROYGBIV. Sonic influences include the sounds of animals, wind, water, fire, electrical hum, and silence. Drawing from pop-culture mashups and ancient musical forms, Killick's music often resembles speech patterns or emotionally charged architecture rather than conventional Western structure. Despite its eclectic nature, his sound remains surprisingly accessible to listeners of all backgrounds.
How would you describe music?
A gift. A truly awesome gift. I suppose technically the best definition of music I've come across is something like: sound and/or silence organized or not for a purpose or no purpose at all.
What is your relationship to music?
It engages all my senses, sensibilities, hopes and dreams.
What draws you to the instrument(s) you play, and/or to composing?
I love the tactility of stringed instruments and the feedback they offer (pun not intended though sometimes heard and felt!). I'm compelled to see how far I can take this endeavor. It's self-generating because it's so much fun to me and has opened up so many amazing possibilities.
What musician(s) most influenced your approach to music, and why?
First and foremost, my cousin Heather who through her virtuosic shredding inspired me to pick up the guitar. Mahmoud Guinea, Peter Kowald, and Michael Hedges each created new vocabularies on, respectively, gimbri, double bass, and acoustic guitar-the particulars are less important than their total commitment to the muse. Harmonically, Philip Glass (ergo Bach without the rigid "rules") is my biggest influence although I'm increasingly drawn to microtones as a contrast to equal temperament. Rhythmically, thrash metal set my internal clock yet that is relaxing with the passage of time. Melodically, it's when singers weave spirals like a saxophone. There are so, so many musicians who take me there.
Who or what influences you most outside of music, and why?
My partner Delene and our dog Snorri are the big ones. Delene's encouragement to pursue music to the furthest ends has been the best and most soul-filling teacher. Snorri gets us to step outside of our needs and wants into his idiosyncratic obsessions. In no particular order I also love meditation, hiking, reading (slowly!), design and (watching) parkour for their body and mind workouts.
What deceased performer(s), improviser(s), or composer(s) would you most like to have a conversation with, and why?
A simple thank you to Alice and John Coltrane would be more than enough. They showed a way forward and beyond for which I am eternally grateful.
What advice would you give to a young musician entering your field?
Love it love it love it. That's the most important thing. Even the challenges...love it all.
What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your music?
A moment's edification, a chance to interact with questions more than with answers and hopefully a stirring in the realm of joy.
Where are you currently located or musically associated with?
I live in Athens, Georgia. Musically I feel connected to small pockets of activity all around the world with a lot of dear friends.
What is your musical education or background?
I started playing guitar at the age of 12. I had three years of music theory in high school plus some private lessons. Once I arrived in Athens, I glommed onto the University of Georgia's music school graduate studies for a few years-the professors thought I was a student and I didn't dispel the notion. I vicariously learned a ton.
What are some of your favorite recordings by other musicians or groups?
- Immutable by Meshuggah
- The Orphan's Lament by Huun-Huur-Tu
- Ys by Joanna Newsom
- Micro by Jinjer
- Us by Peter Gabriel
- Agram by Lena Willemark and Ale Möller
- Amaryllis by Marilyn Crispell, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian
- Solomon's Daughter by Franklin Kiermyer
- Caeli by Bára Gísladóttir and Skúli Sverrisson
- Master of Puppets by Metallica
- Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass
- Lower Lurum by Hans Reichel
- DĆTUR by Ylja
- ... and several strong contenders by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin
What are some of your favorite recordings that you have made?
- Demonyms & Synonyms with Klimchak
- Earth + Ear Thorn with Constanza Pellicci
- Slowidious with Luciana Rizzo
- Where Wolf Wash Your Whoosh Fur with Ana Gamboa
- Intact Gosh with Michael Manring
- At The Horizon with Heikki Ruokangas
- El Cisne y El Pheenix with Luciana Bass
- New Baltimore Quiet with Susan Alcorn, Simone Baron, Lynn Grissett
- Voluminosity of Solemnitude with Paolo Angeli
- Empowered Kind with Francesca Remigi
- Lave Worriers with Monique Osorio
- Pseudo Dirkschneider by Crazy Hoarse (John Norris)
- Nikola Tesla High School with Henry Kaiser
- Lifelike Boy Android by Vectrexcentricity (Michael Manring and Jamie DeRevere)
- Exsanguinette with Brann Dailor, Liz Allbee, Larry Ochs
Is there any comment not covered here that you would like to share?
I'm running a three-day improvisation workshop called Creating Musical Consonance (this September 4th-7th, 2025) at the incredible Hambidge Center in the north Georgia mountains in the US. It's open to up to 10 intermediate and advanced players on any instrument in any style. I know it's a big commitment of time and energy and resources for all participants: I'm humbled at this chance for an enthusiastic deep dive into something that has given so much beauty in my life. Hambidge is truly one of the most inspiring and creative places in the world. Here's the info:
https://www.hambidge.org/workshop-schedule/xhfqyfb5ezj2ehvmml1az9rgzmaq70
Killick Hinds - June 2025
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