Hella is a Sacramento experimental rock act built around the core duo of drummer Zach Hill and guitarist Spencer Seim, known for breakneck time signatures, technically demanding guitar-and-drum interplay and explosive live shows.[1][2][3] Sacramento press repeatedly identifies the band and its members as locals — "Sacramento's spaz-rockers"[4] and "Sacramento natives."[1] The band formed in Sacramento in 2001 after Hill and Seim's previous group disbanded.[5] AllMusic described them as "one of the most prolific acts on the American noise-rock scene."[6]
At a glance
- Core members: Zach Hill (drums) and Spencer Seim (guitars).[4]
- Formed in Sacramento, CA in 2001.[5]
- Described as "Sacramento's spaz-rockers" and as Sacramento natives.[4][1]
- Music characterized by "breakneck time-signature gymnastics," technical guitar-and-drum patterns and explosive live shows.[2]
- Began as a two-piece, expanded, then returned to a duo; in 2009 announced a new record as a two-piece, their first since 2005.[4]
- Last LP, Tripper, released 2011; band on "a hiatus of sorts" thereafter.[7]
- Cited as a Sacramento math-rock touchstone alongside Tera Melos.[1][3]
Local status
Hella is local to Sacramento. Submerge calls them "Sacramento's spaz-rockers"[4] and refers to "Sacramento natives Tera Melos and Hella" as examples of local math-rock.[1] The Fall of Troy's Thomas Erak, discussing the Sacramento scene, cited "Hella and stuff like that" as part of the good music coming out of Sacramento.[8] Confidence: high.
Membership and formation
The band's nucleus is Zach Hill on drums and Spencer Seim on guitars.[4] Hella formed in Sacramento in 2001 after Zach Hill and Spencer Seim's previous band broke up.[5] Before Hella, the two had played together in a four-piece group that attracted major-label interest; according to Kill Rock Stars, the band dissolved when their close friend and frontman developed a heroin addiction.[9]
Hella existed as a duo through 2005, then worked in other configurations; in March 2009 the pair announced via MySpace that they were writing a new record as a two-piece — their first as a duo since 2005.[4] In 2005–2006, the band expanded to a five-piece touring lineup, adding Dan Elkan (vocals, rhythm guitar, synthesizer) and Jonathan Hischke (bass guitar) as touring members.[10] At one point the band also expanded to include Nevada City freak-folk artist Aaron Ross as a fifth member, providing vocals on its fourth full-length, There's No 666 in Outer Space.[2]
Releases and timeline
- 2001: Band formed in Sacramento.[5]
- Through 2005: active as a duo.[4]
- 2005–2006: expanded touring lineup added Dan Elkan and Jonathan Hischke.[10]
- There's No 666 in Outer Space (Hella's fourth full-length): a five-man lineup that added Aaron Ross on vocals.[7]
- 2005–2009: not active as a two-piece during this span.[4]
- March 2009: announced work on a new record as a duo, stating it "will be recorded and finished this year of 2009," with no label or producer/engineer yet chosen.[4]
- Tripper (2011): the band's last LP, after which Hella went on "a hiatus of sorts."[2]
The post-2011 hiatus is attributed in part to drummer Zach Hill's many other projects, "such as the hugely popular Death Grips."[2]
Full studio discography
Hella's five studio albums are:[5]
| Album | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Hold Your Horse Is | 2002 | 5 Rue Christine |
| The Devil Isn't Red | 2004 | 5 Rue Christine |
| Church Gone Wild / Chirpin' Hard | 2005 | Suicide Squeeze |
| There's No 666 in Outer Space | 2007 | Ipecac Recordings |
| Tripper | 2011 | Sargent House |
The Devil Isn't Red was recorded in June 2003 at Retrofit studio in Sacramento, CA.[11] A 20th-anniversary remaster was released by Kill Rock Stars on September 27, 2024, limited to 1,000 copies on red vinyl with an original 12×18 promo poster.[12]
Hold Your Horse Is was reissued by Kill Rock Stars on September 1, 2023 (21st anniversary edition) on black vinyl.[9]
Scene relationships and influence
Hella functions as a reference point in Sacramento's math-rock and experimental lineage. Submerge groups them with Tera Melos as Sacramento natives at the "way out there and not as accessible" end of the math-rock spectrum.[1] The Speed of Sound in Seawater's Damien Verrett named Tera Melos and Hella as local examples of the genre.[1]
Spencer Seim's other work includes the Nintendo-core band The Advantage, and after Hella's hiatus he formed the project SOLOS with Aaron Ross (and later Jeff Schmidt), released via Joyful Noise Recordings.[2] Seim is credited with an instrumental pedigree "with Hella—as well as with Nintendo-core crew The Advantage."[2] Seim has contrasted the two collaborations — describing his connection with Zach Hill in Hella as primarily "a rhythmic connection," versus a "melodic connection" with Ross in SOLOS, and noting both he and Hill came out of a band "that was very technical and was really trying to innovate in time signature."[2]
Zach Hill's broader profile includes the widely known Death Grips.[2] Within the local scene, Hill also surfaces in the personal histories of other Sacramento bands: G. Green's Liz Liles is described as having left bandmate Julian Elorduy "for Hella drummer Zach Hill."[3]
Hella also intersects with the Mars Volta orbit: Dan Elkan (of Nevada City's Them Hills, and earlier of Sacramento's Pocket for Corduroy) met Cedric Bixler-Zavala when Hella opened for The Mars Volta on tour.[2][13]