In preparation for the release of The One Who Remembers – coming out November 1! – here is the formal press release. Making this feel awfully real, folks! Read on for lots of details about the new album, along with some personal reflections…
Portland-based singer-songwriter Avery Hill is set to release her sophomore full-length album, The One Who Remembers, on November 1, 2024. This album marks a significant return to her roots as a storyteller and reflects Avery’s profound personal journey. “The title is an introduction to myself as an artist,” Avery explains. “I am not a flashy performer or a storm chaser; I am the one who remembers.” She further elaborates, “Fundamentally, every artist is a ‘rememberer,’ and the purpose of art is to invite us all to remember what it is to be human.” The album title, she adds, is also the title of the opening track and represents “a certain amount of humility” and “a truer picture of myself,” emphasizing that her role is to reflect and make sense of experiences rather than seek attention.
Avery’s music career began in a home filled with the sounds of her parents’ favorites. She recalls, “My mother bought me my first guitar and patiently listened to me rave about Joni Mitchell. My father made me mixtapes and taught me to harmonize to The Beach Boys on the radio.” Originally aspiring to be a teacher, Avery’s life took a creative turn after teaching in classrooms across Germany, Vermont, Washington, and Oregon.
In 2015 she released her first full-length album, Dreams & Ghosts: A Family Album, which received critical acclaim and ranked in the Top 10 on the Folk DJ charts. Tom May of River City Folk praised the album, stating, “This emerging singer-songwriter has a memorable, lilting voice and is already penning songs that could someday be classics. She is an extraordinary young talent.”
Avery’s passion for teaching remained strong alongside her music career. “Teaching music became as fulfilling as writing and performing,” she says. She started teaching ukulele in 2013 and has become a staple in Portland’s ukulele community. “I strive to educate everyone’s inner musician, elevate their self-knowledge and confidence, and enchant them with insight, presence, and a handful of good jokes.”
The creation of The One Who Remembers was deeply influenced by Avery’s personal experiences. “After my last album in 2015, a lot of life happened,” she shares. Avery got married in 2015 and discovered a love for teaching music, balancing her career with independent touring. “I gave birth to my son, Oscar, in 2018, and anyone who is a parent will tell you how much that really turns your life upside-down.” The pandemic further complicated Avery’s life, revealing cracks in her marriage. “When the pandemic lockdowns began in 2020, I realized my marriage wasn’t what I thought it was and that it wasn’t bringing out and allowing me to be the full person I knew I was.”
In September 2020, amidst the smoke from wildfires and the uncertainty of the pandemic, Avery and her husband separated. “It felt like life as I knew it was going up in smoke—I was now a single parent, and we were all in this place of not really knowing what the pandemic would bring next. And yet, deep down, I knew how lucky I was.” Avery found not just solace, but strength, in the songs she had written. “On one level, they’re just stories about my childhood experiences and relationships, but I realized that—on the other side of all this change—I needed to put these songs to press to capture this moment in my life,” she reflects. The songs served as a means of staying connected to who she is and who she has become. “They helped me stay in touch with who I am at my core, who I am because of the people who raised me.”
The album’s highlights are deeply intertwined with Avery’s personal narrative, culminating in the closing track “Roll Down the River,” the meaning of which took on new meaning as Avery navigated her changing life. “I wrote it almost right after my last album, and at the time, it was a nice song dedicated to my growing family, but as my life changed and the shape of our family changed, I made some changes in the lyrics and arrangement and it became this song I so deeply feel when I sing it because I know better now what I’m really singing about.”
Avery found that “sometimes the songs we write don’t make sense until we live our way into them, like they’re waiting for us on the other side of something we haven’t lived through yet.”
Reflecting on the creative process, Avery mentions, “I was intrigued by what remembering sounds like. These ‘echoes’ set the scene for certain songs and transitioned between memories.” She adds, “The songs were written before the hard times hit, and they didn’t fully make sense until I lived through those experiences.” Avery found herself doubting the relevance of these older songs but was reassured by producer Steve Drizos. “I did have some doubts in the recording process, whether it was worth recording these songs that were so old. Steve said, ‘Well, maybe they’re not done with you.’ Give that man a therapy degree, because he was totally right.”
The album’s theme revolves around family and personal growth. “There’s definitely a theme of family, I think, and the love—if somewhat complicated—that one can feel for one’s family.” The final track, “Roll Down the River,” encapsulates this message: “It’s ok to be unsure, it’s ok to be brave; darling, you’re the one I’m rowing for; you’re the tomorrow to see me through today.” Avery emphasizes, “Family can be a really fraught topic for folks, but the point of the album isn’t really about the family you’re born to; it’s about the family you make from the people who have loved you and whom you have loved.” She reflects on the strength derived from these relationships, noting, “Wherever your strength comes from, hold onto that, remember that, tell yourself that story, because that’s ultimately all we have in the end—the stories we tell ourselves. No one can take that from you.”
Avery’s self-consciousness about her place in the musical landscape reflects her humility. “Sometimes I look around and feel like the media only want to hear from artists who have overcome hardship and trauma. That work is so important and should be shared. I would also argue that we need stories of joy and love, too, in the larger landscape of what music can reflect, and what we can find meaning in. Sometimes we need to remember – in those moments of hardship, as we overcome our trauma – what it is that keeps us strong, what were the positive things in our lives to keep us stable and ready to ride the waves of whatever life brings us.”
Looking ahead, Avery expresses a desire to connect with new audiences and communities. “My goal is to expand my audience and connect with communities that value personal connections with artists,” she says. “I’m not looking for recognition for its own sake but for the chance to make a deeper connection with listeners.” The One Who Remembers represents Avery Hill’s ongoing journey as an artist and teacher, highlighting her resilience and deep connection to her personal story. As she puts it, “In some ways, I’ve already reached my goal because the record is done. I’ve done the best job I could putting them to press, recording them in a way that I hope does them justice. That’s the most important part.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ALEX STEININGER AT IN MUSIC WE TRUST PR: 503-557-9661 or alex@inmusicwetrust.com