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Marc Hill   Playing at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA in 2013

I was born in Burbank, CA with half my childhood spent in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley and half in San Jose. I have been playing acoustic guitar since age eight and wanted to play in a band, but the only band available at my age was elementary school band, which needed no guitar player, so I decided on trumpet, being the huge Chicago fan that I was. I knew, however, that it sacrificed my chance of being the next Terry Kath. Once I reached middle school, I noticed the girls were gravitating to the guitar players, so I dropped trumpet like a bad transmission and went back to guitar.
 
By then, at age 15, I picked up my first electric guitar. My first gig was the same year: two guitar players and a drummer cranking out classic rock at a girl's birthday party at a Shakey's Pizza in San Jose. We were kicked out after 20 minutes by the manager who told us we were too loud, and that the other patrons couldn't hear the piano player in the next room. At about this time the first Eddie Money album came out, with an axe man by the name of Jimmy Lyon. I loved his style and wore out three copies of that first album learning Jimmy’s licks (and to this day is still my biggest, but not only, influence).

Thinking that by this time I had it going on, a friend introduced me to another up and coming group named Van Halen, named after the two brothers in the band, one of whom was quite the guitar player. In all my cockiness I suggested we go listen to the album to see what this new upstart had. After hearing the first track, Runnin’ With The Devil, I smiled and asked to hear the next track, which was Eruption, nothing but 1:44 of Eddie just noodling. My jaw dropped, my little ego popped like a balloon, and I didn’t pick up my guitar again for another six months.

My humbled self decided to start a real garage band. Then for the next 45 years, in between working straight jobs, my previous bands include Chrodachrome (my first band at 15), Lucky Eddie, Six-Pack, and an originals band called Refugee. That band played up and down the Sunset Strip and in the L.A. basin in the late 80’s, playing at the famed Whisky a Go Go, the Roxy, Gazzarri's and Bogarts, among many others. The band released one single however that didn't make the charts. 

When Nevermind by Nirvana went #1 on the Billboard charts in 1992, I realized that grunge/alternative was the next phase for rock and roll. Since my original material was neither grunge nor alternative, I realized that perhaps a career in music wasn't in the stars. Returning to the South Bay the following year, I continued the cover band route with Ruthie & The Gents, That Seventies Band, Rock Solid, and Ritmo (a Latin-rock tribute band).

I have played in an Eagles tribute band called Lyin’ I’s since 2007, playing guitar, mandolin, keyboards, harp, percussion, as well as singing lead and harmony in a four-octave vocal range. I also picked up bass, drums and pennywhistle along the way, all of which in varying degrees of proficiency. 

My desire to stretch out of my comfort zone led to The Time Machine. Venturing solo, I've come full circle returning to my acoustic guitar and adding backing tracks. My aim is to return my audience to a time and place that evokes special memories when they hear these songs.

The things that bring me joy these days include being with my beautiful wife Bonnie, spending time with family and friends, listening to and collecting all kinds of music, movies, reading, cooking, photography and watching Giants baseball games.
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