Senior Cory Hill may be graduating in May with a degree in telecommunications, but his diploma is only something to fall back on. The 23-year-old Ball State University student foresees a career in a different field: music performance.
Hill, who plays at 10 p.m. today at The Locker Room in the Village, is a regular at the bar and at other popular Muncie spots such as Doc's Tavern, where he performs weekly. In 2006, he performed on the side stage of Noblesville's Verizon Wireless Music Center as part of the venue's annual Haunted House event, and he has opened for local artists at the Rathskeller, a restaurant and bar in Indianapolis. With musical talents ranging from vocals to percussion and drums to bass, Hill's songs span from the classic rock 'n roll genre to a more folksy sound, senior Ashley Martin, former MoTini's manager, said.
Martin, who scheduled Hill's performances last semester, found him through a friend on MySpace and thought bringing new artists into the MoTini's atmosphere would be a beneficial move, she said.
"He brings in a lot of door money," Martin said. "His fans are the typical college crowd. They get up, jump around, dance and sing along with him. Other times they're pretty laid back."
Hill draws in an average of 30 to 50 people a show, and his fans' reactions mirror the duality of his music, she said.
The variety of sounds found in Hill's music can be attributed to his exposure to diverse influences such as Bright Eyes, Pearl Jam and Bob Marley, which he listened to growing up.
Hill said he doesn't remember not playing music; however, the combination of discovering an old guitar in his mother's closet at the age of nine and his best friend getting a trumpet is probably what sparked his interest in music performance, he said.
Hill may have also drawn his passion for music from his genes-Hill's aunt is Indianapolis-based national recording artist Jennie DeVoe. Having first opened for DeVoe as a 16-year-old, Hill said that while she is a definite influence on his love of music, he does not want to be seen as riding on the coattails of his aunt's legacy.
"I don't want to just be Jennie DeVoe's nephew, but at the same time, I'm proud of it," Hill said.
Hill's musical ventures in high school were largely unsuccessful until he formed the group Street Funk Symphony after graduating in 2002. The Muncie jam band won the 2002 Delaware County Battle of the Bands, he said.
Recently, most of the Ball State senior's efforts have gone into his solo gigs around central Indiana, Hill said.
"It's hard to keep a band together, to make compromises," he said. "I had to establish myself and my repertoire together."
Despite the difficulties surrounding the formation of another band, a small jazz ensemble sprang out of Hill's solo project. The three-member band features Hill's childhood friend and drummer Cassius Goens III, who played percussion with Hill in high school, and bassist Shawn Patrick, who has been part of the band for several months. Both Goens and Patrick play in the Ball State jazz band, Hill said.
Hill's future plans include finishing an album with his bandmates and taking the group's sound to bigger cities.
"Right now everything is focused on the album," he said. "The sound might be a cross of Bright Eyes and Wilco. We'll get the album done, get it done right, then get into Indy and Chicago and see what we can do."
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