Gretta Ziller – “Hell’s Half Acre”
Americana Highways is pleased to announce this premiere of Gretta Ziller’s song “Hell’s Half Acre” from her forthcoming album, which was produced and mixed by Damian Cafarella, and mastered by Joshua Schuberth. The album, including this song, will showcase songs that Gretta has been playing but for one reason or another never made it onto her previous albums.
“Hell’s Half Acre” is Greta Ziller on vocals, and Damian Cafarella on banjo, slide guitar, baritone guitar, drums, percussion and more.
Slow and just a little sinister, this song accounts a tryst that led to “we got married in a Vegas style wedding, in some chapel far from heaven, my folks didn’t show and the preacher had hell’s angels tattoos We got high down in the low country, where the lands are so, so bad…” The music takes its time and sets up the right feel. The video footage emulates old style glitchy analogue recordings, adding to the off grid, oppressive feel. Did the relationship work out? Listen and find out.
This song, “Hell’s Half Acre” and the forthcoming album are a celebration of 10 years releasing music. Hell’s Half Acre in particular was a song that came out of left filed when I wrote it and completely changed so much for my journey, I was wandering in a wasteland trying to find who and what I was musically, and suddenly I found my sound and my style and home with one song, “Hell’s Half Acre.” So in honour of the song, and the past 10 years I worked with my friend, and member of my band, Damian Cafarella to take a collection of ‘old songs’ and make them new and original again.
Originally “Hell’s Half Acre” was inspired by a trip to a bad lands in Canada called “Drumheller,” but with a name like Gretta Ziller if I came out with a song called “Drumheller” folks would have thought I was a german heavy metal band so I found a badlands with a name made me sound slightly less aggressive!!! The song itself was written around a period of time where a lot of changes were happening, a friend of mine was getting out of a bad marriage and I was moving from a regional area to Melbourne. Although it is a fictional story, “Hell’s Half Acre” is a place that exists, The Shady Pines Saloon is a real bar, I did know someone with hells angels tattoos and a pan head motorbike and as for getting high in the low country, well I won’t confirm or deny that part!!! – Gretta Ziller
