Upcoming Music Artist Justice Hill Brings It Home
By Wes Hessel with Cate Rees-Hessel
Originally from the Kalamazoo area, this transplant has wholeheartedly embraced his “new” home in the Windy City, and it shows. His soon-to-be released new album is titled “Cooler by the Lake” – if that’s not a wholly Chicago phrase, what is? Then there’s the intended double entendre – cooler in both aspects of the word; as he points out, by the lake anywhere else would be all high priced real estate but here it’s a public park, the cool place to be, and where you want to be in the summer since it’s more comfortable. The city became comfortable for him in a short period of time after he relocated here – when he was younger, seeing Chicago across the lake at sunrise made it a kind of Oz for him. This is the kind of thoughtfulness and awareness Mr. Hill brings to his music; we had the chance to discuss his single “Thank You, Hate Me” and the soon debuting album.
First, in case you were wondering, Justice is his given name – he related, “My mother picked it when my dad was playing basketball with a teammate by the same name but spelled Justus. Growing up I thought it was more unique but Google Justice Hill and see what happens.” As for his compositions, they are a labor of love to write and compose – some songs have been a work in progress over six years, back around the time when his first album was released mid-COVID. So Justice is one for commitment, and “Thank You, Hate Me” (released this past Valentine’s Day) talks about when a relationship where a person is “all in” with someone you love, comes to a close – the rawness and other strong feelings left behind.
His inspirations are a spectrum – Prince, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, and Pink Floyd – but what ties them together is the storytelling, with melodies that people will remember, the “hooks” as they are known in the industry. “Cooler by the Lake” he created with a broadness such that different people will find different things in his album – Justice says, “Trying to set the table a certain way so people can be surprised by the meal.”
And it’s working – “you can’t go home again” definitely didn’t apply when he played a concert recently in New Buffalo, in his old stomping grounds. With his mom in the house, Justice wowed the crowd so much they bought out all of his merchandise – high praise, indeed. His new project drops May 16th, when it will be available on the major music outlets, then stay tuned for the official release party, slated to be May 28 at Schuba’s Tavern, 3159 N Southport Ave. in the city – tickets are already on sale, so don’t delay. Yes, he does music justice…
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