sarahillis's blog

Hello! Sara Hillis here to let you know about this week's episode of Come by the Hills, the Folk and Celtic music show, which comes your way live from the 7th Floor Sunday (tonight!) at 8:00 PM Eastern! This week, I've got songs about rivers, songs about songs, more Woody Guthrie goodness, and much else besides! It's three hours of friendly Folkish fun you won't want to miss!

So, catch Come by the Hills live from the 7th Floor on Sunday at 8:00 PM Eastern, or check out the replay on Tuesday at 5:00 AM Eastern. However and whenever you listen, enjoy!

Hello! Sara Hillis here to spread the stupendous news that, not only is Come by the Hills live this weekend, but my favourite (in fact my only) dynamic microphone is back in business after an unfortunate accident which befell its headphone jack in November. Thanks to my new Zoom H6 Essential Recorder which can also act as an audio interface, I no longer need the mic's headphone jack, and life is good!

Greetings and salutations! Sara Hillis here to let you know that, as a result of a confluence of sundry Sara-birthday-related events, this week's episode of Come by the Hills will be a rerun from July 14, 2024. This was just after the Butler Pensylvania assassination attempt on Donald Trump, so you'll hear some references to that throughout the show. You'll also hear a debate as to what constitutes Folk music which ultimately led me to create the "What the Folk?" feature that I do from time to time.

Hello! Sara Hillis popping round again to tell you that in just a few short hours, Come by the Hills will be coming your way. I've got lots of goodies on this week's edition of the Folk and Celtic music show on Mushroom FM, including songs about summer, selections from Simon & Garfunkel's debut album, and songs about boats. Also of course, our Summer of Woody Guthrie feature has another installment. Best of all, the show is once again live, so feel free to chime in!

Greetings! Sara Hillis here to let you know about this week's impendingly imminent episode of Come by the Hills! Yes, in under three hours as of this posting, I'll be getting underway with a fantastic three hours that promises to contain something for everyone. Two weeks ago, I launched a recurring feature, at least for the summer, about Woody Guthrie, and this week, I have two of his Dust Bowl ballads, as they have come to be called. Speaking of ballads, I've got a piece called "Ballad for Americans," which is a cantata written in 1939 and which I think you'll find interesting.

Hello! Sara Hillis here to let you know that, though this week's episode of Come by the Hills is a rerun from 2024, it celebrates Canada Day, which is coming up on July 1. Originally aired on June 30, 2024, it contains many jems of Canadian Folk music along with vintage audio from patriotic film shorts which used to air on Canadian TV, and of course a lot of witty banter. So, hang out and have fun!

Catch Come by the Hills on Sunday at 8:00 PM Eastern, or check out the replay on Tuesday, Canada Day itself, at 5:00 AM Eastern! Enjoy, and elbows up!

Hello! Sara Hillis here to let you know that this week's live episode of Come by the Hills is jam-packed! Not only will I be kicking off a summer featuring vintage Woody Guthrie recordings thanks to a listener's request, but I'll also be playing lots of tunes for National Indigenous Peoples' Day here in Canada, which is celebrated every year on June 21st. There will be some songs about weddings as well, songs featuring the month of June, and some French Canadian songs to celebrate Fete Nationale in Quebec, which takes place on June 24th. So come along and hang out, if you have a mind!

Hello! Sara Hillis here to let you know that while Come by the Hills will not be live once again this week due to yet more family celebrations, it will be an encore presentation that celebrates a very special birthday! No, it's not the guy with all the tanks. It's one of our long-time listeners, Marci! This show comes from June 14, 2020, when we were all feeling lonely and locked down, and Marci sent a very kind email to ask if I could play a song for her on the occasion of her birthday. I chose more than one song, and as I recall, it was a fun show!

Hello! Sara Hillis here to tell you that once again, I have an encore presentation for you on Come by the Hills. I'm unable to do a live show this week, so I thought I'd replay our tribute to Peter Yarrow which was originally broadcast on January 12th, 2025. If you listen, you will discover the origin of "keep your dragons safe," a line I often use to close out the show. So, in light of the military parade through Washington D.C.

Hello! Sara Hillis here to let you know that it's time once again for our annual Stan Rogers show on Come by the Hills. Shows like this feel very relevant to many Canadians just now with all the talk of 51st states and such coming from the land to the south of us. This year, due to my being elseware and unable to broadcast live, I've decided to air the Stan Rogers show we did last year, on June 2nd, 2024 to be precise. I hope you'll find it interesting, whether or not you're Canadian.