Bones Hillman
Encyclopedia
Bones Hillman is a New Zealand
music
ian. He played bass guitar
in his first band The Masochists, an early New Zealand punk
act, formed with friends from the Auckland
suburb of Avondale
(they were alternatively known as The Avondale Spiders). In late 1977 he joined the Suburban Reptiles
and appeared on their first single, "Megaton" (Vertigo, 1978). The name Hillman was coined by the make of car he drove. He left the band in early 1978 and joined the former Masochists in The Rednecks, a mainstay of the legendary Zwines punk scene in Auckland.
In late 1977 he joined the New Zealand band The Swingers
with Phil Judd
(ex-Split Enz
) and Mark Hough (aka Buster Stiggs, ex-Suburban Reptiles
). Their single "Counting the Beat
" was a trans-Tasman
number one hit before the band disintegrated in 1983.
Moving to Australia
and living there from 1987 until 2002, he was a member of internationally known Australian rock band Midnight Oil
, replacing Peter Gifford
as bass player.
After the dissolution of Midnight Oil, Hillman relocated to New Zealand, working as a studio and live musician with Dave Dobbyn
and recorded the album Available Light
. Hillman moved with his family to Nashville
, USA, in early 2007 to participate in the more active musical scene there.
In 2009 Hillman recorded albums for Anne McCue
Broken Promise Land and Elizabeth Cook
Welder
produced by Don Was
.
Hillman currently plays with Last Train Home.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
ian. He played bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in his first band The Masochists, an early New Zealand punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
act, formed with friends from the Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
suburb of Avondale
Avondale, Auckland
Avondale is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located in the Whau ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions for the Auckland Council. It is commonly considered to be part of West Auckland. It was originally called "Te Whau", which is the common name, of Māori origin, for Entelea...
(they were alternatively known as The Avondale Spiders). In late 1977 he joined the Suburban Reptiles
Suburban Reptiles
The Suburban Reptiles and The Scavengers were the first punk bands to form in New Zealand.- History :The Suburban Reptiles were first conceptualised by Auckland students Simon Grigg and Brett Salter in late 1976, with some encouragement from filmmaker David Blyth...
and appeared on their first single, "Megaton" (Vertigo, 1978). The name Hillman was coined by the make of car he drove. He left the band in early 1978 and joined the former Masochists in The Rednecks, a mainstay of the legendary Zwines punk scene in Auckland.
In late 1977 he joined the New Zealand band The Swingers
The Swingers
The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band. Formed out of the remnants of The Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd , Wayne Stevens , and Mark Hough . Formed in 1979, the band released the single "One Good Reason" which was a top 20 hit in New Zealand...
with Phil Judd
Phil Judd
Philip Judd is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers.-Split Enz:...
(ex-Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
) and Mark Hough (aka Buster Stiggs, ex-Suburban Reptiles
Suburban Reptiles
The Suburban Reptiles and The Scavengers were the first punk bands to form in New Zealand.- History :The Suburban Reptiles were first conceptualised by Auckland students Simon Grigg and Brett Salter in late 1976, with some encouragement from filmmaker David Blyth...
). Their single "Counting the Beat
Counting The Beat
"Counting the Beat" is a single by New Zealand rock band The Swingers released in 1981 from their album of the same name, Counting the Beat.-History:The single was performed by The Swingers, with frontman Phil Judd from Split Enz...
" was a trans-Tasman
Tasman
Tasman may refer to:* Tasman , a light rail station in California, USA* Tasman , a layout engine developed by Microsoft* Tasman Region, a region and a district of New Zealand* Mount Tasman, a mountain in New Zealand...
number one hit before the band disintegrated in 1983.
Moving to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and living there from 1987 until 2002, he was a member of internationally known Australian rock band Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
, replacing Peter Gifford
Peter Gifford
Peter Gifford , sometimes known as "Giffo," is an Australian musician. From 1980 until 1987 he played bass guitar for Australian rock band Midnight Oil.-Midnight Oil:...
as bass player.
After the dissolution of Midnight Oil, Hillman relocated to New Zealand, working as a studio and live musician with Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn, ONZM is an award-winning New Zealand musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash...
and recorded the album Available Light
Available Light
Available Light is a 2005 album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn.-Track listing:#"Intro"#"Welcome Home"#"Let That River Go"#"Pour The Wine"#"Roll Away"#"Outrageous Design"#"Accustomed To The Light"#"And You Will Lose Everything"...
. Hillman moved with his family to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, USA, in early 2007 to participate in the more active musical scene there.
In 2009 Hillman recorded albums for Anne McCue
Anne McCue
Anne McCue is an alternative country singer-songwriter, guitarist & producer from Australia.- Early life and education :McCue grew up in Campbelltown, an area southwest of Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a degree in Film Production and Film Studies...
Broken Promise Land and Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook is an American country music singer who made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry on March 17, 2000. She has released five albums to date. Balls was produced by Rodney Crowell, and nine of the album's 11 tracks were written or co-written by Elizabeth – including the single "Sometimes It...
Welder
Welder
A welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
produced by Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
.
Hillman currently plays with Last Train Home.