Recorded at Michael's and Dylan's houses, Austin, Texas, Fall 2007-Summer 2008 Mixed and mastered by Michael Hill String arrangements by Dylan Rieck Photography and graphic layout by Andrew Hill Michael Hill – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, banjo & percussion Dylan Rieck – cello Owen Weaver – drum kit Colleen McCullough – violin Thanks: Dylan, Owen, Colleen, Andrew, Dan, Kathy, Sawyer, Oscar, Mom & Dad All Songs copyright 2008 Michael Hill except Dry Lightning, copyright 1995 Bruce Springsteen For Harmony I grew up in a small town. What's more, my family lived out in the country. Summers, when the wind was right, the faint whine of the noon whistle could be heard coming all the way from town. And even though the sound originated just a short car ride away, at times like those I felt like I might as well have been on another planet, a world away from school, friends and lives being lived in ways I could only imagine. Come to think of it, I have lived much of my own life in this very fashion, occupying an outpost - sometimes physical, often mental - somewhere far removed from others, longing for connection and, at the same time, reveling in my aloneness. Thirty-seven years on, I can't really say that things have changed much. As if contemporary society, with its emphasis on making things convenient to the point of never having to leave the safety of your own fortress, weren't isolating enough, the act - and privilege - of raising two small children has served to remove me that much further from the bustle and roar of the crowd. Today, I live in a city. But the struggle (not so strong a word? tie back to first graph?) to stay connected to the rest of the world is as much a part of my day-to-day existence as it ever was, perhaps even more so. The "Outlying Towns" then are the places, both physical and mental, we occupy away from the bright lights, the noise, the action of the moment. They are the meditative territories we either seek out or find ourselves exiled to. Whether they are permanent or temporary is something I'd like to think is up to us. The one thing I am sure of, however, is a proven scientific fact - we cannot survive in a vacuum. We need others to nourish us, to steady us, to sustain us, to call us back, no matter how deep we go into the wilderness of our imaginations. Nostalgia is an easy trap. So is self-pity. Step away from the mirror for a moment and walk outside. Shake your neighbor's hand. Introduce yourself. MPH, Austin, Summer 2008