Still On the Hill

by Charlotte DillonStill on the Hill is a folk band that was founded in Fayetteville, AR, in 1995. The music the group plays is a very comfortable and pleasing down-home mix of folk and bluegrass, something that has been called folkgrass by some. Members of this group are all talented singers and songwriters who have a combination together of decades in the music business. Still on the Hill is made up of guitarist and banjo picker Phil Lancaster, bassist John Johnston, fiddler and mandolin player Donna Henschell, and last but not least, Kelly Mulhollan, who can hold his own whether playing the mandolin, guitar, harmonica, or banjo. In 1997, Still on the Hill finished recording a self-titled debut. The excellent album is filled with folkgrass numbers like "White Tailed Deer," "Ballad of the Landlord," "Just Won't Do," "Time for a Change," and "Why I Can Cry." A sophomore offering, Still, was released in 1999. "Gone, Gone, Gone," "Round Barn," and "Three Things in Mind" are some of the songs from this second full-length recording.
In 2000, John Johnston parted ways with Sill on the Hill. The group settled into an act of three comfortably. The next year they walked away with a number of awards from the N.A.M.A., including Best Guitar Player, Best Folk Band, Best String Instrumentalist, and Best Overall Band. Still on the Hill performs across a big portion of the United States, playing at festivals and fairs. Long before it is time for them to go on stage, they set up camp and get into a practice session, which always draws people over to listen. It's a nice way to get to know their audience ahead of time and to increase the group's ever-growing fan base.