- Bryon Harris
Noah James Hittner - 'Porch Step'
Noah James Hittner is a musician, producer, author and entrepreneur who was born and raised in the rural Midwest. Despite being raised the son of a local country-rock legend, Noah procrastinated for well over a decade before finally picking up the guitar in 2009. Influenced by everything from folk-rock to hip-hop, Noah has released several albums which blend the singer-songwriter, acoustic, rock, urban, and electronic styles into a singular "Acoustic-Tronic" genre. Off the album willing, the single "Porch Step" pays homage to Noah's roots in hip hop.
A bright guitar enters strumming a funky, syncopated rhythm in Noah James Hittner's "Porch Step." Noah sings a bluesy, gospel-tinged syllabic vocalese over the guitar giving the introduction a pensive vibe while vocal layering adds soul. A light drum roll and a hard clap on beat two takes the listener into the first verse. Noah sings, "Cuz I’m sittin’ here, right here, on this porch step. For way too long. Way too long." Small, melodic flourishes from piano grace the end of each bar catching your ear. Noah writes, records, mixes and produces all his tracks and the production work on "Porch Step" is stellar.
Noah's vocal performance is a lot like his music - it can't be pigeonholed. In the first sentence, a mixture of of blues, R & B, and soul are heard before Noah breaks into rap. His flow is confident, passionate, and articulate, fitting tightly in-the-pocket, as his spits his relatable rhymes.
"You see I, bent, broke, bartered, and wasted my time. You see I, bent, broke, bartered, and wasted my spine. You see I, was raised to prove myself at workin’ the grind. You see I, spent my youth and now it seems I’m lookin’ behind."
Noah raps about waiting for the day when he can look back and see how far he's come and how in the meantime, he'll play his guitar. This is the moment where the song cuts into an instrumental guitar solo that shines. "Porch Step" is a self-reflective song that explores themes of regret and resumption. The porch step is a place where people hang out and watch the world go by. For Noah, it symbolizes stepping of the bench into the life of his choosing. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who was raised to believe in the capitalistic ideal of the work grind where money equals happiness. Stepping away from these materialistic notions and embracing your role as an artist in society is challenging, but for artists who don't give it everything they've got, there can be regret.
"Porch Step" is a nod to all the artists who have experienced the inner drive to make art and resist the outer pressures of life. It takes a strong spine to give music everything you've got and Noah does just that in "Porch Step." In making the music he wants to make and refusing to be boxed in, Noah James Hittner offers a giant leap off the musical porch step for fans of originality and authenticity.
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More information on Noah James Hittner
Noah is currently based out of Madison and regularly tours the southeast Wisconsin region. His 3rd solo album, willing, was written, performed, recorded, mixed and produced entirely by Noah in his tiny basement home-studio on the blue-collar east-side of Madison, WI. Using Blues, Folk, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Electronica, this 12-song multi-genre journey touches on social justice, loss, consciousness, parenthood, and love. The album’s lead-off video-single, "A White Man’s Blues", explores the irony that occurs when the hate we receive becomes the hate we spread, and how we are all now living this irony, together. This song is about that irony from Noah’s perspective as a white man. willing is available now on all major streaming and download platforms.
In addition to music, Noah is the creator, owner and operator of, The Ark of Music LLC, which strives to enrich the music culture by connecting independent and small label musicians with the music-loving public.
Warming the heart and inspiring the mind, Noah has written and published several books on the topic of human consciousness, spirituality, and personal freedom.
For more information on Noah, please visit his website.