Bacton Hill

Bacton Hill is the musical collaboration of two southern-to-northern transplants, Florida Wayne and Ariel Turner, both of whom migrated to the greater Philadelphia area for reasons other than musical pursuit. After their meeting at a local church, it took two years for the casual banter to turn into a serious conversation, which, officially, was prompted by an invitation to play at an outdoor concert in Phoenixville, Pa. It took only a few rehearsals and jam sessions for the two to realize their mutual passion for music as more than just entertainment.

Their rock-infused folk-style represents both of their widely divergent backgrounds and musical tastes.

After being mostly self-taught, Florida Wayne, based in Virginia, spent 5 years touring as guitarist and singer for the Jeff Greer Band, where he gained an appreciation for Celtic music and especially, the fiddle. He launched his own band, Lost In Rotation, in 2004, acting as the main song-writer, lead singer and guitarist. After a five-year run, three CD releases, and an anti-climactic trip to Nashville, LIR disbanded in 2009.

Turner began her musical studies in-utero as the daughter of two classically trained and professional musicians. She began her formal instruction on the piano at age 6 and violin at 9. Violin became her primary instrument, and she spent her middle school through college years performing in orchestras and with a string quartet that played many weddings and events in Upstate South Carolina. It wasn’t until she moved to Pennsylvania and was asked to play with a church worship band that she discovered her knack for improvisation and music writing. She even discovered she could sing.