This is an unlikely story. The Hill is an Americana style music artist/project based in Philadelphia, PA founded upon the songs of Jon Kowit, a former record store employee and founder of Brooklyn's Ascend Records. Quietly writing songs for several decades, Kowit had never shared them with anyone. A multi-instrumentalist, he learned to play guitar and piano by ear and knew his methods were a bit unorthodox, so for that reason he was never comfortable with sharing his music, until now.

Just as he was seeking a collaborator to finally help bring his songs to life, he bumped into an old childhood friend, who had become a notable musician and producer. Kowit hadn't been in touch with Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner (Jason Molina, Wild Pink, Marah, Susan Werner,  The Low Road) for decades, but he was a fan of his music. In 2023, they agreed to work on one song, but the collaboration continued and spawned a 12 song album, entitled Get In Line released in 2024, which Brenner produces and plays on every song. Other notable local Philadelphia talents joined in to contribute to The Hill project: Mark Shreiber (John Train, Slo-Mo, The Low Road)) (drums), John Cunningham (Pete Donnelly, Needlefish) - keyboards, Rosie McNamara-Jones (Matt Pond, The Low Road, Joey Sweeney) (violin) and Meghan Kyle (No Good Sister) (vocals). Kowit plays rhythm guitar, piano and sang on 11 of the tracks. 

The unlikely Get In Line album was released on April 2, 2024, received some critical acclaim and continues to receive terrestrial radio play in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa. On Sept 6, 2024, The Hill released the single Let This Storm Pass and then its second 12-song album, Noble Station, on Sept. 26, 2025.