Trevor Gordon Hall

Philadelphia, USA

The Other World on Our Planet

AmbientElectronic

Behind the Music

In a way, being involved in The Outlaw Ocean Music Project led me to rediscover what exactly I love about music, while also giving me the opportunity to put my artistry towards a greater social cause. Ian has an innate ability to pack so much meaning into just a few syllables. One of my favorite parts of the project was the ability to experience a scene that Ian would paint with words, and then finding the right instruments, sounds and melodies I need to capture that. His visceral phrasings led me to respond as an artist with different rhythms and textures. I’ve always loved when music can reproduce something in a way that gets the senses buzzing. So many of the topics explored in The Outlaw Ocean’s stories are incredibly raw, and I wanted to reflect the essence of that in my songs by venturing from shimmering sounds to intense and uneasy guitar rhythms. 

Translating the vivid experiences Ian describes via all the components he provided us musicians left me with much to reflect on throughout my creative process. Immersing myself into the specifics of it all, and then internalizing and investigating it myself before choosing the emotions I hoped to pass on was exciting for me. This is such an innovative way to approach journalism and a fascinating project that I’m profoundly proud to be part of.

Trevor Gordon Hall
About Trevor Gordon Hall

Rated one of the top 30 guitarists in the world under 30 years of age by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Trevor is an instrumentalist from Philadelphia, USA, whose style ranges from edgy driving rhythms to delicate melodic themes. Now in his mid-thirties, Trevor has not stopped exploring the guitar’s full creative potential and blending of sounds that weave together textures into grand, yet intimate and lyrical compositions. While leaving no physical aspect of the guitar untouched, Trevor navigates audiences through an igniting experience of music that isn’t just heard, but felt. 

Aside from being featured on NPR, NBC, PBS and countless international media outlets, Trevor’s tour calendar has taken him to 16 countries. He has performed at many historic places, including Carnegie Hall in NYC, Union Chapel in London, Music History Museum in Bologna, Adolfo Mejia Theater in Colombia and more. He has also had the opportunity to share the stage with some of the most trusted and legendary names in the music business, prompting high praise from John Mayer, Steve Miller, Graham Nash, Steve Hackett, Dar Williams, Will Ackerman, Pat Martino, Stanley Jordan, Phil Keaggy, Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee and more.

Winner of the 2021 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Innovation in Journalism

The Journalism behind the Music

All music in this project is based on The Outlaw Ocean, a New York Times Best-Selling book by Ian Urbina that chronicles lawlessness at sea around the world. This reporting touches on a diversity of abuses ranging from illegal and overfishing, arms trafficking at sea, human slavery, gun running, intentional dumping, murder of stowaways, thievery of ships and other topics.

Learn More