Bethany Tomkins: The Hoge
Knoxville is in for a treat this Friday, as Nashville's own Will Hoge brings his brand of American rock to Blue Cats in the Old City. I was lucky enough to chat with Will by phone, and dig a little deeper into what's behind "the man who killed love." As a fan of The Hoge, I was tickled pink to get the chance to sit down and ask some questions I'd had in mind for awhile.
Here's how it went:
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Will Hoge: Well, I think it's all of those things, really. I listen to records a lot, but I think an artist needs to pay attention to all of those things.
B: You've done a lot of touring since your first CD release (with his first band, Spoonful, in 1997) - any favorite places, or places that surprised you with how you were received?
WH: Definitely the West coast. We started touring there in July [2006], and we've been back there twice since then. It's a lot of fun, seeing something that seems so far away from home grow on a level like it has. It's really encouraging to get to experience different things like you find on the West coast.. that's something unique, in and of itself.
B: I can imagine! How about working with other musicians, both in your band and separately?
WH: I have a lot of fun with being a bandleader, especially getting to bring in other people to play with us. You can learn a lot from other musicians - having a new guitar player come in, they'll play a song you've been doing for eight or nine years, but add their own touches to it. People can't be replaced; instead, everyone brings something new to it. There are so many great musicians in Nashville, it's great bringing someone in to play on a new record, and they're really just a phonecall away. That's one thing I'm definitely excited about on the new record [due out in Fall 2007].
B: So how did you get into playing music? How did you cross that line from listener to producer?
B: As a teenager, what did you listen to?
WH: My father was a musician, and he had a big record collection. I grew up in the 80s, and music was really, really bad...Poison, White Lion...all those bands with "white" in the name, just bad. My dad would play Rolling Stones, The Beatles, James Brown, The Temptations. That's where I realized, someone may think Poison is a great band, but listen to it back-to-back with Let It Bleed (the 1969 Rolling Stones album), and you can't help but see how much better The Stones are. Lynrd Skynrd was probably the first great band that I started listening to on my own. I really liked them, because they weren't glamorous, the lead singer didn't strut around in spandex, lighting shit on fire, you know? I was just really taken aback by the whole thing.
B: I hear you on that! Finally, Will.. I've heard your name pronounced and mis-pronounced a lot of ways; what's the worst version of it you've heard?
WH: (laughs) Oh, well I've definitely heard the last name pronounced every way from here to Sunday. The worst, though, was actually my first name. When we first started, we had a little gal working as a booking chick, and she was very country. She'd booked us a show one time, where because of her accent, they billed us as "Wheel" Hoge. W-H-E-E-L.. that's a country accent for you.
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Will's got a very natural, genuine way of speaking; he says what's on his mind, and doesn't seem to stop to think about what he should answer; he just gives the answer he feels is right, much the same as the songs he writes and sings. His 2006 album release, The Man Who Killed Love, is finding major success on the indie airwaves, and rightfully so. Get your fill of Will this Friday at Blue Cats, where he'll be appearing along with Nashville singer-songwriter, Garrison Starr, and Southern rockers Gringo Star. Show starts at 9pm. For more info, check out bluecatslive.com.
Comments
Nice work BT!
Posted by: Debra Dylan | April 20, 2007 12:53 PM