Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, recording producer, and recording engineer, Greg Hoy, has been an amalgamation of many titles in and with music. He’s been a recording engineer for over thirty albums and singles under various names, including The Royal Panics, Greg Hoy + The Boys, Hoy, and Twice As Bright, to name a few. He’s now gone solo as Greg Hoy, and also divulges in a podcast titled Limited Mileage. His love of music and all that goes with it runs far and wide. He currently has released his first of three EPs, titled Cacophony, and themes centered around it include birth, death, fires, and riots.
Hoy has worked with Glenn Branca, J. Robbins, Steve Albini, and drummer Steve Sutherland, and has his own record label, 30 Peak. His music is featured in Pinterest brand videos, American Express commercials, and game effects for Adobe. There’s no limit to what Hoy can and will do with music and all that it encompasses. His latest single and music video for “Here Comes the Light,” is all about the birth of his daughter and new life. The release of the track also coincides with Women’s History Month, and the lyrics in “Here Comes the Light” celebrate all that life and women have to offer and are also reflective of Hoy becoming a father. The video clip showcases “an animated take on the album cover, and the illustrations spin and flicker in a signature cut-and-paste style…”(Hip Video Promo)
Read all about Greg Hoy’s multi-faceted creativity in and with music, his podcast, his musical influences, and much more in our in-depth interview with him.
You’ve worn many hats through the years; singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, recording producer and recording engineer. Is there one that you’ve preferred over the other, and how have all of these roles contributed to one another?
Greg Hoy: Most of it falls under one big glob of creative goo of problem-solving in my brain. Collaboration with other folks — on my own stuff, or on theirs — tends to result in a far better outcome. It’s nice to revisit demos once in awhile to retrace the steps of making a great song even better, or sometimes, realizing what it lost in the process of ‘becoming.’ It’s still ongoing work of how to show up fronting a band, studio or live. Being a leader means having a vision even if sometimes that’s just pressing ‘record’ and seeing what happens.
Set and setting is important: reading the room, negotiating the energy. My inner caretaker sometimes takes over. This occasionally leads to my accepting performances or attitudes that aren’t making the collective run towards the top shelf. Sometimes that’s just a bad day. It’s good to work towards recognizing the source of the problem.
You also have a podcast, Limited Mileage; what encouraged you to start a podcast?
Greg: I love to hear people’s stories. I grew up on terrestrial radio, talk shows, Paul Harvey. My dad never would fly. This meant a lot, a lot of road trips, and a lot of listening to talking heads chat about the state of the world. In 2018, my wife and myself renovated a 1973 Airstream, and by that, I mean we nodded a lot to the choices made by the far more experienced contractor.
Most of 2019 was us driving all over these United States with the dogs and my guitar. Calling it ‘Limited Mileage’ was literally how any day on the road would be. Sometimes I’d play a show somewhere solo. And there’s only so many miles to be driven before some place or event would stop the caravan.
I had a GoPro rip-off, a couple of cheap clip-on Russian dash cams, and an old iPhone. In the process of travel and filming little videos, I also met interesting people. That led to interviewing them. In the tow van for the Airstream, which my nephew had tricked out with nice wooden walls and a futon, the acoustics were great. There was also full electric and a fridge. It became our ‘guest room’ when folks would fly in to stay with us. My Morning Jacket played two shows at Red Rocks that summer so we camped in Colorado for a week. I had to kick my buddy out during the hours I had interviews to conduct.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
My house was full of music all the time. Grace Jones. John Phillip Sousa. Nat King Cole. Barbra Streisand. Led Zeppelin. The first single record I bought with my own money was ‘Cars’ by Gary Numan. INXS. James Brown. Eddie Van Halen is a huge one for me. I remember my folks getting me a Yamaha Portasound Keyboard. It had a horn sound on it that was a little like ‘Jump’ so that was the first song I learned on it. Casio and Yamaha owe Eddie some residuals for all the 10-year-olds like me buying up shitty plastic keyboards in the 80s.
Your first of three EP releases, Cacophony 1, focuses on the creativity of various life themes; births, deaths, fires, and riots. Can you walk us through how it all came about?
Greg: There was a 2-week west coast tour planned for May/June with Vanessa Silberman. I booked a week at Tiny Telephone with the thought of re-recording some older songs then releasing them to promote the tour. Well, we all know what happened. I was losing my mind like everyone. My wife was about to give birth in July. It felt like a moment. So in June, I texted Jacob Winik my right-hand engineer ‘Would John (Vanderslice, owner of Tiny Telephone) be ok with us sort of sneaking in, socially distanced, to make a record?’
We got a week’s blessing. The Friday before the session, I went into the garage with my acoustic, my suitcase kick drum, and a whole lot of coffee and demo’d 7 songs. I sent them to Jason Slota the drummer and Ian Miller who played bass. For sure Ian was the champion of the day. He sort of knew the songs better than me. We were mostly all just happy to be there.
I should add that being in a big recording studio is fairly normally socially distant. We did take each other’s temperature a lot. Jacob has a credit on the vinyl version as ‘Temperature Checker’.
Your latest single and music video, “Here Comes the Light,” centers around the birth of your daughter, and how you wish her well on her journey into this world. What was your thought process during the writing of it, and what was filming the video like for you?
Greg: I mean, it really is kind of a wild time to be bringing a child into the world. That song was somewhat of a self-care lyric as well as a way to wish her well on her journey into this mortal coil. The lyrics work both ways ‘The violence tosses you forward unable to know what comes next’ is just as much about living through a pandemic as coming through the birth canal, you know? The video was fun as an animated one because I could just direct it for once versus having to storyboard, shoot, edit, revise, star in…
Fun Questions
Who was your first concert, and who has been your favorite?
Greg: Howard Jones, 1989, ‘Cross That Line’ tour, Pittsburgh PA with Midge Ure opening. It wasn’t great but my high school girlfriend was into it. Favorite is tough to answer! The first thing I thought of just now was Shellac at Princeton University in maybe 1999? They were the last band to play as the sun was going down, and there were no lights — always powerful watching those three. An acquired taste, perhaps.
What was your first album you recall purchasing on cassette, CD and/or vinyl?
Greg: The first LP was probably Sesame Street Disco or some weird early shit. The first cassette was Genesis, the one with ‘Mama’ on it, and ‘That’s All’.
Which five albums and/or artists would you not want to live without?
Greg: I’m going way over the 5! Some artists can generally do no wrong to my ears. Jim James. Public Enemy. Dolly Parton. Most Van Halen. Any Pink Floyd, pre-1979. Any ZZ Top up to Eliminator (maybe). LCD Soundsystem. Talking Heads. Any Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor stuff (The Watchmen soundtrack LPs are way, way under the radar). Josh Homme.
Do you have a guilty music and/or entertainment pleasure?
Greg: I’m a Reddit junkie. We’ll leave it at that.
What are you currently listening to, reading, and/or watching?
Greg: I’m on a trip right now so great timing for this question: listening to Nikki Lane (hat tip to Dean Delray/Josh Homme), Sturgill Simpson’s SOUND & FURY is great for driving, on the plane, reading the new issue of Tape Op magazine, and mostly watching the wheels go round and round. I really love to watch them roll.
Follow and connect with Greg on Instagram and Twitter. Stream his music on Spotify.
Related posts:
