Band Name: Greg Hoy & The Boys (Greg, Jason, Nate)

With just over 30 full length releases in the last 15 years, Brooklynite-by-way-of-California songwriter Greg Hoy has finally fulfilled his fantasy of making a double gatefold LP in the tradition of Guided By Voices, The Jam, The Beatles, and Spoon. Tracked over many sessions at Tiny Telephone and ear hopper in San Francisco, the trio took close to a year to complete 22 melodic & muscular retro rock n roll songs.

The Big Takeover Issue 83 says ‘Drop the needle anywhere on these four sides and you’re greeted with Hoy’s trademark crunchy, meaty, dirt-discharging guitars and swaggering, Mick Jagger/David Johansen-like growl, and Jason Slota’s smacking, in-the-pocket drums. Hoy’s Boys kick out plenty of ’70s punk/R&B/blues-inspired jams’ and Divide & Conquer says ‘an eclectic batch of rock songs that demand your attention’.

Song name: Brilliant Jerk!
Music Genre:: Rock Dance

That guy at the party, the one that won’t shut up? That guy. You gotta dance it off when you’re around ‘that guy’. https://open.spotify.com/track/3ZmYnyBe8AneFOJT80yfI0?si=ypdogq6zRm6OExl3qqJh5g

I live in…
San Francisco is our home base! We spend a lot of time making music in our studio earhopper as well as performing at all the fine, fine establishments within a reasonable driving distance with our Ford Econoline.

 

Who have been the most influencial in your music .
James Brown comes to mind! The Clash! Guided By Voices is still a huge influence. Spoon. The Beatles. The Kinks. For this double LP it was my mom, so you gotta add INXS, Huey Lewis, and The Police (check out them sax parts).

When did you know that this was the right path for you?
My siblings were musicians so I began playing drums and guitar at the age of 3. Couple that with my dad recording cassettes of he and I talking all the time plus my love of my mom’s vinyl LP collection and, well, let’s just say it’s about the only thing that’s saved me all these years.

What do you like most about what you do?
There is a real language and community that music transcends. My wife and I were in New Zealand recently and any time we were in a bar with a live band, I instantly had an in to chatting, hanging out, and communicating. I mean, they speak English so it’s not like it was super far fetched. But I think you know what I mean.

What do you most hope to accomplish with your influence?
Getting people to dance, and think a little bit about their own existence… seems like a noble goal for 45 minutes to an hour of time.

What is the biggest obstacle you have faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
There’s been a real competition for attention in the last years between screens and technology. Getting people to feel the power of standing in a room with musicians interacting together can sometimes be a pain in the ass. Then when they do come to a show they say ‘Oh my God why don’t I go see live music more often?’

What do you want people to remember most about you and your career?
I’d hope there’s a few universal themes in the 500 or so songs I’ve written. And there’s probably a few love letters and break-up letters in there. When relationships come and go, a song provides a bookmark for a feeling, good and bad, in love and in different.

What are you most looking forward to this next month?
We are about to hit the road in our ’73 Airstream for 8 or so months of living in the United States. The band will be myself with folks I know in various cities as the rhythm section as well as finding new musicians to play with along the way. It was inspired by how Chuck Berry toured: show up with a guitar and a band that’s learned your songs.

Website & social media links:
www.greghoyandtheboys.com
www.facebook.com/HoyMusic
https://earhopper.bandcamp.com/