Feature: Greg Hoy and The Boys Decodes ‘Hit Music’
What was the creative process like for this particular album?
Most of the new songs started with a drum part! Last summer, x-rays revealed spinal arthritis and some fused vertebrae causing a pesky thing called cervical radiculopathy. Basically, when I strap on a guitar, after a bit of performing, the nerve running to my hand gets pinched causing it to go numb. Not exactly ideal for playing or performing.
My doctor suggested other forms of arm and shoulder movement. So I set about revisiting the drum kit. I'd throw on headphones at my little recording room, drum along to other songs. The first week last fall, I recall trying to learn the drum fill to the 'Mad Men' theme - RJD2's 'A Beautiful Mine'! Tempo work came from playing along with more synthetic drum parts like Aphex Twin, Roni Size, The Prodigy, Public Enemy. Eventually, I worked up to rock stuff - Fugazi, Don Caballero, Phil Collins. Once things felt stable, the mics came next, spending time getting good sounds. New drum parts became blueprints for songs. Then I'd sit and play bass, guitar, etc., over top until it came time for melodies and lyrics.
Was there any challenge that you encountered while making this album?
There was a real freedom in just playing - not thinking it was 'time to make another record'. My mind also got away from the idea of having to perform all the songs live: though the way the record came into light, performing them even as a simple trio without the horn section is fairly simple.
I guess the biggest challenge was really the rehearsal space itself. It's not sound proof, per si, so the folks in the rooms next to me often played drums and bass at the same time I was trying to record final takes. Since everything was mic'd with no DI stuff, you can hear some bleed of other drums on the tails of some of the songs on the album! EQ and a little plug-in magic helped mitigate it.
Can you talk about any standout tracks on 'Hit Music' and what makes them special to you?
“Gold” was the first song that felt complete. That set the tone, literally and figuratively, for the rest of the record. Ironically, the main guitar used on the record was REALLY heavy - a 1981 Gibson Deluxe 335-S that looks like the dude from Tool's. As time went by, I could stand up and strap it on for short periods, however, I ended up holding it REALLY high, like embarrassingly high (luckily, no pictures of that!) That guitar just has a vibe. Between the instrument and having it strapped like Buddy Holly, it set a precedent to try different things.
Overall, I used a thick steel metal pick for all the bass lines, and most of the main guitar parts. “Gold” has a harmonic riff with open strings on it. That got me in a more 80's style, Alex Lifeson or Andy Summers 'textural' mindset. That led to “Luck Vs Fate” having an AC/DC 'Thunderstruck' riff opening, as well as the song “The Simulation” which is in 5/4 (!) and features Pittsburgh legend Ben Opie on saxophone.
How have your life experiences shaped your musical voice, and what are the most significant influences?
One of the things that keeps me inspired is seeking creativity in all its cracks and crevices. Cynicism has never been easier at my age. It's a GenX thing, ya know? The generation of Kurt Cobain, watching the space shuttle explode on live TV, the Jonestown Massacre, latchkey kids, etc. It created a sort of 'We were over it before it even started' type of attitude, a total control defense mechanism. And yet, there's still amazing, inspiring stuff all around us.
We saw U2 at the Sphere last summer. You forget how refreshing it is to hear well-written, melodic, simply arranged songs in this day and age. Then the sensory overload of the venue adds this other exciting dimension. I'm looking forward to more visual creativity even in smaller venues. We have this cool guy Zach who goes by litebritemagic in the Bay area that did a live visual performance for us while we performed at Kilowatt for the album release show. It was fantastic.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
Inspiration can come anytime, and from any *thing*, really. Even this interview! My iPhone has a ton of potential song titles and melodies I've accrued. Let's see here... looking at my voice memos, 'Burrito song', 'Owl and Eagle', 'Be Afraid of the Sun'. Walking the dogs with my 4-year-old daughter near the Pacific Ocean helps. Going to shows to support other bands. Reading books! I just finished Kim Gordon's bio, and am re-reading Anthony Bourdain's 'Medium Raw'. I dig people's stories. Anything to remember we're not alone, as often as it feels we might be. The human experience is shared. It's a living, organic thing that, even as technology tries to mute, we can't forget. There's a rather nihilist theory I just read that says something like 'What if the Earth IS the last living thing in the universe?' So you can look and react to that in two very different ways. On most days, my energy goes towards trying to savor and preserve it.
