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"Will Hoge"
by Lucas Hendrickson
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If you listen closely, especially at shows of any of Nashville's multiple big buzz roots-pop bands of the moment, you can hear the knocking. Some might think it's opportunity at a nearby door, but more likely it's the bands themselves knocking the major labels and their way of doing business.
Hang on a minute, says Will Hoge, The majors aren't always as bad as the street-level musical public portrays them. And Hoge would know - he went the DIY route with the live record that caught the attention of his now-colleagues at Atlantic, then basically licensed his debut studio album, Carousel, to the label.
"Major labels are always getting bashed for the things they do, but we have to applaud them because they had the vision of bring [producer] John [Shanks] in, and their reasons, and they were all very musical reasons, which turned out to be the best thing for me and the band and the record," Hoge tells The Rage.
"The record" Hoge refers to his sophomore effort for Atlantic, Blackbird On A Lonely Wire, currently scheduled for a January 2003 release. On it, Hoge and his crack band (bassist Tres Sasser, drummer Kirk Yoquelet and guitarist Brian Layson) definitely hang onto the spirit of their indie records, with Shanks, whose multifaceted career as a songwriter and producer has included work with Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, The Corrs, Dexter Freebish and many others, adding just enough polish to make the record shine.
Hoge says Shanks' presence was the label's idea, but not because the powers-that-be lacked confidence in what the band was coming with. "When we were getting ready to go in, we'd find a producer and think 'Okay, this is the guy.' and then explain why," he says. "They really wanted us to work with John, but we didn't know him. We went to L.A. for a show, and we finally got to meet him. We really hit it off, and it was the right decision."
The result is a record packed with radio-ready tracks, meaning Hoge probably won't have to have the dreaded 'We don't hear a single' meeting. "The good problem we're having right now is that the A&R staff and the promotions staff like a lot of the songs on the record as potential singles," he says. "Hopefully, that's a conversation we won't have to have in the near future."

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