Will Hoge 'The Wreckage' album

Will Hoge is back and has elevated his rugged guitar, prolific songwriting and powerful voice to new heights with 'The Wreckage.' The album, wrought with emotion, is Hoge's first since 2007's acclaimed 'Draw the Curtains' and the tragic traffic accident that threatened his life and career. With a recent, stellar performance of the album's first single "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" on the CBS Saturday Early Show, 'The Wreckage' is set to be Hoge's most successful release to date.

In 2008 Hoge's career was abruptly put on hiatus when his scooter was struck by another vehicle en route from a day of recording at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios. The singer’s multiple injuries left him near death. After 8 months of intense physical rehabilitation, Hoge once again picked up his guitar and finished the album. "You kind of fall in love again with the whole process of writing and playing," Hoge said during a recent interview in the Tennessean.

'The Wreckage' caps Hoge's remarkable journey back to a full time performer who routinely plays 200 + shows a year. The new album was crafted with a depth of sound and musicality that undeniably breaks new ground for Hoge.

Hoge has confirmed U.S. tour dates through November with more to be announced soon.

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The accident occurred while Hoge and his band were in the studio recording what would become "The Wreckage," Hoge's follow up to 2007's "Draw the Curtains." He said re-entering the studio to finish the album off nearly a year later was a challenging experience.

"It was strange because we continued recording in the exact same studio," Hoge said, "It was surreal and took a good four days to put it behind us."

Now that the album is finished and Hoge prepares for his first week of touring, his perspective is slightly different. He said the accident caused him to rethink his usual touring schedule. Although Hoge emphasized that he would still play his usual venues and spend a great deal of time touring, he would not revisit venues over and over again over the course of a few months.

Hoge said this new approach will be a healthier way to grow a fan base in that he will no longer run the risk of burning people out on his music. He also said he will have more time to concentrate on writing new material.

"Writing is the most important aspect of music and I've started to put it on the back burner," Hoge said. "I think I'll be able to give more time to writing if I'm not constantly on the road."

However, after such a long absence, Hoge is more than ready to get back on stage to introduce songs from "The Wreckage" to his fans. "Draw the Curtains" featured a wide range of influences such as soul, R&B and country, but Hoge said songs from "The Wreckage" are unequivocally rooted in rock.

Hoge said he expects some new songs, such as "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" and "Too Late Too Soon," to catch on immediately with fans, but he is also looking forward to the unexpected crowd favorites. Hoge said he usually doesn't find out which songs he actually likes until after he's played them live a few times.

Will Hoge tour dates
09/10/09 Chattanooga TN Rhythm and Brews
09/11/09 Knoxville TN The Square Room
09/12/09 Athens GA 40 Watt Club
09/18/09 Nashville TN Mercy Lounge
09/23/09 Pittsburgh PA Club Café
09/25/09 Allston MA Harper's Ferry
09/26/09 Philadelphia PA Johnny Brenda's
09/27/09 Larchmont NY Watercolor Café
9/30/009 Fairfield CT StageOne
10/01/09 New York NY Bowery Ballroom
10/02/09 Baltimore MD 8 x 10
10/03/09 Carrboro NC Cat's Cradle
10/04/09 Morgantown WV Mountain Stage - Creative Arts Center WVU
10/08/09 Vienna VA The Barns at Wolf Trap
10/09/09 Charlotte NC Visulite Theatre
10/10/09 Atlanta GA The Loft
10/16/09 Birmingham AL WorkPlay Theatre
10/17/09 Memphis TN Hi-Tone Café
10/22/09 Lexington KY The Dame
10/23/09 Chicago IL Double Door
10/24/09 Milwaukee WI Shank Hall
10/29/09 Little Rock AR Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack
10/30/09 Oklahoma City OK Wormy Dog Saloon
11/03/09 Phoenix AZ The Rhythm Room
11/05/09 Los Angeles CA Hotel Café
11/07/09 San Francisco CA Café du Nord
11/10/09 Portland OR Mississippi Studios
11/11/09 Seattle WA The Tractor
11/14/09 Boulder CO B-Side Lounge
11/17/09 Ames IA Maintenance Shop
11/19/09 Ferndale MI Magic Bag
11/20/09 Kent OH The Kent Stage
11/21/09 Indianapoils IN Radio Radio

Will Hoge biography
Will Hoge has made a career of writing and singing powerful songs about life’s cruel and dark turns. Not long ago, he fell victim to one such turn.

As Hoge rode his scooter home from the studio, he was struck by an oncoming van that had veered into his lane. There were no skid marks. Launched off his bike, Hoge ended up bloodied, broken-boned, temporarily blinded, and near death.

“[The accident] was like stopping a record as it spins,” says Hoge, who had been halfway through recording material for his new record before getting derailed. “It was like taking the needle and pushing it off the turntable.”

For ten months, the accident sidelined Hoge. For ten months, it made him do something he hadn’t done in 18 years: stop the music. Larger matters dominated his life, like physical recovery and the well-being of his family. “People would say, ‘I bet you’re ready to get back to playing and writing.’ I’m thinking, ‘Playing or singing is not the issue right now. I’m ready to get back to walking.’”

His previous album, Draw the Curtains, had been a unanimous high-water mark in his career, a magnificent collection of rock, country, soul, blues, and folk. With a great band, good vibes, and clear skies overhead, Hoge felt like he was building something real as a career artist.

Eight months after the incident he re-entered the studio in pursuit of that mission. He now has his health, an invigorated spirit, and a renewed sense of his musical journey. “Making The Wreckage opened me up in a different way,” says Hoge. “I felt a calmness, a purpose. Right now it feels like I’m getting to the core of what I want to do and why.”

The Wreckage listens like a record with a purpose. Having stared down his own mortality, Hoge has now rediscovered the simple joys of making good music. “It’s hard to explain, but I felt a certain serenity making this album,” he says. “It doesn’t come through in the songs, but the process has become easier, and I believe the songs flow with more confidence.”

When Hoge’s fans hear these songs, they’ll feel that resolve too. The Wreckage both curses life’s wrong turns and celebrates its triumphs. “I’ve always tried to make albums that have a good reason for every song, and for the sequence of those songs. On this album you get 40:18 of music, and hopefully you’ll want to hear the whole thing start to finish.”

The new album was crafted with a depth of sound and musicality that breaks new ground for Hoge. Rugged, pulsating rock fuels “Just Like Me.” Spirited melody characterizes tunes like “Highway Wings” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” The gruff ghosts of the barroom return on Hoge’s “Hard to Love,” as does the searing country roots rock of “Long Gone.” Ballads like “What Could I Do” and “The Wreckage” are rife with the sort of brooding melancholy you’d expect from a guy who has been to the edge and back. “‘The Wreckage’ is one of the favorite songs I’ve ever sung,” Hoge admits. “I couldn’t have sung this physically before the accident, because my voice just wasn’t suited to how quiet it is.”

“Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” his paean to rock and roll as life’s true calling, is another tune Hoge admires. “The minute we started recording it, it was one of those songs that drove itself. Everyone in the room understood the sentiment. There was magic in that moment you don’t get very often.”

Even though half of The Wreckage was written and most of it recorded after the crash, images of the episode are only discreetly woven into the fabric of the album, like streaks of red on a dark surface. That’s because Hoge would rather leave those lines, words, and phrases to interpretation.

Released one year almost to the day of his accident, The Wreckage is not, song by song, a celebration of life. The sentiments are too dark, his lyrics too biting, his voice brimming with moodiness. Risen from the ashes of Hoge’s own “wreckage,” the recording is an incredible achievement, hands-down his best work to date. And that is as good a cause as any for real celebration.

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