Will Hoge preview

Will Hoge
Double Door, Chicago
Friday, February 8, 2008

Listening to Will Hoge’s “Dirty Little War” is like digging your heart out with a spoon. The Nashville-based singer’s husky vocals break as the song ventures down a weary path with no end in sight from enclosing doom. In other words, it’s glorious.

Rarely does a song capture both the agony of defeat (in this case, the dissolution of his parents’ marriage) and the ecstasy of love (albeit looking at the courtship from the rear-view mirror). In this simple composition, a weeping guitar, minimal drums, and Hoge’s pained delivery express more truths about the human condition than in any of Radiohead’s gadgetry.

Zingers like “Take this tiny band of gold, for no more will it shine/and everything that once was ours is now just yours and mine/so I’ll take back my heart and I will give you back your name” bounce off the walls of a broken heart. Sadly, the other nine tracks on Hoge’s Rykodisc debut, Draw The Curtains, fail to make the same shattering impact. “When I Can Afford To Lose” demonstrates from where The Black Crowes comparisons stem, and “I’m Sorry Now” finds Hoge in the same broken stance as “Dirty Little War,” but even through the tears, the latter song still showcases a solid, unbreakable hook.

A cross between Bruce Springsteen’s street-rat days and actor Ryan Gosling, Hoge has long enjoyed a rabid fan base acquired through incessant touring and multiple live and studio releases (including an ill-fated stint with Atlantic). Joined by drummer Sigurdur Birkis, keyboardist Jefferson Crow, guitarist Adam Fluhrer, and bassist Adam Beard, Hoge considers the outfit a band effort, instead of a solo affair and benefits from the company.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit are co-headliners.

— Janine Schaults

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly